RAMI Domestic Science Department recipes

Gertrude Sterling was a Domestic Science student at the Rochester Athenaeum and Mechanics Institute (RAMI) in the 1930's. According to her son, she was born in 1915 but they have no exact dates as to when she attended RAMI.

The Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT) can trace its origins to the founding of the Rochester Athenaeum in 1829. After joining with several different Rochester institutions during the 19th century, the Athenaeum finally merged with the Mechanics Institute (founded in 1885) in 1891 to form the Rochester Athenaeum and Mechanics Institute (RAMI). The first domestic science class was held on March 2, 1893; within months, the Department of Domestic Science and Art formally opened with courses in cooking, sewing, emergencies, hygiene, and home nursing. By 1899, the department had grown from 367 to 1,310 students with additional courses in millinery, laundry work, elementary chemistry, physiology, teaching methods, dressmaking, and home furnishing.

The department has continued to evolve throughout the Institute's history. By 1960, it was renamed the School of Food Administration and was part of the College of Business. In 1974, it became the Department of Food Administration, Hotel, and Tourist Industries Management. Currently, the department is part of the College of Applied Science and Technology.