Jo-Carroll Dennison was the oldest living “Miss America” and one of the first beauty pageants to refuse to wear a swimsuit shortly after its announcement. According to Deadline, her son died at her home in California.
“We thank her for the year she was elected and her offer. We will miss her very much “, wrote the” Miss America “Organization in an announcement on social media.
Evan Mills – who edited her 2021 autobiography “Finding My Little Red Hat”, which was released in September – told CNN that Dennison is a “model” in a world where many are tempted to bow down instead of trusting and follow their own moral compass. ”
Dennison was born in a male prison in Arizona in 1923, according to the New York Times. When it came time for her to give birth, her parents were traveling to California. The only doctor they found to help with the delivery was working in a local prison, according to the newspaper.
She was hoping to become a secretary in 1942, when she was 18 on a Texas street, when a banker approached her and asked her to represent his bank at the city’s beauty pageant. She reluctantly agreed. She won and then took part in a series of beauty contests that culminated in the “Miss America” pageant. Her life took off in an unexpected trajectory.
On the occasion of the 100th anniversary of “Miss America” last month, Dennison pondered how lucky she felt to be part of the contest. “Now in the 98th year of my life, the eight decades that have passed since I won the beauty pageants have been filled with exciting experiences,” he said in a recorded message. “Every time I introduce myself, whoever she is, they always say, ‘She’s a former Miss America.'” He continues: “The beauty pageants in 1942 had to do mainly with appearance.
However, I believe that I had won because of the way I felt and projected myself “.
She also stressed how “happy” she was when the organization announced that it was abolishing the swimwear contest in 2018. ” I hope that the future “Miss America” will help in the further progress of the healing of racial discrimination in our country. As in 1940, so now Miss America has the opportunity to represent values that unite and heal. “I left my baton in the future crowned and I hope they continue to be a force for good,” he said characteristically.
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