Elizabeth Walbert Crandall (January 18, 1914 – November 9, 2005) was an American academic,

home economist Home economics, also called domestic science or family and consumer sciences, is a subject concerning human development, personal and family finances, consumer issues, housing and interior design, nutrition and food preparation, as well as texti ...

, author,

environmentalist An environmentalist is a person who is concerned with and/or advocates for the protection of the environment. An environmentalist can be considered a supporter of the goals of the environmental movement, "a political and ethical movement that se ...

women's rights Women's rights are the rights and entitlements claimed for women and girls worldwide. They formed the basis for the women's rights movement in the 19th century and the feminist movements during the 20th and 21st centuries. In some countries, ...

activist, and

feminist Feminism is a range of socio-political movements and ideologies that aim to define and establish the political, economic, personal, and social equality of the sexes. Feminism incorporates the position that society prioritizes the male po ...

. During her academic career, she was a professor, department chairman, and dean of the College of Home Economics at the

University of Rhode Island The University of Rhode Island (URI) is a public land-grant research university with its main campus in Kingston, Rhode Island, United States. It is the flagship public research as well as the land-grant university of the state of Rhode Island ...

, and authored textbooks and articles in the field of home economics. After retirement, she and her husband relocated to

Brunswick, Maine Brunswick is a town in Cumberland County, Maine, United States. The population was 21,756 at the 2020 United States Census. Part of the Portland-South Portland-Biddeford metropolitan area, Brunswick is home to Bowdoin College, the Bowdoin Intern ...

, where she became active in environmental and women's causes. She was inducted into the

Maine Women's Hall of Fame The Maine Women's Hall of Fame was created in 1990 to honor the achievements of women associated with the U.S. state of Maine. The induction ceremonies are held each year during March, designated as Women's History Month. Nominees are chosen by the ...

in 1996.

Early life and education

Elizabeth Walbert was born in

Columbus, Kansas Columbus is the second largest city and county seat of Cherokee County, Kansas, United States. As of the 2020 census, the population of the city was 2,929. It is located approximately 15 miles south-southwest of Pittsburg. History The first ...

, to Stanley and Edna Walbert. She had four sisters. She attended

Kansas State University Kansas State University (KSU, Kansas State, or K-State) is a public land-grant research university with its main campus in Manhattan, Kansas, United States. It was opened as the state's land-grant college in 1863 and was the first public instit ...

, where she was a member of

Zeta Tau Alpha Zeta Tau Alpha (known as or Zeta) is an international Fraternities and sororities in North America, women's fraternity founded on October 15, 1898 at the State Female Normal School (now Longwood University) in Farmville, Virginia. Its Internatio ...

and earned her B.S. and M.S. degrees in

family economics Family economics applies economic concepts such as production, division of labor, distribution, and decision making to the family. It is used to explain outcomes unique to family—such as marriage, the decision to have children, fertility, p ...

and

resource management In organizational studies, resource management is the efficient and effective development of an organization's resources when they are needed. Such resources may include the financial resources, inventory, human skills, production resources, or i ...

. She later earned her

Ed.D. The Doctor of Education (Ed.D. or D.Ed.; Latin ''Educationis Doctor'' or ''Doctor Educationis'') is (depending on region and university) a research or professional doctoral degree that focuses on the field of education. It prepares the holder for a ...

sociology Sociology is a social science that focuses on society, human social behavior, patterns of Interpersonal ties, social relationships, social interaction, and aspects of culture associated with everyday life. It uses various methods of Empirical ...

Boston University Boston University (BU) is a private research university in Boston, Massachusetts. The university is nonsectarian, but has a historical affiliation with the United Methodist Church. It was founded in 1839 by Methodists with its original campu ...

in 1958.

Academic career

By 1973 Crandall was a professor and chairman of the Department of Home Management at the

. She was promoted to dean of the College of Home Economics at that college, retiring in 1979. Crandall authored numerous articles and co-authored a key textbook on home economics.

Environmental and women's rights activist

After retirement, she and her husband relocated to

, in 1979. There she became active in environmental causes, chairing the Brunswick Recycling Committee and promoting

curbside recycling Kerbside collection or curbside collection is a service provided to households, typically in urban and suburban areas, of collecting and disposing of household waste and recyclables. It is usually accomplished by personnel using specially built ...

and

household hazardous waste Household hazardous waste (HHW) was a term coined by Dave Galvin from Seattle, Washington in 1982 as part of the fulfillment of a US EPA grant. This new term was reflective of the recent passage of the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act of ...

collection. She also dedicated her efforts to women's causes. She assumed leadership roles in the

American Association of University Women The American Association of University Women (AAUW), officially founded in 1881, is a non-profit organization that advances equity for women and girls through advocacy, education, and research. The organization has a nationwide network of 170,000 ...

on the state, regional, and national levels. She was the state liaison for the AAUW's Legal Advocacy Fund from 1993 to 1995, advocating for cases of

gender discrimination Sexism is prejudice or discrimination based on one's sex or gender. Sexism can affect anyone, but it primarily affects women and girls.There is a clear and broad consensus among academic scholars in multiple fields that sexism refers primaril ...

at institutes of higher learning, and was a legislative chair for the AAUW and the Maine Home Economics Association to combat discrimination against women, minorities, gays, and lesbians in housing, credit, employment, and public services. She served as president of the Brunswick chapter of the

League of Women Voters The League of Women Voters (LWV or the League) is a nonprofit, nonpartisan political organization in the United States. Founded in 1920, its ongoing major activities include registering voters, providing voter information, and advocating for vot ...

and was a member of the Maine Women's Lobby, the

National Organization for Women The National Organization for Women (NOW) is an American feminist organization. Founded in 1966, it is legally a 501(c)(4) social welfare organization. The organization consists of 550 chapters in all 50 U.S. states and in Washington, D.C. It ...

, and the Family Planning Association of Maine. She lobbied at the state and federal levels for welfare programs for women and children, as well as

parent education program A parent education program is a course that can be followed to correct and improve a person's parenting skills. Such courses may be general, covering the most common issues parents may encounter, or specific, for infants, toddlers, children and te ...

s and in-school child care for teenage parents who wished to continue their education. She also campaigned for the

Equal Rights Amendment The Equal Rights Amendment (ERA) is a proposed amendment to the United States Constitution designed to guarantee equal legal rights for all American citizens regardless of sex. Proponents assert it would end legal distinctions between men and ...

and joined the first Women's March on Washington.

Awards and honors

She was the recipient of the 1987 Presidential Award given by the Maine Lesbian/Gay Political Alliance for Courage, Service and Integrity. She was inducted into the

in 1996.

Personal life

She married Robert Dalton Crandall in August 1946. After their move to

in 1979, they became members of St. Paul's Episcopal Church in that city. Crandall predeceased her in 1999. They had no children.

Bibliography

Textbooks

* 2nd edition – 1963; 3rd edition – 1973; 4th edition – 1980 (with Irma Gross and Marjorie M. Knoll) * (with Irma Gross)

Selected articles

* * * * *

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Crandall, Elizabeth W. Home economists American environmentalists American women environmentalists American women's rights activists American feminists University of Rhode Island faculty People from Columbus, Kansas People from Brunswick, Maine Boston University School of Education alumni Kansas State University alumni 1914 births 2005 deaths 20th-century American women 20th-century American people American women academics 21st-century American women