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Tuesday, March 29, 2011

Betty Crocker Future Homemaker of Tomorrow Award Winner

I'm so proud of my mother!  In 1957, she took a test in her 12th grade home economics class in high school and won the Betty Crocker Future Homemaker of Tomorrow Award!



Mother chose to take two full years of home economics in school.  Most girls did that.  There were absolutely no boys in home economics class back then!  She also took a Morse Code class and was the only girl in there, so Mother dropped out because the boys didn't want her in there.

Mom remembers placing a dishtowel across her shoulder one day in cooking class.  The teacher yelled so loudly that even to this day if she goes to place a dishtowel on her shoulder, that teacher's voice rings loud in her ear, reminding her never to do such a thing because hair should never touch a dishtowel.

Nonetheless, she enjoyed the subject matter and memorized the books.

Besides a certificate, my mother won a free ticket to see a film in the movie theater.





Now, how about you?  Did you ever take a home economics class and the Betty Crocker Homemaker of Tomorrow test?  Some gals even won scholarship money for college, though Mother did not.
If you went to an American high school in the 1950s, 60s and 70s, you might have taken this test.
It would be nice to know how many of you took such a test, or perhaps a similar type of test in your home country.  Was there such a competition in Canada, Great Britain or Austrailia?

Thank you for sharing!

14 comments:

  1. I took two years of home ec in high school in the mid 60s... was a member of FHA but don't remember taking a test for Homemaker of Tomorrow as a senior or at any time.

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  2. I also took "cooking" in junior high and "sewing" in high school in the late 60's, but never took the test. The teacher probably had to sign up to be part of a special program for that.
    Your mother sounds like a special lady!

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  3. Thank you so much, Linda. I'll be sure to show her your post. Mother lives with us in our home and it's been fun walking down memory lane through her recipe box. It's just recently been 'found' now some thirty years after she used it regularly in the 1970's.

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    1. The test was required for all seniors in 1976. I took the test and won. I received a certificate but not a pin. I thought at the time it was just a common sense test. I had been sewing, cooking, writing checks, shopping and taking care of a baby since I was 11 years old. And yes the grocery stores took my checks.

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  4. Well I went to High School in the 80's so didn't take that test. However I did take Home EC. I bet my mom took that test, she won a Betty Crocker Cook book!

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  5. I went to high school in the 80's, too, but never took a home ec class! Now that I'm in my 40's, I've after Mom all the time about recipes (as you can see here) and love cookbooks - I've got about forty of them. Taste of Home's "More Slow Cooker Favorites" and Grandpa Elvin's Betty Crocker are probably my favorite.

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  6. I went to high school in the late 60's and hadn't heard of the test. That would of been fun. I did take homemaking classes all four years. Did enter in my senior year the Pillsbury baking contest, didn't win. But I had a good time learning about it. I did have a class all to myself that year, where I got to cook a special country's style. I prepared, shopped and cooked the whole meal, and got to invite teachers, friends and administrators for the meals. My final was an 8 course Russian dinner. What fun I had!! Even got the print class to do my menus and invitations. This class helped me to enjoy what I cook and how to shop for food bargains. How fun for your mom to have won that award and have those memories!

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  7. Thanks for posting this.
    I won the award as a senior in 1972. Don't know what became of the certificate, but I still have the charm and bracelet that came with it, thanks to my Grandma, and later, Mom who saved all of that for me.

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  8. I won the award for my high school in 1967. I still have the silver charm but do not recall getting a certificate. I remember taking the test in Home Ec class and received a good deal of ribbing when it was announced that I had won--I was a good test taker but not very domestic.

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  9. My sister, Robin Ward, won this award in 1974. Unfortunately the administration at the high school she attended, Warren Township High School in Gurnee, Illinois decided to give the scholarship to someone else because Robin didn't take any Home Economic classes. To this day I cannot believe the audacity of these admistrators or the unfairness of their decision.

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    1. I should have been the regional winner in my state in 1974, but they gave it to someone who'd taken home ec, even though my score was higher. Sorry about your sister, Robin, I completely understand your outrage. But, I guess you can't fight city hall.

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  10. I won for my high school in 1977, the last year of the program. I did not receive a pin, charm or certificate. This has always had me puzzled, that the winner would not receive anything. It is now 40 years later and I still wonder why. This came up again because of my high school reunion. I've been researching the internet quite a bit about this program and contacted General Mills about it also. A representative in the archives dept of General Mills was so sweet. She is mailing me a certificate and a charm that was given out in the 1970's to the winners. I only took one Home Economics class during my high school years, which was in my senior year. I learned most of my knowledge that was used on that test from my mom. I also was a great test taker. I feel honored to be a Betty Crocker winner and finally now I will soon have a certificate that I won. Enjoyed your blog. I see that it was from 2011. I hope your mom is still around. If so, tell her another Betty Crocker winner wishes her well.

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  11. CollectorHave most of pins in have the New Jersey1955 jeweled state winner all the news stuff plus original test collectionBetty Crocker well over 500 items.

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  12. I was walking to class in 1974, and passed a roomful of anxious -looking girls sitting in a classroom that was not usually in use. I leaned into the room and asked what they were up to. Turns out they were taking the Betty Crocker exam. I asked if anyone could take it; they said "sure," so I slid into an empty desk, thrilled to be off the hook from my next class. I had never taken home economics because there were only so many elective classes a student could take, and I was committed to my role as the choral accompanist. However, I loved baking and sewing, and my Mom taught me well. The actual test was fascinating, I enjoyed every minute of the 50 minutes allotted to complete it. 2 questions I remember: 1 - What vitamin is added to milk? ( We had just discussed that in Physical Science) and, What is the definition of sautė ( I knew that from cooking as well as ballet class!) One day an Secretary from the school office came in the choral room to speak to the teacher. The message was that I'd scored 98 on the test, and I would receive the Betty Crocker award for my school. My choral teacher started laughing and couldn't quit. When I found out what she was laughing about, I joined her. The Home Ec teacher never even bothered to speak to me or congratulate me, and - there were a lot of glum-faced home ec students in school that day. I felt kind of guilty at first, because I was self-taught, but I got over that. Home Ec students should have been able to ace that test. ;-)

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