Cookery and Foodways

The University of Denver Cookery and Foodways Collection is particularly strong in American regional cookery, and contains a large number of privately published fund-raising cookbooks from churches, service organizations, and other community groups. The collection is primarily in English, but includes volumes on cooking from around the world.

The Cookery and Foodways Collection includes:

• Margaret Husted Collection: Cookbooks originally collected by Margaret Husted of Alexandria, Va., wife of Walter Husted, the business editor of U.S. News and World Report. After her death in 1980, the Boettcher Foundation purchased the collection and donated it to a Denver area cooking school. When the school closed in 1985, the collection was donated to DU.


• Helen Dollaghan Collection: Hundreds of cookbooks including Dollaghan's very own "Best Main Dishes." Dollaghan was the Denver Post food editor from 1958 to 1993.


• Katie Stapleton Collection: The cookbook collection and archival papers of this well-known Denver philanthropist and radio cooking show host.


• Betty Carey Collection: Betty Carey, wife of the late Julius Carey '43, and mother of Brad Carey and Grant Carey '80, was a leader of the Women's Library Association. Carey served as WLA (now ULA) president from 1972 to 1975. In 1976, she initiated the creation of the WLA Endowment which today has a value of over $1 million and continues to be an important source of funding for faculty-selected materials in the library's collection. A convivial gourmet cook and creative event planner, Betty hosted many events for WLA members who contributed to the WLA Endowment via membership in the Penrose Society.