‘Once a Betty, always a Betty’
- Sr Perspective
- Mar 4
- 7 min read
Sleepy Eye woman reflects on her career representing General Mills & Betty Crocker
By Patricia Buschette
From 1976 to 2004, Mary (Greeley) Bartz of Sleepy Eye lived a double life. For many, she was family, friend and neighbor. To the broader world she was Betty Crocker of General Mills. Mary explains it this way.
“I was raised on a farm in Kimball, Minn. My dad was a farmer as well as a mail carrier, and Mom was a Home Ec teacher.” Mary’s interest in cooking came through her first cookbook, given to her by her parents. “The Betty Crocker’s Boys and Girls Cookbook was likely purchased with Betty Crocker points,” she said.
“I would look at the photographs,” she said, “telling them, ‘I want to make this, and I want to make that.’ I didn’t make anything special, but it set the tone of understanding what a cookbook was.”
Mary’s paternal grandmother, who lived in Kimball, was born in Sweden and a Swedish culinary influence was part of her early food appreciation experiences.
After raising her family, Mary’s mother attended the University of Minnesota, St. Paul, to be recertified for a teaching position. She took a bus from Kimball to the campus. “During that time, I visited my mom at the campus and was introduced to food sciences and fashion textiles,” Mary said.
However, a significant moment that influenced Mary’s life was when, as a Jr. High student, she went on an FHA-sponsored class trip to the Betty Crocker kitchen. “I remember the dress I wore that day,” she said, “I remember the kitchens, and what was in the gift packet we received. That was my aha moment, when I realized what I wanted to do.”
“I loved fashion, textiles and food,” she said, “and so when I graduated from high school in 1971, I decided to go to the University of Minnesota at St. Paul, studying food science, with a minor in journalism and business.”
After receiving her degree in March of 1976, Mary began an internship at Pillsbury testing recipes for the 1976 Bake-Off contest. “There were two from the University who received internships that lasted through spring and summer. The other intern was hired for a full-time position by Pillsbury, and my first day of employment at General Mills was Aug. 18, 1976.”
In June that year, Mary married Greg Bartz who was attending veterinary school. They lived in Waconia, a commutable distance from the Twin Cities.
“The training I had at the University of Minnesota in food science and nutrition was what got me my job at General Mills,” she said. “At Clovia, a U of M sorority, I was a cook and house manager. I planned menus for 20 people living in the house.”
At General Mills, she was a product representative, and then a food stylist.
“A food stylist works with a photographer and an art director,” she explained. “This would be to create packaging, or it could be side panel recipes, or it could be for a brochure,” she said. “We traveled to Los Angeles, Chicago or New York for television commercials. Those days are long gone as everything is now done on the Internet. When we did television commercials, we would go into a blank studio, bringing in ovens and refrigerators. The advertising agency did all the log boards and schematics. General Mills was specific about standards in writing recipes.
Standards were always considered in everything that was done.
“Standards were important,” Mary said, “There were editorial standards, photography standards, and legalities about how things were portrayed. All components of the presentation had to be edible. There were rumors that Elmer’s glue was used for milk on cereal. We could substitute dairy products using whipping cream or a cream cheese, but it was a dairy product.”
How companies invest their promotional dollars now is different. It is more causal. Platforms have changed because of online platforms and bloggers.
“I was promoted to Senior Product Representative, and then Director of Betty Crocker Kitchens. As a part of management, I had the opportunity to work with professionals. We were all proud to be involved with the company,” Mary said.
Mary described Betty Crocker’s influence on America. “It has been major,” Mary said. “It goes back to the inspiration of her radio show. People turned to Betty for advice. She evolved over time and was alive to so many people.”
“The first Betty Crocker cookbook came out in 1950. They were tried and true recipes in the day, and there continues to be tried and true recipes. Cookbook editions have been gone for 20 years. Betty Crocker was warm and friendly. As home economists, we took that to heart, that we represented the consumer. I had that drilled into me and it came naturally as well. You wanted people to have a positive experience,” she said.
When asked about procedures in baking, Mary was adamant. “Baking requires precision in measuring and technique. One relies on accurate oven temperature and good quality baking pans.”
Recently, Mary and other former Betty Crocker representatives met for lunch after a presentation of Minnesota History Theater’s presentation of “I am Betty.” When asked about her response to the performance she recounted, “There were about a dozen of us that I call “The old Bettys” who went to the play and then out to lunch. I was in tears during the first act, because of the historic impact, and how much Betty meant to people and how people relied on her for guidance. Betty was created as a warm and pleasant persona to answer questions. She answered questions looking for information on, ‘How do I do this and how do I do that,’ especially during the war years. Each time there was a different portrait of Betty Crocker released, there was a lot of hoopla. More recently, they have gotten away from the portrait.”
“While there is still a great emphasis on Betty, the company has evolved, but the current value on Betty as role model or spokesperson has shifted, adding, “There is still a great emphasis on Betty.”
Mary pointed out the differences in culture from the early days of Betty Crocker’s role with General Mills and the changes in the reality of women in business. “For example,” she said, “in the second act of ‘I am Betty,’ a General Mills staff member had a baby and left the company. This was anticipated. The play acknowledged the change in attitudes. In later years, the question was, ‘How can we accommodate that?’ when a baby was expected.”
Betty Crocker was created in 1921. “So many people thought she was a real person,” Mary said, “and I would have to explain. For so many people she was so alive. I give great credit to the company for creating that persona. Other companies were doing the same thing. You remember Ann Pillsbury, the director of the Pillsbury Home Service Department, and Martha Logan, spokesperson for the Home Economics Department of Swift & Company.”
Where did the name Betty Crocker come from? Mary’s recollection was that it could have been the name of a Mr. Crocker, who was a retiring executive or director. “The name Betty was chosen because it was a warm and friendly sounding name,” she added.
In 1980, when Greg and Mary Bartz returned to Sleepy Eye and the Bartz family farm, Mary continued her role with General Mills. She stayed with friends in the area, commuting for over 20 years.
“Following the acquisition of The Pillsbury Company in 2001, I led the unification of the General Mills and Pillsbury departments through the design of a new test kitchen facility. There is some irony in the fact that Mary’s career began with an internship evaluating entries for the 1976 Pillsbury Bake-Off, and came full circle with her participation in the 2004 Pillsbury Bake-Off. Her position was later eliminated, part of a corporate downsizing initiative.
What was one of Mary’s most memorable experiences as Betty Crocker? “That was after almost 30 years, when the General Mills kitchen and Pillsbury kitchens were brought together to create and develop a new kitchen. It was a team effort, a hallmark of accomplishment. We merged two distinct organizations into one, working with an architect, we did the best we could with the space we were given.”
Mary’s Betty Crocker persona seemed not to be an issue in her community. “There was talk at church what was going on, but it wasn’t major. When I returned, I got involved.”
In retrospect, her husband Greg asked how she got so much done during her active days as Betty Crocker. “I didn’t sleep,” she said. “I had a big garden, and the house always looked good.” She acknowledged that Greg doesn’t care about cooking. “I made several things for him to reheat during the week while I was gone,” she said.
Mary’s favorite recipe remains a banana blueberry muffin. “It is my ‘go to’ choice,” she said, “because who doesn’t like muffins? Gluten free flour works well. I also use blueberries or dates.”
Mary and her husband Greg, a veterinarian who used his skill on his own farrow to finish hog operation, live on their farm in Sleepy Eye, about 100 miles from the Twin Cities. While they remain on the family farm, he is retired from animal production.
After leaving General Mills in 2004, Mary Bartz accepted an offer from National Cattlemen’s Beef Association as Director of Food Communications, responsible for the industry relationship with food editors and influencers at major magazine, newspaper and online publications.
And as for Mary’s response to her years as Betty Crocker, her answer is an unqualified, “Once a Betty, always a Betty.”