The Practice House, first established at Withycombe House in 1916, was used for instruction in Home Economics. The curriculum included "Practice Housekeeping" and work with "Practice Babies" - local infants used to teach the basics of caring for a baby.
Hoover, an OAC graduate in the Class of 1901, married Jay Bowerman, a future governor of Oregon, and was the mother of University of Oregon track coach and Nike co-founder Bill Bowerman. While at OAC, she played on the women’s basketball team. She returned to OAC to earn a second degree in home economics in 1916, and taught school for a number of years.
Sign reads: "Lunch Room. Conducted by School of Home Economics, Oregon Agricultural College, Corvallis, Oregon. Luncheons Planned and Served by College Women."