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Isabel Bevier (November 14, 1860 – March 17, 1942) was one of the pioneers in the development of the scientific study of women’s labor in the home, today known as "home economics". In 1900 she began developing the “household science” (later called “Home Economics”) program at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.
Bevier was born on November 14, 1860 to Caleb and Cornelia Bevier (nee Brinkerhoff) ona200 acre farm near Plymouth, Ohio in 1860. She was the youngest of 9 children. She attended Plymouth High School and then transferred to the Preparatory School of Wooster Ohio due to the fact that Plymouth High School was unaccredited. After her mother's passing during her sophomore year of high school, she enrolled in the University of Wooster (just north of Columbus, Ohio) where she earned a bachelor's degree in Philosophy in 1885. Her summers were spent teaching at a country school. With the help of her farther, Bevier entered the field of education and became a principal at a small high school located in Shelby, Ohio. During her time as principal in Shelby, she taught Latin and English. Two years later she moved to a large high school in Mt. Vernon, Ohio where she taught botany, English, and math for a year. She was simultaneously attending Wooster University to earn a master's degree in Latin and German and completed her degree program in 1888.
The year she earned her masters in Latin and German, her fiance Elmer Strain drowned. This tragedy prompted her to accept a professorship at the Pennsylvania College of Women in Pittsburgh teaching natural sciences. In order to prepare for her new position, she applied to a attend a summer course at the Case School for Applied Science (today known as Case Western Reserve University). She was the first woman to apply to this program. Unfortunately, Case did not hold an academic term that summer and was instead invited to study chemistry under Albert W. Smith, a chemist at Case. She returned the following summer to study under Smith who recommended that she further her studies in chemistry as he predicted the Midwest would become a hub for food sciences. Sparked by an interest in chemistry she continued to study applied chemistry issues at Harvard, Wesleyan University and MIT. At Harvard, Bevier was the only female in a class of 11 students studying chemistry. Bevier continued to teach at the Pennsylvania College of Women during this time and in addition to teaching natural sciences, she added to her repertoire: geology, botany, physiology, and physical science. Through her studies with Wilbur O. Atwater, a pioneer in agricultural chemistry, Bevier began work on food science and nutrition. At MIT she worked with Ellen Richards, first president of the American Home Economics Association (AHEA) in 1908, on her ground breaking food and sanitary chemistry.
During her lifetime, Isabel Bevier was a big advocate of expanding educational opportunities for women in the field of domesticity which became the foundation upon which Household Sciences was built on. Though the domestic field was still centered around the roles women were expected to fulfill at the time, it was an advancement in the education of women, who at the time were encouraged to "to be content to be women, to be mild, social, and sentimental"[1]. Bevier attributed this change in attitude towards women's education to the establishment of Land-Grant colleges in the United States over the course of the late 1800s which promoted courses of study outside of a traditional liberal arts education that were imparted at established institutions like Harvard and Yale.
Isabel Bevier was a deeply religious woman, and her devotion to the Christian faith often influenced her work. She often expressed that the goal of her work in the domestic science field would contribute to society by improving the lives of families who are participating members of it.
Bartow quotes a letter of recommendation for Bevier in 1885 stating, “She has the ‘teacher tact’ that must be born in one, for it cannot be acquired."
Bevier’s high school teaching career was brief. She taught Latin and English for one year (1885) at Shelby High School in Ohio and then two years (1885-1887) in Mt. Vernon, Ohio teaching botany, English and math.
In 1888 she began her career in higher education. For nine years she was a Professor of Natural Sciences at Pennsylvania College for Women (today known as Chatham University) in Pittsburg. She went on to teach at Lake Erie College in 1898-99.o
In 1900 she was recruited by Andrew Draper to develop a program in Household Science (Home Economics) at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. In her memoirFor the next 21 years she taught and provided leadership to one of the most influential Home Economics programs in the United States.
Prior to Bevier’s arrival at Illinois, John Milton Gregory, the first regent (president) of the University sought to establish a domestic science program that would extend beyond cooking and sewing lessons. Thus, the School of Domestic Science and Arts was born and featured in the academic catalog of the 1871-1872 academic year. However, courses in this program did not begin until he hired Louisa Catherine Allen in 1874 to teach it. In 1878, program was integrated into the College of Natural Science. The School was dissolved in 1881 when Allen married Regent Gregory and left her position as instructor. After her departure, the School's credibility plummeted, which was already shaky because of reservations the public had about the school's curriculum. Other factors that contributed to the School's dissolution were financial issues and a lack of interest in the program by the public.[2] Bevier was not interested in creating a cooking and sewing school, she was determined to create a program based on science that addressed the everyday issues in the lives of women, children and families. She along with Eugene Davenport, Dean of the College of Agriculture, specifically chose the name “Household Science” for the program to emphasize the “science” aspect.
After establishing the department of Household Science at Illinois, Bevier was given a week by then Vice-President at the University of Illinois, Thomas J. Burril to begin instruction. Bevier had not yet developed a course and went to the department of chemistry and Dean Ricker of the Engineering College for help. At the Engineering College she discovered that courses on the history of architecture, heating, and plumbing were offered, which were renamed "Home Architecture and Sanitation" and moved to the department of household science which became its first course offering. 20 people enrolled to take that first course.[3]
Courses offered under the department of household sciences at the University of Illinois during its inception were often adapted from previously existing courses offered in other departments. In addition to the "Home Architecture and Sanitation", a course titled "History of Architecture" was expanded on and adapted from a six lecture series delivered by Nathan Ricker during his time as Dean of the College of Engineering at the University of Illinois.
After the creation of the first course ever offered under the department of Household Sciences at Illinois, Bevier recalls being faced by a second challenge, creating new course offerings under Household Sciences to offer during the winter semester. After studying the catalog offerings of other higher education institutions with domestic science departments in the United States and being unsatisfied with what she considered to be essentially cooking classes, she decided to pull inspiration from her background as a chemist and developed "Selection and Preparation of Food" and "Economic Uses of Food" which were developed to encompass all manner of foods in different stages of the cooking process.
After Bevier's secretary left, she was replaced by Cornelia Simon who was selected to teach foods with the help of Bevier. During this time, Bevier was also developing coursework on home decoration and recalls struggling to acquire materials for use in the classroom.
Outside of the classroom Bevier educated women in Household Sciences through Farmer Institutes and State Federation of Women Clubs that she visited to speak on the department she founded at the University of Illinois. On her visits to these places, she encountered homemakers who found the idea of incorporating science and household obligations foreign. Despite the trepidation she was met with, her tours only served to cement why she was doing her work in the first place.
The first graduating class of Household Sciences were three young women in 1903. During this time and afterwards the University saw much growth in the department, including an increase in enrollment to the program and the dedication of the Women's Building (which is known as the English Building today.)
Isabel Bevier was in the forefront of the professionalization of home economics. She was part of the initial group that founded AHEA in 1908. That year she participated in the drafting of the organization’s Bylaws and was elected First Vice-President. In 1911 she succeeded Ellen Richards as the President of AHEA. She also served on the editorial board of the society’s first scientific journal, the Journal of Home Economics.
During World War I, home economists played a significant role in helping Am erican families manage food shortages and the lack of other basic resources. Isabel Bevier served as the Illinois Chair of the Thrift and Conservation Department of the Woman’s Committee of the Council of National Defense. Later she was Director of Home Economics in President Herbert Hoover’s Food Administration. In each of these roles she was responsible for applying the lessons of food preservation, nutrition and clothing conservation to the wartime shortages of food and other basic necessities. This work demonstrated the value of applying science to home and family life.
Bevier is less known for her scientific work than her teaching. However, Bevier was instrumental in applying the principles of chemistry to the study of food preparation and preservation. She reported findings about the chemical processes of bread making, was the first to use food thermometers to monitor the cooking of meat and she made contributions to our understanding of various means of food substitutes.
Bevier published two major books in her lifetime. The House, published in 1907 served as the basic introductory textbook for her riginal course at the University of Illinois. In addition to describing the design and construction of family homes, this book is a manifesto of Bevier’s views on the importance of applying science to the challenges faced by families and to the importance of educating women. She also wrote Home Economics in Education (1924) that described her ideas about home economics education.
An important part of her work as creator and director of the Household Sciences program, were the speaking engagements she frequently had. Some of her more memorable engagements were the Philadelphia Museum, the Educational Association of Toronto, Canada and her visit to the MacDonald Institute for Girls in Guelph, Ontario.
The program in Household Science established by Bevier has gone through many changes since its beginning in 1900. Today the original areas of study within Household Science including nutrition/food science, child and family development and consumer economics are now independent department units. Each area of study has evolved into its own specialized scientific domain. Nevertheless, each unit still owes a substantial debt to the vision of Bevier who understood that by applying scientific study to women, children and family issues that we could develop knowledge and applications that could improve the health and well-being of people. Today’s study of food safety and nutrition, the understanding of human development and principles of family finance owe much to Bevier’s pioneering scientific and educational vision.
Some of Isabel Bevier's most notable works include:
| Work Published | Year Published | Publisher | Author(s) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bulletin No.52: Nutrition Investigations in Pittsburg, Pennsylvania | 1894-1896 | U.S. Department of Agriculture | Isabel Bevier |
| Bulletin No. 71: Dietary Studies of Negroes in Eastern Virginia | 1897, 1898 | U.S. Department of Agriculture | H.B. Frissell and Isabel Bevier |
| Bulletin No. 91: Investigations at the University of Illinois, North Dakota Agricultural College, and Lake Erie Ohio, | 1896-1900 | U.S. Department of Agriculture | H.S. Grindley, J,L Sammis, E.F. Ladd, Isabel Bevier, Elizabeth Sprague |
| University of Illinois Bulletins Vol. X, No. 25: "Some Points in the Making and Judging of Bread" | 1913 | University of Illinois | Isabel Bevier |
| University of Illinois Bulletins Vol. XI, No. 30: "The Planning of Meals" | 1914-1915 | University of Illinois | Isabel Bevier |
| University of Illinois Bulletins Vol. XV, No. 22: "Practical Suggestions for Food Consumption" | 1918 | University of Illinois | Isabel Bevier |
Isabel Bevier at the University of Illinois and the Home Economics Movement by Beverly Bartow, Journal of the Illinois State Historical Society (1908-1984)
Vol. 72, No. 1 (Feb., 1979), pp. 21-38, Published by the University of Illinois Press
I think that the aspects of this topic that each source helps evidence is information on Isabel Bevier's life and career as well as her time developing home economics at the University of Illinois. This source is a published and reviewed journal article which means that it is acceptable under Wikipedia's definition of a reliable source. No additional evidence appears to be necessary since its credibility is solid.
The Story of Isabel Bevier by Juliet Lita Bane published in 1955 published by Chas. A Bennet Co: Peoria Ill.
This source helps evidence Isabel Bevier's personal life, teaching career, her work outside of the classroom, and her later years. This source aligns with Wikipedia's guidelines for reliable sources because it is published letters written by Isabelle Bevier herself. Since a lot of the material in the book was authored by Isabel Bevier herself, I think that additional evidence will not be necessary.
Isabel Bevier's contributions to nutritional science are recorded in
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She was born on 200 acre-farm in Ohio
Before coming to the University of Illinois, she was a professor at Lake Erie College an all-female institution in the past. Before working at LEC she was a professor at Pennsylvania College for Women in Pittsburg Pennsylvania for 9 yrs.
She left for the University of Illinois because it was a coeducational institution and was tired of life at women's colleges.
She arrived to UIUC on September 1, 1900
She was given free rein by the professor of UIUC at the time, Andrew Draper with support from the Dean of the College of Agriculture, to create and be the head of a new department at the University which would cater to their women students. The Dean of the college, Dean Davenport, insisted that the material for the new department have a scientific basis and so they developed "Household Science" which would later be known as Home Economics. After settling on a name for this new department,
Bevier had extensive training in as a food chemist and nutritionist, and worked with faculty from Case Western Reserve University, MIT, and at private laboratories with other professors.
Isabel Bevier was an advocate of dietary studies for improving the nutritional value of the food American housewives prepared in the home[4].
In fact, during her time as a professor of Natural Sciences at the Pennsylvania College for Women in Pittsburg Pennsylvania, Bevier authored a report on the dietary habits of 6 Pennsylvanian families, a bakery experiment, and a study on bread in Pittsburgh that was published by the U.S. Department of Agriculture under Bulletin No.52, "Nutrition Investigations"[5]. She viewed this governmental work as a necessary integration between science and the home.
As head of the Domestic Science Department at the University of Illinois, Bevier contributed a series of articles to Woman's World Magazine between October 1914 and June 1915. These articles ranged from making the perfect bread, and other topics in housekeeping. (Come back to clippings and ask about finding out each edition etc.)
*********Most credible sources on Isabel Bevier are in the University archives which I haven't had an opportunity to visit yet. Will update the page once I have a hold of that information*
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