Harris (Mabel C.) papers, 1937-1989

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Summary

Title:
Mabel C. Harris papers
Dates:
1937-1989
Creators:
Harris, Mabel C.
Abstract:
Mabel C. Harris, also professionally known as Virginia O'Neal and Martha Logan, was a trained home economist who, after working for Swift and Company and Kerr Glass Manufacturing Corp., was hired by Vons grocery stores in 1960 to be the first home economist hired by a supermarket chain. Her papers consist of photographs, scrapbooks, correspondence, clippings, ephemera, and cookbooks relating to her career in the Los Angeles food and grocery industry from the 1940s to the 1970s.
Extent:
4.7 Linear Feet 5 boxes
Language:
English
Preferred citation:

[Box/folder no. or item name], Mabel C. Harris papers, Collection no. 7068, Regional History Collection, Special Collections, USC Libraries, University of Southern California

Background

Scope and content:

Photographs, scrapbooks, correspondence, clippings, ephemera, and cookbooks relating to Mabel Harris's career in the Los Angeles food and grocery industry from 1944 to 1970.

Biographical / historical:

Mabel C. Harris, also professionally known as Virginia O'Neal and Martha Logan, was a trained home economist who graduated from Montana State College in 1942. She moved to the Los Angeles area and worked in the food and grocery industry for companies like Kerr Glass and Swift and Company before being hired by Vons grocery stores in 1960. Vons publicized her as "the first graduate home economist to join a supermarket chain staff." Her duties were to "help the public with recipes, menus and buying information." Harris met with women's groups, spoke at schools and supermarket openings, wrote and tested recipes, provided tips and recipes on radio and television, and made other appearances to teach the public about food preparation. She pledged to "help women get more fun and less work out of good menus and meals." [adapted from the Los Angeles Times, obituary, November 11, 2002]

Acquisition information:
Gift of Lanore Larson, August 7, 2018.
Processing information:

The Mabel C. Harris papers arrived at USC with some items grouped together in folders, but folder labels either were not provided or did not coincide accurately with the folders' contents. Madeline Goosen therefore grouped like materials together, in some cases physically, in others intellectually, in order to provide ease of access and discovery for researchers.

Arrangement:

The Mabel C. Harris papers are organized into two series: 1. Professional, 2. Personal.

Rules or conventions:
Describing Archives: A Content Standard

About this collection guide

Collection Guide Author:
Madeline Goosen, Sue Luftschein, and Suzanne Noruschat
Date Encoded:
This finding aid was produced using ArchivesSpace on 2018-12-10 13:43:33 -0800 .

Access and use

Restrictions:

Advance notice required for access.

Terms of access:

All requests for permission to publish or quote from manuscripts must be submitted in writing to the Manuscripts Librarian. Permission for publication is given on behalf of Special Collections as the owner of the physical items and is not intended to include or imply permission of the copyright holder, which must also be obtained.

Preferred citation:

[Box/folder no. or item name], Mabel C. Harris papers, Collection no. 7068, Regional History Collection, Special Collections, USC Libraries, University of Southern California

Location of this collection:
Special Collections
Doheny Memorial Library, Room 209
Los Angeles, CA 90089-0182, US
Contact:
(213) 740-5900
specol@usc.edu
Website