The Phyllis Kramer Scholarship Fund provides one-time awards to students who will be studying within the field of Family and Consumer Science (Home Economics) Education.
This curriculum prepares students for careers in the field of teaching as well as in the fields of culinary arts, child development, preschool education, fashion design/clothing and human services.
Phyllis Kramer received a Bachelor of Science Degree from Mansfield State University in Mansfield, Pennsylvania. She then began her teaching career in New Jersey.
In 1967, she joined the faculty at West Aurora High School. She taught home economics at the school for thirty-five years.
During this time, she earned a Master of Arts Degree from Northern Illinois University, DeKalb, Illinois.
In addition to her responsibilities as a classroom teacher, she also developed and implemented the Home Economics Related Occupations (H.E.R.O.) work program, served as department chair, mentored new teachers and provided educational support for the entire department staff.
She has furthered her studies throughout the world, most notably in Paris, France and Florence, Italy. She also was the recipient of the Illinois Governor’s Master Teacher Award and the Best in the West Award.
Kramer is the owner of Culinary Exchange, a company that develops and evaluates recipes for product development and promotion. Additionally, she has worked with numerous area restaurants and organizations including Lettuce Entertain You, Con Agra, McDonalds, the Pump Room, Persimmon Tree Cooking School and Pepperidge Farm.
Her professional affiliations include Women’s Chefs and Restaurateurs, Slow Food, the Administrators Advisory Council, the National Education Association and the Illinois Education Association. She also has volunteered on behalf of numerous charitable organizations in Aurora.
