- Seneca Ridge Middle School
- FACS Through the Years
-
FACS 8
“Come and learn
with a FEARLESS MINDSET,
whether it be technology, textiles,
or tantalizing treats!”
- Ms. Martorana
“This is my invariable advice to people:
Learn how to cook - - try new recipes,
learn from your mistakes,
BE FEARLESS,
and above all have fun.”
- Julia Child
A History of the Betty Lamp
The Betty Lamp became the symbol of the American Association of Family and Consumer Sciences (established in 1909 as the American Home Economics Association) in 1926. Mildred Chamberlain of Chicago submitted the design, stating, "The lamp in colonial days had provided light for all household industries."
The Betty Lamp evolved from simple clay dish lamps that were used as long ago as 6,000 B.C. As time passed, these dish-like lamps were made of iron, copper and bronze. They burned fish oil or scraps of fat and had wicks of twisted cloth. The lamps were smoky, smelly, and the wicks often drew up oil quicker than it burned, allowing the surplus to spill over the sides of the lamp onto the objects beneath.
These early lamps were improved by creating a wickholder in the base which channeled the drippings from the wick back into the bowl of the lamp where it could eventually be consumed. Adding a cover confined heat, decreased smoke, and made the oil burn more efficiently. The curved handle often had attached to it a short chain with a hook on one end for hanging the lamp
and a pick on the other for rescuing the wick from the oil. This better lamp, named the Betty, from the German word, "besser" or "bete," meaning "to make better," produced comparatively good light for its time and was used widely by early American colonists.
To family and consumer sciences professionals, the Betty Lamp represents joy, knowledge, fellowship, cooperation, service, achievement, and the light of the home and the mind.
Source: http://www.msu.edu/~mafcs/bettylamp.htm
Early in the 20th century, the Betty Lamp was adopted as a "symbol of learning
The need of exact knowledge
The appreciation of beauty
The spirit of joy
The power of strength
The blessing of fellowship
The satisfaction of achievement
The value of service
The bond of cooperation