Edwin Washington Project

Contains telegram from March 1960 certifying that Miss Charlotte Bell Cook was chosen as the 1960 State Betty Crocker Homemaker of Tomorrow for Virginia.    Miss Cook was a white girl from Washington, DC, living in Loudoun at the time.  

General Mills awarded millions of dollars to high school senior girls (and later on boys)’ and they didn't even have to major in home economics.   The Betty Crocker Search for the All-American Homemaker of Tomorrow, as it was officially known, was a one-of-a-kind scholarship program that ran from 1955 to 1977. When it began, organizers said the purpose of the program was “to focus national attention on the so-called ‘forgotten career’ of homemaking, and on the untiring job being done by America’s high schools to develop citizens and homemakers of the future.”   

Contestants were required to take a 50-minute exam. The test, consisting of 150 questions, covered a variety of topics: 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.  Scholarship money was awarded at the state and national level.

The top winner from each state was flown to Washington D.C., where the national winners were chosen, following a week of competition. Local high school winners received a heart-shaped pin  

What has yet to be determined is whether African-Americans in Virginia did or could compete.. 

When looking at this award, also take into Chapter on Curriculum, Home Economics.

See also "Remembering Betty Crocker Homemakers of Tomorrow." General Mills History. 4 9, 2013. http://blog.generalmills.com/2013/04/remembering-betty-crocker-homemakers-of-tomorrow/ (accessed 9 7, 2015).