New fall 2026 Archives exhibition: “The History of Home Economics at Purdue: How It Shaped Our Campus and Our Lives”
June 26th, 2026
Purdue University Archives and Special Collections invites you to view a new exhibition, “The History of Home Economics at Purdue: How It Shaped Our Campus and Our Lives,” which will explore the origins, growth, and lasting impact of home economics at Purdue University.
Exhibition on view
August 24–December 11, 2026
Monday–Friday | 10:00 AM–4:30 PM
Virginia Kelly Karnes Archives and Special Collections Research Center, 4th Floor HSSE Library in Stewart Center
Home economics students weighing rats, February 1923. Purdue University Archives and Special Collections, MSP 25, Box 50, Item 112.
About the exhibition
Established in 1926 after decades of development, Purdue’s School of Home Economics applied scientific study to the home—from nutrition and child development to household management and public health and education. In addition to traditional domestic training, the program prepared students for careers in teaching, dietetics, extension work, institutional management, interior design, and research, supported by coursework in the natural sciences, social sciences, and humanities.
Purdue faculty and students contributed to significant innovations, including the establishment of Indiana’s first nursery school, advances in maternal and infant health, nutrition science research, nutrition guidelines, and early work in convenience foods and space nutrition. Purdue Extension’s home economics specialists disseminated this knowledge to communities across Indiana and the country, directly impacting daily life.
Although the School of Home Economics no longer exists as a standalone entity, its legacy remains deeply embedded in the university. Many of the programs established within the school continue to thrive under the umbrella of the College of Health and Human Sciences and the College of Liberal Arts. Organizations that originated from the school continue to advance its mission, while several campus buildings stand as enduring reminders of its lasting impact on education, research, and community engagement.
Exhibition reception
The exhibition will be marked by a reception on Thursday, September 24, 2026, from 5:00 to 6:30 PM on the fourth floor of the HSSE Library in Stewart Center. Attendees will have the opportunity to explore the exhibition and hear from home economics educators, administrators, and career professionals in a panel discussion. Local author Angie Klink will be interviewing home economics professionals Joyce Miles, Olivia Bennett Wood, and Mary Alice Nebold about the field, their careers, and the impact of the profession. The campus community and public are invited to attend.
Panelists
Angie Klink is a Purdue alumna (communication), independent scholar, historian, advertising copywriter, scriptwriter, and children’s author. She has authored 16 books, several focused on the history and people of Purdue University, and has written for Traces of Indiana and Midwestern History, Ms. magazine, and the American Writers Museum. Many of her books and publications highlight women’s accomplishments and their impact at institutional, state, and national levels. To learn more about Angie, visit her website.
Joyce Miles is a Purdue alumna (home economics education) and a home economics educator and education administrator in family and consumer sciences in Florida. She has held leadership roles with the American Association of Family and Consumer Sciences (AAFCS), served as a trustee for the Florida State University Foundation, and was instrumental in founding the Women for Florida State University group. Joyce studied the history of home economics as she portrayed Ellen Swallow Richards, the founder of home economics in 1909. In 2009, in celebration of 100 years, she traveled throughout the country with portrayals of Ellen. She remains active with Purdue through the Student Life Advisory Council, College of Health and Human Sciences Dean’s Leadership Council, and Center for Families Advisory Council, and has served home economics professional organizations at national and local levels.
Mary Alice Nebold is a Purdue alumna (home economics education/clothing and textiles) and assistant professor of clothing and textiles and assistant dean of Consumer and Family Sciences at Purdue. She received numerous honors throughout her career, including the Teaching Academy Book of Great Teachers Award, AMOCO Teaching Award, Mary L. Matthews Undergraduate Teaching Award, Omicron Delta Kappa Counseling Award, Special Boilermaker Award, and Sagamore of the Wabash. Upon her retirement in 2002, she was named professor emerita and the Mary Alice Nebold Student Enrichment Fund was established in her honor.
Olivia Bennett Wood is professor emeritus of Nutrition Science at Purdue University. She came to Purdue in 1973 and led the Purdue dietetics program through its first accreditation in 1976 and served as a national leader in dietetics and an award-winning teacher at Purdue. She received the Mary L. Matthews Undergraduate Teaching Award a record four times, is in the Teaching Academy Book of Great Teachers, a recipient of the AMOCO Award, and was the KON Delta Chapter Advisor. The Olivia Bennett Wood Endowed Scholarship for students in dietetics was established in her honor.
Authors and books
Angie Klink has authored sixteen books about the history of Purdue University and Indiana, most published by Purdue University Press. An independent scholar, essayist, scriptwriter, advertising copywriter, and children’s author, Klink has written for the American Writers Museum, Ms. Magazine, Traces of Indiana and Midwestern History magazine, and documentaries narrated by actor Peter Coyote. Klink holds sixty-two American Advertising Federation ADDY Awards, including a Lifetime Achievement honor, an Honorable Mention in the Erma Bombeck Writing Competition, and a National Society of DAR Excellence in Historic Preservation Medal honoring writing of books. Klink holds a BA in communication from Purdue. Two of her books connect closely with the themes of the exhibition:
“Purdue’s Female Founders: The Untold History of Trailblazing Women Faculty,” which highlights the contributions of numerous female faculty members in home economics and related fields.
“Divided Paths, Common Ground: The Story of Mary Matthews and Lella Gaddis, Pioneering Purdue Women Who Introduced Science into the Home,” which explores the 1926 founding of the School of Home Economics and the beginnings of Cooperative Extension at Purdue.
John Norberg is an Indiana Journalism Hall of Fame writer and retired Purdue University and Lafayette Journal and Courier journalist. During his more than 40-year career as a columnist and award-winning news and feature reporter, he received more than 50 state and national awards. He has authored nine books about Purdue history and its people and has written for publications including The Saturday Evening Post, USA Today, The Christian Science Monitor, and Time magazine.
“Ever True: 150 Years of Giant Leaps at Purdue University,” celebrates significant moments, people, and milestones in Purdue’s history, including the contributions of the School of Home Economics and Consumer and Family Sciences.
Frederick Whitford is a clinical engagement professor in Botany and Plant Pathology and has served as director of the Purdue Pesticide Programs since 1991. A scholar of agricultural education and history, he has authored more than 300 publications, nine books, and 160 extension bulletins, and has delivered more than 7,000 presentations.
“The Queen of American Agriculture: A Biography of Virginia Meredith,” co-authored with Andrew G. Martin and Phyllis Mattheis, explores Meredith’s life, including managing a prosperous farm, her instrumental role in establishing a home economics program at Purdue, and serving as the Indiana Homemakers Association’s first president.
