GERTRUDE ELIZABETH HENDRICKS
Home Economist & Family Life Educator
FAMILY LIFE EDUCATOR
Gertrude E. Hendricks served as Director of the Family Life Education Department, a division of the Youngstown Public Schools, Coordinator of the Family Life Program, and Executive Secretary of the Family Life Council from 1947 to 1972.
In 1942 Gertrude Elizabeth (Peg) Hendricks accepted a position as a home economics teacher with the Youngstown Public Schools in Youngstown, Ohio. In addition to her teaching duties, her expertise and experience in the fields of parent education, family relations, child development and home management were used to develop school curriculum in first aid, home nursing, and child care.
The demand for women laborers in the war factories presented another opportunity for Gertrude Hendricks to use her education and experience. In May of 1942 she set- up and supervised day-care centers, after-school centers, and kindergartens to help working mothers. Three of the day-care centers operated on a twenty-four hour day, and two operated on a twelve hour day. Nine extended care centers opened before and after school hours. When the war ended in 1945, she went back to teaching high school home economics classes until 1947.
In 1947 the newly-established Family Life Council of Youngstown was looking for a fulltime director for a family life education program. This director would coordinate community-wide resources and develop educational programs to enrich and improve family living through adult education classes and workshops. Gertrude Hendricks accepted the full-time position as the director and coordinator. For the next twenty-five years she developed and coordinated a program of classes in parent education, family living education, and home management that served the entire community of Youngstown. This program was both dynamic and inclusive. Throughout the years the program reached thousands of parents and children in the community.
Her classes were created and revised to address the continually changing needs of families living in an urban, industrial city. Classes and workshops were offered in public and non-public schools, churches (all faiths), youth groups, community centers and welfare and social agencies.
In addition to family life education, Gertrude Hendricks developed and provided vocational training courses for child care aides and home assistants. Although all members of the family and community benefited directly and indirectly from the program, participants were predominately women with families. Therefore, many of the programs developed addressed several problems women faced as parents, homemakers, wives, and working mothers.
As early as 1951, the United States Office of Education sent out a bulletin to home economists to prepare women for the dual role of homemaker and worker.
“Homemakers In the Defense Program: Implications for Education in Home Economics” August 1951
Youngstown was a rapidly changing urban center dependent on the manufacture of steel. Continually changing demographics and erratic economic conditions challenged the family stability. After the war more women, especially married women, were working full-time outside the home than ever before. Study groups for parent education, vocational training, child care and development, home management, and consumer education helped women gain skills to provide economic support to their families as well as care for their physical and emotional needs. These workshops and study groups provided a supportive and sharing meeting place that promoted both self-confidence and self-enrichment. Helping families improve their life would be the central focus of Gertrude Hendricks’ work.
Education and Experience
Gertrude “Peg” Hendricks came well prepared to handle this challenging program. In 1928 she had received her Bachelor of Science in Home Economics and Education, and in 1931 she completed her Master of Science in Child Development and Parent Education. While attending school at Ohio State University she worked at nursery schools and opened and operated her own preschool in 1930.
Gertrude Hendricks’ Preschool in Columbus, Ohio.
Gertrude Potter married Oscar Hendricks in 1931. They moved from Columbus, Ohio, to Youngstown, Ohio, where Oscar Hendricks taught high school. In 1935, he suffered a fatal heart attack. At twenty-eight years old, Gertrude Hendricks, was alone with two small sons to raise. Using her education and experience, she found work with the federal aide programs helping families during the Depression. From 1935 to 1942 she worked for the Works Projects Administration (WPA) and Federal Security Administration (FSA).
From November 1935 to February 1936 she was assistant supervisor on a sewing project for the Youngstown WPA. She accepted the position of District Supervisor of Women’s and Professional Projects in February 1936. The project’s headquarter was in Warren, Ohio, but she served the counties of Ashtabula, Lake, Trumbull, Geauga, and Portage. In September of the same year, she returned to Columbus, Ohio as the State Supervisor and Home Economics Consultant overseeing sewing, records, housekeeping aide, and hot lunch projects. Wanting to acquire experience working with rural farm families, she chose to accept a position as Home Management Supervisor with the Farm Security Agency (U.S. Department of Agriculture) in September of 1939 serving the county of Logan. In Logan she managed a caseload of 300 families providing chattel loans for farmers. In February of 1940 she became the District Home Management Supervisor. The district included Erie, Sandusky, Richland, Huron, Seneca, Crawford, Medina, Holmes, Wayne and Lorain counties. When promoted to Regional Home Management and Nutrition Specialist in September 1940, she became responsible for five midwestern states of Indiana, Illinois, Iowa, Missouri, and Ohio. Traveling became difficult with the outbreak of war, and in 1942 she accepted a teaching position in Youngstown, Ohio.
W.P.A. & F.S.A. Supervisor’s Handbook
Eleanor Roosevelt’s Visit to the WPA in Ohio, 1938
When she came to the Youngstown Public Schools in 1942, she brought experience in home economics, parent education, family living, and child care and development. She brought the ability to work with low-income families, both rural and urban, living in difficult situations and circumstances.
Family Life Education Program
The Youngstown Family Life Education classes included a variety of topics in child care and psychology, adolescent psychology, sex education, family relations and activities, health and nutrition, health and safety, family finance and consumer education, marriage, homemaking and home management. Most classes, offered in series, were conducted in a study group or discussion group format. Literature, speakers, films, and tapes were used to teach family members how to cooperate and resolve conflicts as well as the care and guidance of children The planning of programs for the schools was a cooperative effort between Gertrude Hendricks, the principal of the school, PTA chairman, and the participants. Literature was developed and customized to meet the needs of participants.
Handouts for suggested reading and bibliographies listed available audio-visual materials (movies, tapes, records, film-strips). Course outlines, discussion questions, pamphlets, information handouts, and plays and skits were developed for parent education classes. Hundreds of recipes were collected and instruction guides were developed for homemaking and consumer education classes. Special workshops helped economically depressed families through the holidays.
Homemade Christmas and Easter workshops on decorations, gifts, and foods became popular annual events in Youngstown. Pamphlets for one-day trips, cookouts, and homemade games and toys gave families with minimal funds suggestions for low-cost recreational activities. Homemakers learned to prepare quick-easy-nutritional low-cost meals, one-dish meals, plain-and-fancy food dishes, freezer casseroles, and basic mixes.
Beginning in 1962 the home management program expanded home management, vocational training, and family living classes into the low-income metropolitan housing projects’ neighborhood centers, settlement houses, missions, and social-welfare agencies, and rehabilitation centers. Programs included nutritious meals for seniors; food demonstrations using surplus commodities; homemaking skill for young unwed mothers; grooming-hygiene for Goodwill Industries’ residents; and adult education classes in upholstery, clothing, foods and nutrition, leisure and crafts. Vocational training programs for certified child-care aides was established in 1963 after Gertrude Hendricks completed the pilot program for the Department of Education’s Manpower Program. In 1969, the family life program would dramatically change its focus.
Home Management Program, 1962-1969
New sources of substantial federal and state funds for consumer education and vocational education in low-income areas changed the program. The Adult Vocational Education Department of the Youngstown Public Schools increased the staff of the Family Life Education Department and expanded the programs in the metropolitan housing project areas. Instructors taught classes for certified child care aides; foods and health; leisure and activities; sewing, draperies and related areas; and upholstery and furniture renovation. Gertrude Hendricks served as the Assistant Director of the Consumer-Homemaking Education Project from 1970 to 1972. However, the increase in available vocational education funds as well as the redesigned family life program had its consequences.
Consumer-Homemaking Education Project, 1969-1972
Over the next two years, the Youngstown school administration systematically removed the parent education programs from the schools. A program that had effectively brought thousands of parents into the schools each year was gradually eliminated. In light of this change in the direction of the family life education program, from its original mission to enrich family life, and competition over funds from other agencies, the Family Life Council, the community-wide advisory council that had created the family life education department, dissolved in 1972. Gertrude Hendricks retired from the Youngstown Schools in 1972. She continued to teach at area colleges (Malone College, Youngstown State University) and participated in community organizations.
Cataloguer Note
It is almost impossible to write a complete and accurate summary of the work of Gertrude “Peg” Hendricks. There is no doubt that something, if not many things, will be missed. Formal documents found in her files and papers from her family provided information for this summary of her work and her career. However, it is the many, single word in a report, a note, or sentence in a paragraph that suggests the actual scope of her work and dedication.
Gertrude Hendricks was able to establish a family life education and home management program as prescribed by professional and governmental studies and recommendations. The program benefited the entire community, yet there were many obstacles to getting the job done.
She was the sole employee of the family life education department from 1947 to 1962. She did not have clerical or secretarial help and had to attend to these duties in addition to developing, coordinating, and supervising a community-wide program. An average day found her attending a morning, noontime, afternoon and evening session. She was also responsible for all other operating study groups and workshops providing support, speakers, leaders, supplies, and literature. In addition to providing the materials and supplies for the meetings, some days found her driving teachers and participants to and from classes as well as ordering, purchasing and delivering supplies and materials.
In the summer she taught college classes; served on various state and national task forces; and made home visits. In addition to the regularly scheduled classes and meetings she spoke at groups across the community; held over 300 individual conferences a year; and continually found ways to promote participation (e.g. announcements, flyers, and media announcements). Gertrude Hendricks coordinated the highly successful, filled-to-capacity annual family life institutes and youth conferences.
Annual Reports’ Program Activities
Annual Family Life Institutes and Youth Conferences
The time and energy she invested to improve and enrich the lives of families was quite extraordinary. The preservation of her files has provided a unique source of information on the day-to-day and year-to-year work of a home economist, family life educator and working mother from the Depression years to the 1970’s.
Gertrude giving food demonstrations and cooking lessons on her lunch hour, 1957-1959.
God. Family. Community.
These were Gertrude’s priorities. She always taught others how important it was to love God and love others and keep up your contacts.