Preview: 100 Years of Miss America

M ISS AMERIC A 100 Years of

Acknowledgments

Photos courtesy of The Press of Atlantic City unless otherwise noted.

For photographs, special thanks goes to the Atlantic City Free Public Library, Robert Ruffolo of Princeton Antiques and Book Service and Vicki Gold Levi. Levi’s photographs include those taken by Charles Doble Sr. and her father, Al Gold.

Archival research and information found in this book were done with the help of The Press of Atlantic City’s newsroom staff, including Vincent Jackson, Lauren Carroll, Mark Melhorn, Gail Wilson, Sherry Page and Jacklyn McQuarrie.

Copyright © 2020 by The Press of Atlantic City • All Rights Reserved • ISBN: 978-1-59725-895-1

No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without prior written permission of the copyright owner or the publisher.

Published by Pediment Publishing, a division of The Pediment Group, Inc. www.pediment.com. Printed in Canada.

Foreword

The story of Miss America can be told many ways, but none better than through the images captured over the years. For it is in the visual history — which now spans 100 years — one sees both the essence and the evolution of the event.

It all began when Margaret Gorman, a pretty Washington, D.C., high school student, competed in and won the first “Inter-City Beauty” contest on Sept. 7, 1921.

Gorman won favor among the judges and the crowd. And the 100,000 visitors who flocked to Atlantic City’s Boardwalk to watch caught the attention of the city’s business community.

The search for “Miss America” was an instant hit.

The impact of those early contests was relayed in breathless dispatches and photographs, carried by hometown newspapers everywhere. The images were striking

and the references to Atlantic City constant. The audience, including a new generation of women eager to flex their growing independence and freedom, wanted to be a part of it.

The pageant evolved quickly. The field of challengers grew with each year. Organizers added days and judging categories, including evening gown and talent. By the 1940s, a cash prize was converted into a scholarship program. That move cemented Miss America’s legitimacy as a movement committed to advancing the cause of women.

Over the years, many changes would take place. One thing that didn’t change was the fierce competition. It wasn’t easy to become Miss America. The winner could only claim the title after months of work and many trials. Thousands of young women would begin each year hopeful of earning the crown, but only one would become Miss America. So much was at stake!

But competition was not everything. Much of the history and photographs are not just of the eventual winner, but the contestants who’d made it to the finals. That week before finals was filled with endless events, photo ops, rehearsing and competition.

As with any journey, stamina, teamwork and a hardy spirit were required. You can say the same for the Miss America Competition, as it continues on its journey.

It is a journey many look forward to every year.

And what is it? It is a 100-year-long journey, one we’ve looked forward to every year.

W.F. KEOUGH EXECUTIVE EDITOR

THE PRESS OF ATLANTIC CITY

Table of Contents

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Early Years 7 The Journey

Capturing

the Crown

a

City . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 67

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In the News . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 93

Candid Moments

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Business Profiles

Index

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OPPOSITE: Fans capture the excitement of the Miss America pageant’s opening number during the final night of competition at Atlantic City’s Boardwalk Hall on Sept. 11, 2016.

Early Years

The early Miss America Pageant had some aspects that would not be recognizable today.

For one thing, all the states were not represented; instead, the competition included contestants from cities. At one point, contestants from Philadelphia and Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, and Camden, New Jersey, all competed for the title.

Also, it wasn’t even called Miss America at the start. Margaret Gorman, 16, of Washington, D.C., was the first winner in 1921. She was given the Inter-City Beauty title and prize.

Even though all the states were not represented, Gorman competed against more than 200 women, amateurs and professionals. For winning the Inter-City Beauty prize, Gorman also received the Golden Mermaid, a goldplated trophy presented to the early winners.

In the modern era, people are accustomed to Miss America making the news over some controversy. But that’s nothing new. It could be argued that the early years

were the most unstable in the pageant’s history.

The event wasn’t held from 1928 to 1932 due in part to pressure from religious and women’s groups over the way the contestants dressed. Businesses withdrew their support.

The pageant returned in 1933 when Marian Bergeron, 15, of Connecticut, won, but during the height of the Great Depression, people were more worried about buying food to eat and keeping a roof over their heads, so no contest was held in 1934.

After the pageant returned in 1935, a winner has been named every year since.

The 1930s saw the introduction of some aspects of the competition that have remained ever since. In 1935, the talent portion was introduced. There was not a big commitment to it in the beginning, as it only counted for 25% of the final score, and it was optional.

The winner may have been called Miss America before 1938, but that was the year the competition was limited

to single women. Contestants could not be married, divorced or have a marriage annulled, if they wanted to compete.

Before 1941, the organization behind the pageant was The Showman’s Variety Jubilee. It changed its name to The Miss America Pageant that year.

One of the most important aspects of the contest took root during the 1940s. Under the leadership of Lenora S. Slaughter, the pageant started providing scholarships in 1945, which was not a common practice at that time.

The 1940s saw many firsts: the first Jewish woman to win, the first Asian-American competitor and a change in pageant rules requiring contestants wear a two-piece swimsuit, a rule that only lasted a year.

By the end of the decade and before the Korean War began, tens of thousands of women were participating in preliminary contests to become Miss America. The feeder competitions were being staged in 45 of the then48 states.

OPPOSITE: Mary Katherine Campbell of Columbus, Ohio, is fitted for theatrical shoes following her crowning as Miss America 1923. Campbell’s victory allowed her to defend her crown, having previously won in 1922. Campbell is the only woman to hold the Miss America title twice.

ABOVE: Miss America 2018 Cara Mund takes her farewell walk down the runway during the final night of the Miss America Competition, just hours before her successor is named at Jim Whelan Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City on Sept. 9, 2018.

ABOVE RIGHT: Miss Pennsylvania 2017 Katie Schreckengast reacts to her name being called during the top 12 swimsuit competition of the 2018 Miss America Pageant on Sept. 10, 2017.

RIGHT: Miss America 2019 Nia Franklin celebrates her win with the competition’s other contestants on Sept. 9, 2018. The mobbing of the winning contestant by the other misses has become a staple of Miss America crownings.

OPPOSITE: Miss America 2019 contestants compete Sept. 9, 2018, at Jim Whelan Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City.

Capturing the Crown

So much is made of the moment the winning contestant is named Miss America.

It is often the only image carried in the newspapers the next day — a beaming winner, joyous and shocked, her eyes tearing in happiness. Mobbing her are her stage mates. They were competitors a moment earlier, but now, they’re united in celebrating her accomplishment.

The crowning of Miss America each year is a singular moment. It is historical, visual and comes complete with its own soundtrack. Conjure up the moment, and reflexively, you’ll hear Bert Parks singing “There She Is.”

But what happens after the crowning is less wellknown. Because, after that, there is work.

There is no such thing as defending Miss America’s crown — repeat winners have not been allowed since the

early years. But there is upholding the crown.

Perhaps, that’s why the contestants and crowd savor the moment and why the hosts tease the announcement dramatically with a long, slow “your new Miss America is....”

Winning the crown means a year serving as an ambassador to the organization, and a chance to advocate for her social platform. Not surprisingly, the Miss America Organization is proud of the many “firsts” its competitors have achieved over the last century.

In 1987, the eventual Miss America Kaye Lani Rae Rafko spoke passionately about her profession of nursing and hospice. Her eloquence helped lead to the adoption of official platforms or causes, a standard for all competitors.

There were other firsts, too many to mention here.

Some were contrived, others reflected changes in society. Not all were positive. Controversy, while not a constant, would erupt from time to time.

Some of the winners would end their reign quietly and return home, while others would use their title to achieve celebrityhood — Bess Myerson, Mary Ann Mobley, Lee Meriwether, Phyllis George, Vanessa Williams and Gretchen Carlson are easily recognizable names who all held the title of Miss America.

But no matter where they ended up, their time as Miss America would begin similarly: under bright lights, a hushed crowd, an excited announcement, bedlam and a song.

Not long after, a new pageant season would get underway in small towns and cities across America.

OPPOSITE: Fresh off being crowned Miss America 2020, Camille Schrier returned to the Richmond, Virginia, area to lead a science experiment for girls.

RIGHT: Linwood’s Lou Off takes a stroll on the Atlantic City Boardwalk with Miss America 1937 Bette Cooper. Not wanting to be Miss America, historians say the 17-yearold Hackettstown girl was whisked away after winning the crown by Off, her chaperone. The pair took off to sea in a motor boat before anyone noticed. That morning, when she was to participate in a news conference, Cooper was nowhere to be found. She never returned that day and never served as Miss America. Miss America officials were outraged.

FAR RIGHT: Rosemary LaPlanche, Miss California, captured the title of Miss America 1941. The win followed her previous year’s first runner-up finish.

BELOW RIGHT: Miss America 1921 Margaret Gorman, left, was the first “beauty maid” to win Atlantic City’s Bathers Review held on the beach. Returning the following year, Gorman is seen here with Miss Greater Camden 1922 Eleanor Lindley.

OPPOSITE: Jo-Carroll Dennison became the first woman from Texas to be crowned Miss America in 1942. Dennison, wearing the crown and holding a scepter, appears with her court and the winner’s trophy.

RIGHT: Debbye Turner is crowned Miss America 1990 by outgoing titleholder Gretchen Carlson. At the time of her win, Turner said it took her seven and a half years and 11 tries in two different states to get to the Miss America Pageant. Turner, who was the first titleholder with an “official” platform, focused her year on encouraging youth to strive for excellence in whatever they do.

OPPOSITE: Miss America 1991 Marjorie Judith Vincent visits with children at the Atlantic County Women’s Shelter.

ABOVE: Marilyn Monroe served as grand marshal of the Miss America Parade in 1952. Monroe, already a national screen sensation, generated headlines around the country with her appearance. Writers focused on her dress with its plunging neckline cut from a blue and white chiffon gown,” which one scribe said “scored a hit with the fans.”

COURTESY ROBERT RUFFOLO, PRINCETON ANTIQUES ATLANTIC CITY

ABOVE LEFT: Marilyn Monroe poses with all the press photographers in 1952. Monroe was the hostess for the Miss America Parade. COURTESY VICKI GOLD LEVI COLLECTION

LEFT: September 1954 was the first year the Miss America competition was televised. This is also the year actress Grace Kelly, seated to the left wearing glasses, was a judge.

OPPOSITE: Miss America 1943 contestants visit wounded soldiers at Thomas England General Hospital in Haddon Hall. With war on the horizon, the U.S. government transformed Atlantic City into a training ground for military personnel. The city’s complex became known as “Camp Boardwalk,” and the hospital treated wounded service members. COURTESY VICKI GOLD LEVI COLLECTION

ABOVE: Miss America contestants practice for their upcoming performance in a USO show on July 29, 1978. The group departed from Philadelphia International Airport on Aug. 1, 1978, for a 30-day Mediterranean tour which took them to U.S. bases in Italy, Crete, Turkey and Greece. During their stops on the tour, the contestants performed a show and visited military hospitals and aircraft carriers.

ABOVE LEFT: Miss Oklahoma Susan Powell, who would become Miss America 1981, plays on the beach with Miss Arkansas Lencola Sullivan (the state’s first African-American titleholder) and Miss Texas Terri Eoff, Sept. 20, 1980.

LEFT: Miss Ohio 1980 takes a break from competition.

OPPOSITE: Miss America contestants Miss California Deanna Rae Fogarty, Miss Alaska Lila Oberg, Miss Ohio Tana Carli, Miss Florida Marti Sue Phillips and Miss Oklahoma Jill Elmore take a spin in an amusement ride while competing in Atlantic City in September 1979.

RIGHT: Miss America hopefuls rehearse for the show production numbers in the ballroom at Boardwalk Hall on Sept. 19, 1993.

OPPOSITE: Contestants hit the stage for rehearsals at Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City on Sept. 14, 1993. While the glamor and glitz of Miss America is on display finals night, it takes a lot of work to get ready. When contestants are not posing for photographs or making appearances, chances are you’ll find them rehearsing.