(1918 – 2010)
Elizabeth Wheeler Stewart worked with the Alabama Cooperative Extension Service for over 27 years during a time that change was constant — changes for the better. As a home demonstration agent in Calhoun County and as a county agent in Tuscaloosa County, Mrs. Stewart helped get the newest developments out to the people. She used the Homemaker councils and EFNEP program assistants and newsletters to help inform her clientele. She also wrote a homemaking column in the Northport Gazette that had many loyal readers. Mrs. Stewart’s work with Extension helped the home economics programs reach more families and cover a wider variety of subjects. Food and nutrition programs were also made available to more people through her efforts. Her work with the EFNEP program was exemplary.
In 1967, she was a winner of the Award for Distinguished Service from the National Association of Extension Home Economists. Mrs. Stewart retired in 1981.
A younger coworker, Mrs. Jo Ann Cook, says this about her: “Elizabeth Stewart was a mentor, counselor, and friend to young agents and program assistants. The advice she gave came with a loving and kindness of spirit. I always appreciated her sage advice and guidance. She always encouraged young agents to pursue advanced degrees and professional developments. She was also loved and revered by the homemakers with whom she worked.”
Mrs. Stewart was born in Montgomery County, Alabama, on May 12, 1918. She was educated at Alabama College in Montevallo and Auburn University. She graduated from Auburn in 1941 with her B.S. Degree in Home Economics. She received her M.S. Degree in 1967 from the University of Alabama. Her professional career included nine and a half years teaching in the public school systems of Union Springs and Talladega.
She was a member of Forest Lake Baptist Church in Tuscaloosa. She enjoyed studying genealogy and was a member of the Daughters of the American Colonists, Daughters of the American Revolution, and the United Daughters of the Confederacy.
It is with great love and respect that we honor Elizabeth W. Stewart by inscribing her name onto the dedicatory plaque of the Extension Memorial Chapel.
Chapel Plaque Inscription Number: 542
