| Chapter 1: | Portraits and Portraiture |
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Strong had previously corresponded with Boys-Smith and established links between AHEA and home scientists in New Zealand, and prior to her appointment as professor and dean, she had worked closely with Rawson. Significantly, these webs of influence and connection that Strong established and nurtured are the central reasons why she as an individual features so prominently in this book.
In 1925 Strong appointed Elizabeth Gregory as an assistant lecturer in the Faculty of Home Science. A local student, Gregory had been taught by both Boys-Smith and Rawson, and under Strong’s guidance and sponsorship, her career flourished. Following Strong’s retirement after two decades as dean, Gregory won the position in 1941. She too was in this position for two decades. A more detailed portrait of each woman professor is provided in chapter 2.
The first student to graduate with a master of home science in 1928 was Elizabeth Neige Todhunter.46 She taught for several years under the guidance of Strong and Gregory before leaving New Zealand to undertake her PhD at Columbia University. New Zealand–born, Todhunter subsequently remained in the United States after graduation and became a professor and head at the Department of Food and Nutrition at the University of Alabama. Her research was primarily centred on nutrition, and she collaborated with Dr Lilian Storms, a colleague in New Zealand and later in the United States. Todhunter’s work and contributions are portrayed in chapter 3.
The professional career of another notable New Zealand graduate and pioneer in the field, Catherine Landreth, is also depicted in chapter 3. A bachelor of home science graduate in 1920, Landreth won a prestigious scholarship to Iowa State College, where she completed a master of science degree. In 1932 she began her PhD at the University of California, Berkley. Appointed professor of home economics (1938) and psychology (1962) at the University of California, Berkley, her career spanned four decades.
These six portraits shed light on the interconnection of women’s lives. It might well have been serendipitous that each woman was resident for a period of time in New Zealand and in an era when there was a