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 the United States from the 1954-1955 school year[1] to 1977. In 1973, the test opened up to men, and the 1974 award was the first to be renamed the All-American Family Leader for Tomorrow.[2] The program, which was sponsored by General Mills and named for its Betty Crocker brand, awarded around $2.1 million in scholarships total.

History[edit]

The Betty Crocker Search for the All-American Homemaker of Tomorrow was established by General Mills in the early 1950s. The high school-aged 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."[3] The test was designed by the Science Research Associates of Chicago.[4] In 1956, the test was administered to 256,534 students at 10,222 schools.[5] In 1971, a reported 650,000 women participated.[6]

The winners from each high school received a pin and an award, and then 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.[7]

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".[8] 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."[3][9]

State-level winners won $1500 for first place and $500 for second place.[7] The national winner received $5000.[7][4] State winners also received sets of the Encyclopædia Britannica for their schools.[4][10] The national winner was announced in a nationwide broadcast.[11][12]

General Mills maintained a publication called Searchlight with information and updates about Betty Crocker Homemakers of Tomorrow winners,[13] such as Massachusetts Senator Elizabeth Warren, who won the award in 1966 for Northwest Classen High School in Oklahoma City.[14][15]

National winners[edit]

Year Name Home Citation
1955 Deloris Arnette Enterprise, Alabama [16]
1956 Sandra M. Walton Oklahoma [13]
1957 Priscilla Jones Georgia [13]
1958 Mary Martin Mississippi [17]
1959 Judith Dorrell Iowa [18]
1960 Jean D. Eberhart Kansas [13]
1961 Mary Sue Roach South Carolina [19]
1962 Nan Claire Fitzpatrick Massachusetts [20]
1963 Rae Jean Dell Nebraska [21]
1964 Suzanne Moutoux Indiana [22][23]
1965 Martha Yunker South Dakota [24][25]
1966 Candace Slater New York [26]
1967 Karen Pesaresi Kansas [27]
1968 Irene Lindley Hawaii [28]
1969 Martha Illige Arizona [29][30]
1970 Lori Fisher California [31]
1971 Susan Tibbetts Rock Hill, South Carolina [32]
1972 Christine Varney Massachusetts [33]
1973 Mary Lydia Ruiz Louisiana [34]
1974 Susan Lynn Van Wechel Oregon [2][35]
1975 Mary Lawlor Ohio [36]
1976 Daniel McVicar Colorado [37]
1977 Deborah Jacobs Massachusetts [38]

References[edit]

  1. ^ "CHS Announces Betty Crocker Homemaker of Tomorrow Winner". The News. February 6, 1970. p. 7. Retrieved February 6, 2024.
  2. ^ a b McCormack, Patricia (June 30, 1974). Families of the Future Say They'll Follow Contemporaries When it Comes to Earnings, Scrantonian Tribune (Scranton, Pennsylvania) (UPI content)
  3. ^ a b "Remembering Betty Crocker 'Homemakers of Tomorrow' - General Mills". www.generalmills.com. Retrieved February 6, 2024.
  4. ^ a b c "Union High Senior is Utah's Best Homemaker". The Uintah Basin Standard. March 24, 1955. p. 1. Retrieved February 6, 2024.
  5. ^ "Evelyn Frank Receives Honor as Homemaker". Globe-Gazette. January 21, 1956. p. 3. Retrieved February 6, 2024.
  6. ^ "Area High School Girls Named 'Homemakers of Tomorrow'". The Shreveport Journal. February 4, 1971. p. 9. Retrieved February 6, 2024.
  7. ^ a b c "Betty Crocker Homemakers of Tomorrow Contest Winners". Chicago Tribune. February 8, 1962. p. 4. Retrieved February 6, 2024.
  8. ^ Clinton, Leah Melby (March 23, 2016). "Do You Know the Answers to These Questions From Betty Crocker's 1967 Quiz?". Glamour. Retrieved February 6, 2024.
  9. ^ Marks, Susan (January 27, 2011). "Finding Betty Crocker: Betty Crocker Search for the American Homemaker of Tomorrow Scholarship". Finding Betty Crocker. Retrieved February 6, 2024.
  10. ^ "Portland Girl Wins Award in Homemaking". Hartford Courant. March 6, 1955. p. 114. Retrieved February 6, 2024.
  11. ^ "Betty Crocker Salutes the Homemakers of Tomorrow". Daily News. April 12, 1956. p. 332. Retrieved February 6, 2024.
  12. ^ "Vici Senior Announced State Winner of Contest". Woodward Daily Press. March 24, 1955. p. 1. Retrieved February 6, 2024.
  13. ^ a b c d "Homemakers: Follow the Boy Scout motto". Arizona Republic. November 24, 1969. p. 43. Retrieved February 6, 2024.
  14. ^ "A Fighting Chance". Christian Science Monitor. ISSN 0882-7729. Retrieved February 6, 2024.
  15. ^ Baskin, Kara (June 20, 2012). "Elizabeth Warren Was 1966's "Betty Crocker Homemaker of Tomorrow"". Grub Street. Retrieved February 6, 2024.
  16. ^ "Family Rates Above House for Homemaking Prize Winner". The Buffalo News. July 7, 1955. p. 28. Retrieved February 6, 2024.
  17. ^ (August 1958). Teens - Around the South, The Progressive Farmer
  18. ^ (April 12, 1959). Morgan County Girl Is Fourth U.S. Homemaker, Cumberland Sunday Times (Cumberland, Maryland)
  19. ^ (April 14, 1961). Homemaker Winner Announced, Evening Star (Washington, D.C.)
  20. ^ Walsh, Patricia (May 9, 1962). All Arlington Hails Its Top Homemaker, The Boston Globe
  21. ^ (May 5, 1963). Nebraska Girl Top Homemaker, Ogdensburg Journal
  22. ^ (May 13, 2014). Posey County Pages of the Past, The Posey County News
  23. ^ General Mills Annual Report -- 1964, p. 18
  24. ^ Representative Ben Reifel meets the National Homemaker of Tomorrow, Martha Yunker in 1965, South Dakota State University Archives & Special Collections, Retrieved 13 March 2024
  25. ^ (April 30, 1965). Martha Yunker Named National Homemaker, Argus Leader
  26. ^ Lambert, Louise (May 6, 1966). Local Girl Describes Fairy Tale Award and Trip, Virginia Gazette (lists top five, including "Candy Slater, a senior at Floral Park Memorial High School in New York state, was announced All-American Homemaker of Tomorrow ...")
  27. ^ (21 April 1967). Local Girl Top Young Homemaker, The Manhattan Mercury (Manhattan, Kansas)
  28. ^ (April 26, 1968). 'Homemaker' Title, Oakland Tribune
  29. ^ (April 30, 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)
  30. ^ (1 August 2016). Local Doctor Made Lasting Contributions to the Community, Front Porch
  31. ^ Jeffrey, Tina (April 19, 1970). 'Pressure Cooker' Is New Titleholder, Daily Press (Newport News, Virginia)
  32. ^ "Susan Tibbetts national winner". The Herald. April 23, 1971. p. 1. Retrieved February 6, 2024.
  33. ^ (May 1, 1972). People, Daily Reporter (Dover, Ohio) ("Christine Varney, 17, of Walpole, has been named Betty Crocker Ail-American Homemaker of Tomorrow")
  34. ^ (May 17, 1973). Principal Dorothy Donnelly ..., Jefferson Parish Times
  35. ^ (3 May 2023). Susan Minson Obituary, The Oregonian
  36. ^ Jeffrey, Tina (April 25, 1975). Leader of Tomorrow Is Winner Today, Daily Press
  37. ^ (June 17, 1976). Denver Senior Wins Top Honors, Delhi Dispatch
  38. ^ (April 22, 1977). General Mills' 'leader' named, Holyoke Transcript-Telegram (Associated Press story)
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