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James Madison University Libraries Special Collections
820 Madison DriveTiffany Cole
Copyright for materials authored or otherwise produced as official business of James Madison University is retained by James Madison University. Copyright status for other collection materials is unknown. Transmission or reproduction of materials protected by U.S. Copyright Law (Title 17, U.S.C.) beyond that allowed by fair use requires the written permission of the copyright owners. Works not in the public domain cannot be commercially exploited without permission of the copyright owners. Responsibility for any use rests exclusively with the user. For more information, contact the Special Collections Reference Desk (library-special@jmu.edu).
Collection open to research. Researchers must register and agree to copyright and privacy laws before using this collection. Please contact Research Services staff before visiting the James Madison University Special Collections Library to use this collection.
[identification of item], [box #, folder #], Department of Living Sciences Records, circa 1915-2003, UA 0057, Special Collections, Carrier Library, James Madison University, Harrisonburg, VA.
Administrative records and photographs documenting the home economics/living sciences department were transferred in 1991. The materials related to the student organizations were physically transferred to Special Collections in 2016 by Dr. Danielle Torisky, professor of dietetics. A transfer agreement was retroactively signed in August 2022.
Meeting minutes and other administrative files were removed from binders and other bulky or acidic enclosures.
The collection was briefly titled Home Economics Student Organization Records before the incorporation of accession LS 91-0904 in January 2023.
LS 91-0904 was minimally processed with limited description after being transferred to Special Collections in 1991. These records, comprising administrative records and photographs, were minimally reprocessed to reflect more accurate and descriptive groupings. They were added to the home economics student organizations records due to their creation by the same administrative body. The accession information for LS 91-0904 refers to two scrapbooks, but given the absence of physical scrapbooks, these were likely disassembled with their contents photocopied or removed and placed into folders.
Much of Danielle Torisky's research material for her publication "History of Dining Services at James Madison University," which largely comprised photocopies, were not retained. Only a representative sample of published materials, cook books, and department reference books were retained. The remaining books, comprising widely available, mass produced, and/or out of scope publications, were not retained. A file of Phi Omicron Tau bank statements was not retained. Two plaques for Outstanding Home Economics students were not retained. The club's Betty lamp was not retained and was returned to Danielle Torisky.
The State Normal and Industrial School for Women at Harrisonburg was one of the first institutions of higher learning in Virginia to emphasize a home economics education. Home economics, also known as household arts, was deemed an essential component of a good public school education for women along with agriculture and trades. By 1918, the school began receiving federal funding as part of the Smith-Hughes Vocational Education Act to train teachers and supervisors of home economics. Two student organizations, Frances Sale Club and Phi Omicron Tau, were affiliated with the department though both were likely dissolved in the early 1990s.
Early courses in home economics covered sewing and textiles, cooking, home cleaning, home nursing, home furnishing and decoration, design, household mechanics, and millinery. The curriculum later included dietetics and child development. Notable faculty included Frances Sale, the school's first home economics instructor; Pearl Moody, head of the home economics department; Bernice Varner, dean of women and head of the home economics department; and Dorothy Rowe ('50), alumna and head of the home economics department. Over time the home economics curriculum was part of the following departments: Household Arts, Department of Home Economics, Department of Living Sciences, Dietetics, and Department of Health Professions.
The Department of Living Sciences Records, circa 1915-2003, comprise the administrative files, photographs, and scrapbooks documenting the activities of the Department of Living Sciences and affiliated student organizations (Frances Sale Club and Phi Omicron Tau) at James Madison University. The collection includes meeting minutes, annual reports, course information, student organization membership lists, financial records, loose photographs of students and faculty, and scrapbooks of photographs and printed ephemera.
The collection is arranged into three series:
Student Organizations, 1942-2003 Administrative Files, 1928-1991 Photographs, circa 1915-1970sPrinted materials were separated from the collection and cataloged as part of Special Collections rare book holdings.
Files related to Danielle Torisky's "A History of Dining Services at James Madison University" (2007), completed as part of a Burruss research grant in JMU history, as well as her collection of Dining Services at JMU Oral Histories (SdArch 36) were added to Special Collections control files.
Series 1: Student Organizations, 1942-2003, comprises the administrative files and scrapbooks documenting the activities of the Frances Sale Club and Phi Omicron Tau, two student organizations affiliated with James Madison University's home economics department. Records include meeting minutes, membership lists, financial records, and scrapbooks of photographs and printed ephemera.
The Home Economics Club, first organized in 1912, redesignated itself as the Frances Sale Club in 1924 and was named after the State Normal and Industrial School's first home economics teacher. The club had an open membership to all students enrolled in a home economics course. Over time, membership was limited to students majoring in home economics which included coursework in dietetics, fashion merchandising, and interior design. The symbol of the Frances Sale Club was the Betty lamp due to its association with colonial domestic activity. Yuri Nemoto, Madison College's first Asian American matriculate, was an active member and officer of the Frances Sale Club and is listed in the treasurer's book as well as membership lists.
Sub-Series 1.1: Frances Sale Club, 1942-1990, comprises meeting minutes, financial records related to member dues and club expenses, membership lists, and scrapbooks. The scrapbooks include annotated photographs of members, events and programming, guest speakers, and Virginia Home Economics Association (VHEA)/Student Member Section (SMS) meetings. The scrapbooks also contain assorted printed ephemera, newspaper clippings, and newsletters.
Phi Omicron Tau, the local home economics honor society, was founded in September 1962. The 15 founding members were initiated on January 15, 1963. Specific membership requirements for Phi Omicron Tau changed over the years, but were largely based on grade point average and a minimum number of credit hours in home economics. The society's colors were black, symbolizing old and academic growth, and white, symbolizing research. The society selected a theme for each academic year and the year's programming and events would relate to that theme. Themes include Great Women, Observing Our World, The Intelligent Woman, and Home Economists Coping with a Changing World. The society's overarching objective was to promote interest in home economics. More specifically, the society and its members worked to promote scholarship in home economics, review new research in the field, create and encourage interest in the profession, foster the development of creative leadership, encourage and foster high ethical standards in home and professional life, and teach the ideal of service as the basis of all worthy enterprise.
Sub-Series 1.2: Phi Omicron Tau, 1951-2003, comprises meeting minutes, financial records related to member dues and expenses, correspondence and scrapbooks. The scrapbooks include photographs, handbooks, thank-you notes, and assorted printed ephemera. Other administrative files include a constitution and by-laws, reports, initiation procedures, and a brief history of the organization.
Series 2: Administrative Files, 1928-1991, includes annual reports, self-study reports, meeting minutes, information on curriculum and course outlines, historical information on the department, and lists of graduates and their respective careers.
Series 3: Photographs, circa 1915-1970s, documents individual students, faculty (Dorothy Rowe, Pearl Moody, etc.), groups and clubs, social events, classrooms, test kitchens, and laboratories. Students are pictured preparing food, working with textiles, and making clothing and costumes. The bulk of the individual student photographs are identified and dated. A portrait photograph of Yuri Nemoto, Madison College's first Asian American student, is included. Unidentified toddlers and children are featured in some of the photographs. These likely document courses or practicums in child development and family relationships. A group of photographs thoroughly document the interior and exterior of the Practice House (now Varner House). Photographs of Moody Hall, Carrier Library, and the power plant are included.