Betty Crocker Homemakers of Tomorrow

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The Betty Crocker Homemakers of Tomorrow, officially known as the Betty Crocker Search for the All-American Homemaker of Tomorrow, was a scholarship awarded to young women in America starting in the 1954-1955 school year [1] until 1977. In 1973, the test opened up to men as well as women. The program, which was sponsored by General Mills, awarded about $2.1 million in scholarships total.

Contents

History

Contestants took a 50-minute 150-question exam. A retrospective General Mills article says that the topics covered in the exam included "family relationships, spiritual and moral values, child development and care, health and safety, utilization and conservation, money management, recreation and use of leisure time, home care and beautification, community participation, and continuing education." [2] The test was designed by the Science Research Associates of Chicago. [3] In 1956, the test was administered to 256,534 students at 10,222 schools. [4] In 1971, a reported 650,000 women participated. [5]

The winners from each high school received a pin and an award, and then they wrote essays. The program used the essays to choose one winner from each state to participate in a week-long national competition in Washington D.C., where a single woman was crowned the national Betty Crocker Homemaker of Tomorrow. [6]

One question was "Which of the following is a fundamental principle of good furniture arrangement?" and the answer choices were "Keep centers of visual interest away from the furniture", "Keep large pieces of furniture away from the walls", "Use accessories of a size contrasting with furniture", and the correct answer, which was "Do not mix very small and very large pieces of furniture". [7] Susan Marks, who published a book in 2005 called “Finding Betty Crocker,” wrote a blog post about the award, and comments on the post revealed that many of the winners simply good test-takers, not necessarily good homemakers. "Some confess they only took the exam to get out of class. Some say they were a little embarrassed by the whole thing," reads a General Mills history blog. "One winner wrote that when her name was announced over the school intercom all the jocks started ribbing her about making them a sandwich." [2] [8]

State-level winners won $1500 for first place and $500 for second place. [6] The national winner received $5000. [6] [3] State winners also received sets of the Encyclopædia Britannica for their schools. [3] [9] The national winner was announced in a nationwide broadcast. [10] [11]

General Mills maintained a publication called Searchlight with information and updates about Betty Crocker Homemakers of Tomorrow winners, [12] such as Elizabeth Warren, who won the award in 1966 for Northwest Classen High School in Oklahoma City. [13] [14]

National winners

YearNameHomeCitation
1955Deloris Arnette Enterprise, Alabama [15]
1956Sandra M. Walton Oklahoma [12]
1957Priscilla Jones Georgia [12]
1958Mary Martin Mississippi [16]
1959
1960 Jean D. Eberhart Kansas [12]
1961Mary Sue Roach South Carolina [17]
1962
1963Rae Jean Dell Nebraska [18]
1964Suzanne Moutoux Indiana [19] [20]
1965
1966
1967
1968Irene Lindley Hawaii [21]
1969Martha Illige Arizona [22] [23]
1970
1971Susan Tibbetts Rock Hill, South Carolina [24]
1972Christine Varney Massachusetts [25]
1973
1974
1975
1976
1977

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References

  1. ↑ "CHS Announces Betty Crocker Homemaker of Tomorrow Winner". The News. 1970-02-06. p. 7. Retrieved 2024-02-06.
  2. 1 2 "Remembering Betty Crocker 'Homemakers of Tomorrow' - General Mills". www.generalmills.com. Retrieved 2024-02-06.
  3. 1 2 3 "Union High Senior is Utah's Best Homemaker". The Uintah Basin Standard. 1955-03-24. p. 1. Retrieved 2024-02-06.
  4. ↑ "Evelyn Frank Receives Honor as Homemaker". Globe-Gazette. 1956-01-21. p. 3. Retrieved 2024-02-06.
  5. ↑ "Area High School Girls Named 'Homemakers of Tomorrow'". The Shreveport Journal. 1971-02-04. p. 9. Retrieved 2024-02-06.
  6. 1 2 3 "Betty Crocker Homemakers of Tomorrow Contest Winners". Chicago Tribune. 1962-02-08. p. 4. Retrieved 2024-02-06.
  7. ↑ Clinton, Leah Melby (2016-03-23). "Do You Know the Answers to These Questions From Betty Crocker's 1967 Quiz?". Glamour. Retrieved 2024-02-06.
  8. ↑ Marks, Susan (2011-01-27). "Finding Betty Crocker: Betty Crocker Search for the American Homemaker of Tomorrow Scholarship". Finding Betty Crocker. Retrieved 2024-02-06.
  9. ↑ "Portland Girl Wins Award in Homemaking". Hartford Courant. 1955-03-06. p. 114. Retrieved 2024-02-06.
  10. ↑ "Betty Crocker Salutes the Homemakers of Tomorrow". Daily News. 1956-04-12. p. 332. Retrieved 2024-02-06.
  11. ↑ "Vici Senior Announced State Winner of Contest". Woodward Daily Press. 1955-03-24. p. 1. Retrieved 2024-02-06.
  12. 1 2 3 4 "Homemakers: Follow the Boy Scout motto". Arizona Republic. 1969-11-24. p. 43. Retrieved 2024-02-06.
  13. ↑ "A Fighting Chance". Christian Science Monitor. ISSN   0882-7729 . Retrieved 2024-02-06.
  14. ↑ Baskin, Kara (2012-06-20). "Elizabeth Warren Was 1966's "Betty Crocker Homemaker of Tomorrow"". Grub Street. Retrieved 2024-02-06.
  15. ↑ "Family Rates Above House for Homemaking Prize Winner". The Buffalo News. 1955-07-07. p. 28. Retrieved 2024-02-06.
  16. ↑ (August 1958). Teens - Around the South, The Progressive Farmer
  17. ↑ (14 April 1961). Homemaker Winner Announced, Evening Star (Washington, D.C.)
  18. ↑ (5 May 1963). Nebraska Girl Top Homemaker, Ogdensburg Journal
  19. ↑ (13 May 2014). Posey County Pages of the Past, The Posey County News
  20. ↑ General Mills Annual Report -- 1964, p. 18
  21. ↑ (26 April 1968). 'Homemaker' Title, Oakland Tribune
  22. ↑ (30 April 1969). These three happy teenagers..., Arizona Republic , p. 56 (Martha Illige of Arizona was first, Pamela Limbaugh of Tennessee was first-runner up, Paula Edwards of Washington was second runner up, and Patricia Barnett of Yakima was third runner up)
  23. ↑ (1 August 2016). Local Doctor Made Lasting Contrubitions to the Community, Front Porch
  24. ↑ "Susan Tibbetts national winner". The Herald. 1971-04-23. p. 1. Retrieved 2024-02-06.
  25. ↑ (1 May 1972). People, Daily Reporter (Dover, Ohio) ("Christine Varney, 17, of Walpole, has been named Betty Crocker Ail-American Homemaker of Tomorrow")
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