Trivia

During World War II, she was part of the team of people who invented shark repellent. Julia's shark repellent is still used by the U.S. Navy.

When spoofed by Dan Aykroyd on Saturday Night Live (1975), she thought it was hilarious and kept a copy of the skit for herself.

She did not learn to cook until she was thirty-two years old.

During WWII, she held a job with the Office of Strategic Services, a forerunner of the CIA. She started as a clerk and rose to the rank of registrar. Her position put her in control of top secret and other highly sensitive documents.

She was the first woman inducted into the Culinary Institute of America's Hall of Fame.

On August 19, 2002, her kitchen was opened as an exhibit at the National Museum of American History in Washington, DC. The exhibit ran until February 2004 and became part of the museum's permanent collection.

She was awarded the French Legion of Honor in 2000 for her services to French culinary arts and the United States Presidential Medal of Freedom 2003.

She is survived by her sister, Dorothy McWilliams Cousins, of Mill Valley, California and several nieces and nephews.

Was a collector of rubber stamps.

Mentor/friend of Sara Moulton.

She was an active member of the International Association of Culinary Professionals.

She helped establish the American Institute of Wine and Food, and later, Copia: The American Center for Wine, Food, and the Arts.

Julia was the eldest of three siblings and at 6' 3" the shortest. John, second eldest, was 6' 4" and Dorothy, the youngest, was 6' 5".

Pictured on one of a set of five nondemominated USA commemorative postage stamps honoring Celebrity Chefs, issued 26 September 2014. Price on day of issue was 49¢. Others honored in this set are James Beard, Joyce Chen, Edna Lewis, and Felipe Rojas-Lombardi.

Announced that she plans to move into a Montecito, California retirement home in November 2001. Is donating her Cambridge, Massachusetts home to her alma mater, Smith College. (July 2001)

Grand aunt of author/journalist Alex Prud'homme.

She graduated from Smith College.

She was the daughter of Julia Carolyn (Weston) and John McWilliams, Jr. Through her mother, she had deep Colonial American roots in Massachusetts, going back to the 1600s.

Was portrayed by Meryl Streep in the film "Julie and Julia".

Biography in: "The Scribner Encyclopedia of American Lives". Volume 7, 2003-2005, pages 80-83. Farmington Hills, MI: Thomson Gale, 2007.

Biography/bibliography in: "Contemporary Authors". New Revision Series, Volume 170, pages 56-60. Farmington Hills, MI: Gale, Cengage Learning, 2008.