Montgomery County sentinel. [volume] (Rockville, Md.) 1855-1974, 1957-04-18
Hire FulI-Time
Dietetic Experts
For COOP Stores

Il Va OO-O1 OCV1CO
One Of the Washington area's
leading home economics and die
tetic experts has been hired full
time by the coop stores in near
by Maryland. The move was made
to enable the coop to offer max.
imum service to consumers, Gen
eral Manager Samuel F. Ashel
man, Jr., said in making the an
nouncement.
Mrs. Dorothy w. Tousignant
president, American Home Eco
nomics Association, Washington
chapter, started with the co-or
April l. She will be the directo,
of the co-op's new division Of
Home Counseling for Better Liv-
ing.
The co-op's present two part
time home economists, Jerrle
Nordby, in Wheaton. and Mrs
Enid Engel, in Takoma Park, will
serve as assistant home counsel
ors.
Mrs. Tousignant will be known
simply as Dorothy" to thousands
of coop customers. She will have
three principal goals: % to as
certain the wishes of the con-
sumner so they can be implement
ed in the stores; ~ to give CO.
op patrons consumer information
that will enable them to save
money and live better, and (3)
to maintain quality control over
merchandise sold in coop stores.
AS the co-op's Dorothy" Mrs.
Tousignant and her assistants
will prepare and distribute pre-
tested menus and recipes. Her di-
vision will conduct taste tests,
and, whenever possible, it will ac-
tually test merchandise particu-
larly coop products-to make
sure that high standards are
maintained. She will meet with
groups to learn consumer needs
and Immediately inform the APP
propriate coop buyer or manage
ment official so that proper steps
can be taken. Her extensive back
ground in dietetics viii enable her
to give expert counsel on the
proper conduct of coop snack
bars. From time to time she will
arrange for special demonstra-
tons featuring both food and non
food items. And she will be avail.
able for both group and individ-
ual consultation.
In addition. Dorothy" will be
advising coop patrons as to what
are good buys and what items
represent good value. She will
prepare the Coop Shopper"
weekly, write a column in the
Coop Newsletter and disseminate
commodity and new product in
formation in an effort to be help
full to consumers.
Dorothy brings to her new Job
a rich background of educational
qualifications and actual expert.
ence. Born on a Moline, Illinois
farm, she grew up on such farm
chores as raising her own flocks
of sheep, ducks, picking straw
berries, milking cows and driv-
ing tractor. After graduating
from high school, she worked her
way through the University of
Illinois and won a BIS. degree in
food and nutrition.
During World War II, she
served four years, two of them in
India, with army hospitals and
was discharged as a captain.
After the way, Dorothy became
food service training supervisor
for the Air Transport Command,
in Washington. She headed a
three-man survey team of air.
force food installations and wrote
a manual on "The Care, Prepare
ton and Service of Food" which
served as a guide to air force
cooks all over the world. She
also established an Air Force
School in Stockton, Calf, where
air force cooks learned how to
prepare and serve food in flight.
This experience led into en-
ployment with several firms
manufacturing dehydrated foods
and she also worked with gov
eminent agencies, including the
Army Surgeon Generals office,
in this area.
To assist her in getting across
many of the new food ideas she
was assimilating Dorothy inter-
rupted her career to win a mas.
ter's degree in education at State
Teachers College. Fitchburg,
Mass.
In 1949, she married Leonard