Education Commons^™

Nina Cross, Nina Cross, Institute Of Child Nutrition

Oral History Project (all interviews)

Evelina (Nina) Cross received her PhD from Texas Woman’s University and then joined the faculty at Louisiana State University. While at LSU, she taught and directed the dietetic internship. Her research and many of her publications were in the area of school food service. In addition, she served three years as the first National Food Service Management Institute Scholar. During this time she worked with the research arm of the Institute to develop a financial model for school food service. Since retirement from LSU, Dr. Cross has worked with both the Louisiana and Mississippi Departments of Education to offer continuing …

Louise Lepeze, Louise Lepeze, Institute Of Child Nutrition

Oral History Project (all interviews)

After several years of working as a nutritionist in hospitals Louise Lepeze joined the Louisiana Department of Education child nutrition programs as an Area Supervisor in 1980. She later became the Section Chief. Lepeze left the state in 1991 to join USDA at the Southwest Regional Office in Dallas as the Net Coordinator, Nutrition Education and Training Program. She has been back in Baton Rouge since 2005, working for USDA in the area of School Meals Initiative.

Ellen Leppa, Ellen Leppa, Institute Of Child Nutrition

Oral History Project (all interviews)

Ellen Leppa, certified with the American Association of Family and Consumer Sciences and the School Nutrition Association, served as Education and Training Specialist and Coordinator of On-Site Services at the National Food Service Management Institute on the campus of the University of Mississippi until her retirement in 2008. As coordinator Ellen worked with both State Departments of Education and conference planners of School Nutrition Associations throughout the country to provide trainers for preconference classes, general sessions, educational sessions, workshops and seminars on a large variety of topics. Some of the topics include Developing a Food Safety Program, Emergency Readiness, Biosecurity …

Carol W. Shanklin, Carol W. Shanklin, Institute Of Child Nutrition

Oral History Project (all interviews)

Carol W. Shanklin, PhD, RD, is professor in the Department of Hotel, Restaurant, Institution Management & Dietetics and Dean of Graduate School at Kansas State University. Carol teaches graduate courses and mentors graduate students’ research in the areas of environmental issues, food safety, customer satisfaction, and dietetics and hospitality education. She has collaborated with several graduate students on research projects in child nutrition. Carol has authored or co-authored several articles in the Journal of Child Nutrition Management and the Journal of the American Dietetics Association. She has been active in the School Nutrition Association, the American Dietetics Association, and other …

Linda B. Godfrey, Linda B. Godfrey, Institute Of Child Nutrition

Oral History Project (all interviews)

Linda B. Godfrey’s 35 years as a registered dietitian have taken her from work on the food service staffs of a hospital and nursing home, as a teacher, and as a U.S. Army reserve unit member to her retirement in 2005. She retired as Child Nutrition Program Director for the Shelby County, Alabama, School System and from the United States Army Reserves with the rank of Colonel.

She received her B.S. Degree from the University of Tennessee in Food Science and Institution Management, completed a dietetic internship at the University of Alabama Medical Center in Birmingham, and received a M.S. …

Anita Ellis, Anita Ellis, Institute Of Child Nutrition

Oral History Project (all interviews)

Anita Ellis is a former educator who, as Assistant Director for the West Virginia Department of Education of Child Nutrition, directed the Nutrition Education & Training program. She has conducted training for teachers and food service personnel. She wrote the Kansas Department of Education, Pyramid Builders, Nutrition Curriculum K-6 and the Mississippi Department of Education, Pyramid Pursuit, Nutrition Curriculum K-3 and Grades 4-6.

Mrs. Ellis has various experiences in school food service procurement as well as training. She has organized four (4) purchasing cooperatives in West Virginia and continues to assist them with brand approval and bid specifications. …

Barbara Songy, Barbara Songy, Institute Of Child Nutrition

Oral History Project (all interviews)

Barbara Songy is a native of London, England, but has spent many more years in Louisiana feeding that state’s children than she ever spent in the United Kingdom. Barbara came to the United States as a war bride, having met and married a Louisiana airman during World War II. Displeased with what her first child was being served for lunch, she set about not only improving the menu, she raised the funds to build a new cafeteria. When the person who was supposed to manage the new cafeteria suddenly had to resign she agreed to take on the job temporarily. …

Jacqueline Clements, Jacqueline Clements, Institute Of Child Nutrition

Oral History Project (all interviews)

Jacqueline Clements holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Home Economics and a Master’s in Administration and Supervision. She taught Home Economics for eighteen years before transferring to school food service. Jacqueline then worked as a Food Service Director for an additional seventeen years.

Barbara Gauthier, Barbara Gauthier, Institute Of Child Nutrition

Oral History Project (all interviews)

Barbara Gauthier is a retired school food service director originally from Thibodaux, Louisiana. After graduating from LSU with a degree in Hospital Dietetics and Institutional Management and working briefly in industry, Gauthier took her first job in school food service in East Baton Rouge Parish. After working for several years and in multiple positions in East Baton Rouge, Gauthier moved on to Lafourche Parish as a food service director in her native Thibodaux. Here in Lafourche Parish Gauthier introduced the Breakfast Program, as well as introducing centralized menu planning and purchasing. At retirement Gauthier left the district with a $5 …

Marcelle Landry, Marcelle Landry, Institute Of Child Nutrition

Oral History Project (all interviews)

Marcelle Landry, a proud native of the French Quarter, served for many years with the Louisiana Department of Education as Assistant Director, School Food Services, before joining the Archdiocese of New Orleans as Supervisor of School Food Services. Though now retired, Mrs. Landry is still very active with the Louisiana School Food Service Association, of which she is a past president.

Wendy Mangiaracina, Wendy Mangiaracina, Institute Of Child Nutrition

Oral History Project (all interviews)

Wendy Mangiaracina is a New Orleans native with thirty-three years of experience in child nutrition programs. She chose Southwest Louisiana University for her post-secondary education, where she earned a Bachelor’s Degree in Dietetics. She later attended Tulane University and obtained a Master of Public Health degree. After a long and dedicated career Wendy retired in the summer of 2009. Melba Hollingsworth interviewed Wendy in January 2009.

Pat Farris, Pat Farris, Institute Of Child Nutrition

Oral History Project (all interviews)

Pat Farris holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Dietetics and a Master’s Degree in Human Nutrition from Louisiana State University. She has held numerous positions in the field of nutrition, first working in hospitals, and later consulting in child and adult weight management. In 1980 Pat accepted a position with the Louisiana Department of Education’s child nutrition programs, and learned what school lunch was about for the next fourteen years. Since 1994 she has been with the Archdiocese of New Orleans, where she is currently the Director of School Food Services.

Cynthia Ruffin, Cynthia Ruffin, Institute Of Child Nutrition

Oral History Project (all interviews)

Cynthia Ruffin began her school nutrition career in Louisiana more than 35 years ago. She received a B.S. in Dietetics from Louisiana State University and an MBA from Southeastern Louisiana University. Cynthia has worked at the local school level, with the Louisiana Department of Education, and as the Director of Child Nutrition in St. Charles Parish Public Schools near New Orleans. Some of her career highlights include developing the Louisiana School Lunch Cycle Menus; expanding Breakfast-on-the-Go programs, implementing The Main Course, a culinary training program for food service technicians; and contributing significantly to district recovery after the devastation of Hurricane …

Lou Simoneaux, Lou Simoneaux, Institute Of Child Nutrition

Oral History Project (all interviews)

Lou Simoneaux spent twenty years traveling the world with her military family before returning to her home state of Louisiana and beginning a new career in school food service. She spent several years in the Panama Canal Zone and then moved to France. When her husband finally retired they returned to Lou’s hometown of Napoleonville, Louisiana, where she spent the next twenty-nine years providing healthy, nutritious meals to the children of Assumption Parish.

Martha S. Walker, Martha S. Walker, Institute Of Child Nutrition

Oral History Project (all interviews)

Martha S. Walker is New Orleans native and a graduate of Southern University. She has managed school feeding programs in East Baton Rough Parish for twenty-five years.

Mary Carter, Mary Carter, Institute Of Child Nutrition

Oral History Project (all interviews)

Mary Carter in in her third-fourth year career in child nutrition. She started out as an assistant manager, then became a single-unit manager, multi-unit manager, and is now the supervisor of thirty-four schools’ child nutrition programs.

Mary Eleanor Cole, Mary Eleanor Cole, Institute Of Child Nutrition

Oral History Project (all interviews)

After finishing her Master’s at LSU, Mary Eleanor Cole was recruited by Mildred Stringfield to come to East Baton Rough Parish child nutrition programs to work on food and equipment specifications. After a number of years she became director in 1976.

Cyndi Nobles, Cyndi Nobles, Institute Of Child Nutrition

Oral History Project (all interviews)

A native of Baton Rouge, by way of New Orleans, Cyndi Nobles has spent her career in food service. After spending five years working for a food service management company, Cyndi has been with the Louisiana State Department of Education child nutrition programs for the last thirty years.