Leona Alford Malek (1878-1951) was a home economist, editor, writer, and radio personality who used various pen names such as Jean Prescott Adams, and was one of several women who published and presented under the name of

Prudence Penny Prudence Penny was a pen name used by women home economics writers and editors in various William Randolph Hearst, Hearst newspapers in America, starting in the 1920's. Under the pseudonym, the writer would write regular newspaper columns where ...

Early life

Born in 1878 in

Chicago, Illinois (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name ...

, Malek was an alumnus of

Chicago Teachers College Chicago State University (CSU) is a predominantly black public university in Chicago, Illinois. Founded in 1867 as the Cook County Normal School, it was an innovative teachers college. Eventually the Chicago Public Schools assumed control of t ...

. In 1905, she founded a cultural school and directed it until 1916. During this time she also did freelance writing for ''

Ladies' Home Journal ''Ladies' Home Journal'' was an American magazine last published by the Meredith Corporation. It was first published on February 16, 1883, and eventually became one of the leading women's magazines of the 20th century in the United States. In 18 ...

, National Women's Magazine,'' ''Southern Women's Magazine'', while authoring articles on home economics for over 500 newspapers using various pseudonyms.

Career

In 1915, Malik joined

Armour & Company Armour & Company was an American company and was one of the five leading firms in the meat packing industry. It was founded in Chicago, in 1867, by the Armour brothers led by Philip Danforth Armour. By 1880, the company had become Chicago's most ...

, a Chicago meat-packing firm, to head its nascent food economics department, while also writing and lecturing for the National Grocers Association and the National Canners Association, under the name "Jean Prescott Adams". She became known nationwide in 1917 as the editor of Armour's pamphlet, ''The Business of Being a Housewife: A Manual to Promote Household Efficiency and Economy.'' In 1925, Malek began working for the ''

Chicago Herald and Examiner The ''Chicago American'' was an afternoon newspaper published in Chicago, under various names until its dissolution in 1974. History The paper's first edition came out on July 4, 1900, as '' Hearst's Chicago American''. It became the ''Morning ...

'' as its home economics editor until 1939, writing a daily "Prudence Penny" column. She also wrote a column on home decorating as "Jean Prescott Adams". ''The New York Times'' called her a "noted home authority" and a "widely known home economist". Malek was also the president of the

Illinois Woman's Press Association The Illinois Woman's Press Association (IWPA) is an Illinois-based organization of professional women and men pursuing careers across the communications spectrum. It was founded in 1885 by a group of 47 women who saw a need for communication and sup ...

from 1929 to 1935, during which she raised awareness for women of opportunities in radio journalism. In 1931, she was herself presenting a regular "Prudence Penny" radio broadcast. She had also been president of the Illinois Women's Athletic Club and the Modern Housekeeping Association.

Death

Malek died at age 73, in her Chicago home on March 20, 1951, after a long illness, survived by her husband Alois Malek. At the time of her death, she was serving as the defense chairman for the regional chapter of the

Daughters of the American Revolution The Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR) is a lineage-based membership service organization for women who are directly descended from a person involved in the United States' efforts towards independence. A non-profit group, they promote ...

Publications

*''The Business of Being a Housewife: A Manual to Promote Household Efficiency and Economy''. (1917). United States: Armour & Company
[1
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/nowiki>*Malek, M. L. A. (1939). ''Prudence Penny's Cookbook''. United States: Prentice-Hall, Incorporated. *Malek, L. A. (1943). ''Meatless Meals''. United States: A. Whitman & Company.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Malek, Leona Alford 1878 births 1953 deaths 20th-century American journalists 20th-century American women journalists 20th-century American non-fiction writers 20th-century American women writers Writers from Chicago Pseudonymous women writers 20th-century pseudonymous writers