Post by Archives of Women of the Southwest intern Melissa Calderon.
Ah yes, the smell of freshly baked apple crumb pie or fiery Texas chili. Creating recipes for both sweet and savory dishes was June Crozier Towers’ specialty. She definitely knew her way around the kitchen and was able to make a longtime career out of her cooking expertise. For 25 years, Mrs. Towers worked as the director of home economics for the Imperial Sugar Company. Through Imperial, she wrote or updated seven cookbooks and perfected packaging recipes.
Born in Hedley, TX on June 28, 1922, Mrs. Towers not only worked as a home economist for big companies but also wrote recipes and food columns for various publications. She appeared as a guest in radio and talk shows, judged cooking contests and attended many other cooking events. Her knowledge in culinary arts shined bright all across Texas.
As a food lover myself, but no expert cook by any means, I was a bit surprised and also impressed by all the recipes Mrs. Towers created. Learning all about Mrs. Towers’ different recipes made me want to experiment with my own cooking. If you like seafood, in Mrs. Towers’ Southwest Cooking, you will find a recipe for Galveston butterfly shrimp.
More of a sweet tooth? Well, look no further. Mrs. Towers knew a lot about desserts. Her Sugarplums from Sugar Land cookbook has recipes centered around sugarplums such as one for sugarplum pumpkin pie.
The June Crozier Towers papers are comprised of cookbooks, single recipes, food columns, articles, photographs, ephemera, and more documenting her professional career with Imperial and other companies as well as some personal memories. Treats are a frequent topic in Mrs. Towers’ documents and show how passionate she was about her career as a home economist.
Contact Samantha Dodd, curator of the Archives of Women of the Southwest for additional information or assistance with accessing the collections.
For access to these collections or to learn more about the adventurous women of the southwest, be sure to visit the DeGolyer Library and check out our books, manuscripts, pamphlets, and photographs.