Mary Lee Taylor

Mary Lee Taylor was not a separate public author in the usual sense, but the pen name and on-air persona created by advertising executive Erma Perham Proetz (1891–1944). Working at Gardner Advertising in St. Louis, Proetz developed the PET Milk test kitchen and used the Mary Lee Taylor name for articles, recipes, and radio broadcasts aimed at everyday American cooks.

The Mary Lee Taylor programs began during the Great Depression, when practical, low-cost cooking advice had a huge audience. The broadcasts mixed household tips with recipes using evaporated milk, and the character was presented as a trustworthy home economist. Over time, the show expanded widely and free recipe booklets were mailed to listeners, helping turn the Mary Lee Taylor name into a familiar part of mid-century American kitchen life.

Even after Proetz died in August 1944, the Mary Lee Taylor brand continued, and the recipe booklets remained popular for years. Today, those pamphlets are collected both for their nostalgic charm and for their glimpse into American home cooking, radio sponsorship, and food advertising in the 1930s and 1940s.