Agnes White Tizard (July 10, 1895 – March 28, 1979) was an American home economist and nutrition consultant who worked for General Mills and was associated with the brand character Betty Crocker.[1] Tizard was the voice of Crocker on the radio for 20 years, and wrote the original Betty Crocker Cookbook in 1950.[2][3][4] Tizard was the first host of a radio cooking program in the United States.[5]
Agnes White Tizard | |
|---|---|
| Born | Agnes Chloe White July 10, 1895 Illinois, U.S. |
| Died | March 28, 1979 (aged 83) Valley Center, California, U.S. |
| Occupations |
|
| Known for | Radio voice of brand character "Betty Crocker", mascot for General Mills |
Early life and family
editAgnes White was born on July 10, 1895, in Illinois.[2] Her parents were George B. White and Laura Ferrell White.[6] She married William E. Tizard, a mining engineer.[7] They lived in Valley Center, California.[3]
Career
editBeginning in the early 1920s, Tizard was a home economist for the Washburn Crosby Company, which became General Mills.[3][1]
In 1924, Tizard became the host of the new radio program, The Betty Crocker Cooking School of the Air, which originally aired on WCCO in Minneapolis and soon was carried nationally on the NBC Radio Network.[3] The show was the first radio cooking program in the United States.[5] Tizard remained in the role for 20 years.[2][1]
In 1950, White wrote the original Betty Crocker Cookbook.[8]
Death and legacy
editTizard died on March 28, 1979.[3] She is interred at Valley Center Cemetery.[2]
Tizard's Betty Crocker Cookbook is now the flagship book of what has become a large collection of books printed under the Betty Crocker name. More than 75 million copies of the book have been sold since it was first published in 1950.[9][10]
The home owned by Tizard and her husband is now referred to as the "Betty Crocker House," and is open for tours monthly.[11][12] The Valley Center Historical Society erected a marker at the site identifying the property as a site of historic interest.[13] The Valley Center History Museum has a permanent exhibit about Tizard's life and work, where visitors can listen to a 1936 recording of Tizard speaking on the Cooking School of the Air radio program.[7][4][14]
References
edit- ^ a b c "General Mills History". General Mills. 2014-06-17. Retrieved 2023-10-08.
- ^ a b c d Caterino, David M.; Mallios, Seth (2008-05-19). Cemeteries of San Diego County. Arcadia Publishing. ISBN 978-1-4396-2057-1.
- ^ a b c d e "Agnes White Tizard". Valley Center History Museum. Retrieved 2023-10-08.
- ^ a b McIntosh, Linda (2018-02-06). "Betty Crocker tape back at museum". San Diego Union-Tribune. Retrieved 2023-10-08.
- ^ a b "Historic status for Betty Crocker House". Valley Roadrunner. 2019-06-19. Retrieved 2023-10-08.
- ^ "United States Census, 1900", database with images, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:MSCH-X14 : Fri Oct 06 14:14:48 UTC 2023), Entry for George B White and Laura White, 1900.
- ^ a b "Museum commemorates Betty Crocker debut". Valley Roadrunner. 2019-09-20. Retrieved 2023-10-08.
- ^ Mariani, John F. (2014-02-04). Encyclopedia of American Food and Drink. Bloomsbury Publishing USA. ISBN 978-1-62040-161-3.
- ^ Dawson, Mackenzie (12 October 2016). "This isn't your mother's Betty Crocker cookbook". New York Post. Retrieved 5 January 2018.
- ^ Milligan, Ceara (January 5, 2022). "The Most Popular Cookbook from Every Decade". Taste of Home. Retrieved 2023-10-08.
- ^ "The Clark House". Valley Center History Museum. Retrieved 2023-10-08.
- ^ "'Betty Crocker House' has a new cook in the kitchen". cbs8.com. May 9, 2023. Retrieved 2023-10-08.
- ^ "Owners of "Betty Crocker Estate" celebrate historic marker unveiling". Valley Roadrunner. 2019-07-03. Retrieved 2023-10-08.
- ^ "Museum commemorates Betty Crocker debut". Escondido Times-Advocate. 26 September 2019. Retrieved 2023-10-08.