Miss Dorothy Melvin (1881-1963), Principal of the Glasgow and West of Scotland College of Domestic Science, pictured in 1931 at her desk in her office. Her telephone is prominently on display, an indication of its significance as a status symbol and as an important instrument of communications technology!
Dorothy Melvin trained at the Glasgow School of Cookery. She was a member of staff in 1908 at the time of the amalgamation with the West End School of Cookery to form the Glasgow and West of Scotland College of Domestic Science. After a year teaching in London, she returned in 1910 at the age of 29 to take charge of the College.
During the 36 years when Melvin was Principal, the College experienced considerable change. Her early years in the post were taken up with supervision of the planning and building of the new premises at Park Drive, and the move there in 1919. She handled the negotiations for the purchase of further buildings in the following years. Melvin was a member of several professional bodies, and worked tirelessly to promote the importance of domestic science through her speeches and writings. She was a Justice of the Peace and was awarded an OBE in 1937. By the time of her retirement in 1946, the number of subjects taught at the College had expanded from six to sixteen.
Reference: GB 1847 QC
Reproduced with the permission of Glasgow Caledonian University, Research Collections, Archives
Keywords:
colleges, Dough School, Glasgow and West of Scotland College of Domestic Science, Glasgow School of Cookery, home economics, justices of the peace, OBEs, offices, Order of the British Empire, principals, telephones
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