In 1961, the University of Washington School of Home Economics offers the first Bachelor of Science degree in Executive Housekeeping in the nation.
In January 1961, the first graduate of the new program received a Bachelor of Science degree. The first recipient of the Executive Housekeeping Degree was Florentine Schonberger. The program had started only three years before, but Schonberger had earned a degree in home economics elsewhere and began her one-year internship in the Executive Housekeeping Program after five quarters of course work.
The Executive Housekeeping program required four years of classroom study plus a one-year internship in hotels, hospitals, and other institutions. It became a model for other schools across the country, which at the time offered only short courses.
The Program was developed as an area of specialization within the School of Home Economics by Dr. Mary L. Johnson, professor-director of the School of Home Economics; Madge H. Sidney, Director of Housekeeping at Doctors Hospital; and Lillian LaChapelle, from Seattle's Benjamin Franklin Hotel.
Interns received a monthly stipend of $50 plus room and board or payment in lieu of these amenities. The graduate was trained in areas such as modern methods of floor and furniture care, laundry management, purchasing, interior decorating, and proper safety and sanitation. The executive housekeeper was considered a combination of scientist, teacher, and public relations expert.
A bachelor's degree in Executive Housekeeping entitled the graduate to membership in the National Executive Housekeepers Association. It was anticipated that after June of 1971, this four-year degree plus internship would be required for membership in the NEHA.
In June 1977, the School of Home Economics was renamed the School of Nutrition and Textile Science. In 1983, it was terminated as an academic program at the University of Washington.
