{"id":24807,"date":"2023-08-05T18:31:25","date_gmt":"2023-08-05T18:31:25","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.oregonstate.edu\/scarc\/?p=24807"},"modified":"2025-01-09T21:27:44","modified_gmt":"2025-01-09T21:27:44","slug":"the-local-and-national-impact-of-nutritional-health-programs-at-oregon-state-college-during-world-war-ii","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.oregonstate.edu\/scarc\/2023\/08\/05\/the-local-and-national-impact-of-nutritional-health-programs-at-oregon-state-college-during-world-war-ii\/","title":{"rendered":"The Local and National Impact of Nutritional Health Programs at Oregon State College during World War II."},"content":{"rendered":"\n

During spring term Dr. Kara Ritzheimer\u2019s History 310 (Historian\u2019s Craft) students researched and wrote blog posts about OSU during WWII. The sources they consulted are listed at the end of each post. Students wrote on a variety of topics and we hope you appreciate their contributions as much as the staff at SCARC does!<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

This post was written by Caitlin Patton.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In November 1942, the Oregon State Barometer<\/em> published an article titled \u201cHome Ec Schools Under Pressure,\u201d which provides insight into the dietician and nutrition programs in Oregon State College\u2019s (OSC) School of Home Economics.[i]<\/sup><\/a> Further research reveals that other departments beyond Home Economics developed programs to reach the broader Corvallis and Oregon communities. These programs reflect an increase in support from doctors and the general public for nutrition research and its practical applications during the beginning of World War II. The American government worked with universities across the country, including OSC, to develop and manage numerous programs to share information on and provide support for the nutrition of both civilians and soldiers.<\/p>\n\n\n

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\u201cHome Ec Schools Under Pressure,\u201d Oregon State Barometer<\/em>, November 20, 1942, p 1.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

This November 1942 article in the Oregon State Barometer<\/em>, OSC\u2019s student-run newspaper, reported the U.S. Army had requested \u201c1200 additional trained dieticians\u201d and that Dean Ava B. Milam, “who heads the [home economics] school on this campus and who is the chairman of the state committee on nutrition for defense,” shared this information at a recent Faculty Triad club luncheon. The article also described new collaborative programs between the military and the school to certify graduates as dieticians faster using apprenticeship programs. It also explained that Dean Milam hoped to apply the apprenticeship model to other subjects.[ii]<\/sup><\/a> This article shows how the army was attempting to recruit dieticians, but it does not explain if the army was asking for recruits directly from the home economics school at OSC or from colleges in general.[iii]<\/sup><\/a>  Additionally, some quotes from Dean Milam imply that the increased recruitment of dieticians was the result of a shift in public opinion towards concern about diet for civilian workers as well as soldiers.[iv]<\/sup><\/a> This article raises many questions about the forces and factors which influenced the development of the dietician program at Oregon State College.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Primary sources demonstrate the collaborative efforts of the dieticians and nutritionists within OSC\u2019s Home Economics Department and the American government during World War II to improve the nutrition of both soldiers and civilians. Wartime articles sharing the experiences of recent OSC graduates showcased the work these dieticians were doing to help soldiers. For example, two articles from the Barometer,<\/em> both printed in 1944, list several OSC graduates from the home economics department who were working as dieticians for the army.[v]<\/sup><\/a> Additionally, the Oregon State Yank<\/em>, a magazine for OSC alumni serving in the armed forces, published articles that recounted the experiences of graduates serving as dieticians in various military theaters. One of these articles, titled \u201cSHE-I Observations,\u201d named various alumni working as dieticians at Fort Lewis and McChord Field, both in Washington. One OSC-trained dietician was even working with troops stationed in England.[vi]<\/sup><\/a> Another article titled \u201cThe Feminine Front\u201d introduced readers to Roberta \u201cBecky\u201d Beer, a recent alum who had \u201canswered the urgent call for dieticians.\u201d[vii]<\/sup><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Home Economics also worked with government organizations to change the nutrition habits of civilians. In 1943, Dean Milam served as chairman of the Oregon Nutrition Committee for Defense. In this position, she took an active role in organizing numerous policies and programs meant to provide nutritional information and support to American families.[viii]<\/sup><\/a> As the Dean of the Home Economics School, Milam may have also been responsible for adding the class \u201cNutrition for National Defense\u201d in the 1942-1943 class catalog.[ix]<\/sup><\/a> A survey of prior catalogs reveals this was a new class. Although details about course content are unavailable, it\u2019s likely that Milam and others hoped that this new course would communicate useful information to women who might one day serve in the army or whose work might support their local communities.[x]<\/sup><\/a> Mabel C. Mack, an OSC graduate from the School of Home Economics also published several pamphlets with the Oregon State College Extension Service on food supply, nutrition, and management during wartime for families.[xi]<\/sup><\/a> Mack had completed a PhD at OSC in 1939 and may have served on Milam\u2019s Oregon Nutrition Committee for Defense.[xii]<\/sup><\/a> These documents show how the women of the School of Home Economics contributed to the national conversation about the nutritional well-being of soldiers and civilian families.<\/p>\n\n\n\n