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 rs. Rita Youmans's education started in Neillsville, where she graduated from High School
in 1934. She went on to receive her Bachelor's degree from Central Missouri State College in 1937, her master's degree from
Kansas State College in 1945, and finally her doctorate in Education from the University of Illinois-Urbana in 1957. Her
many years of schooling went into the dedication to other students. After teaching in several Missouri cities, Mrs. Youmans
came to Stevens Point and was the chair of the Home Economics Department at the University from 1952-1956. From there Rita
went to the University of Wisconsin-Madison as the Associate Dean of the Home Economics from 1955-1967. At the University of
Wisconsin Milwaukee she sat as the chair of the Home Economics from 1967-1973. Finally, Mrs. Rita Youmans was the Dean of Home
Economics at Central Missouri State from 1978-1980. It was there that she became president of the Missouri Chapter of the
American Vocational Association. At the national convention for the organization Rita met her future husband Charles Youmans,
the president of the Kentucky chapter.
At the age of 78, Rita married Charles Youmans on Saturday, May 6, 1995 in St. Louis. They did not have to worry about
changing anybody's name; both Rita and Charles had the same last name with same spelling and pronunciation. After hearing
about the wedding of Mrs. Rita Youmans Lois Alfsen, a former UWSP student put together a special wedding gift for the
couple.
Since Mrs. Rita Youmans was such a great influence in the lives of many students, a scholarship fund was set up in Dr. Youmans's
name. Lois Alfsen set out letter to the 1955 and 1956 home economic students asking for help. Not knowing any of this was
being done; the Youman's later found that her former students had raised $700 as a scholarship in honor of their wedding. The
scholarship was first given out in 1996 to a student in the School of Human Development and Nutritional Sciences. The criteria
for the scholarship included academic achievement, leadership, involvement in student professional organizations, and financial
need. Rita went on to say "I've had a lot of good things happen in my life, but this is just wonderful and it was icing on the
cake after so many happy years in Stevens Point."
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