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The 1960s
In 1963, all 50 states had their own Junior Miss in the national finals. The
1960s was a decade of excellence for the America's Junior Miss program, with new
sponsors such as Kodak and Chevrolet, the program was able to continue
increasing scholarship beyond $24,000 and bring Mobile's annual event before the
eyes of network television viewers regularly for 23 years starting in 1965.
Among the entertainers invited to perform at the finals early in the Sixties was
Eddie Fisher. In this decade, two holders of the Junior Miss title would soon
lead successful careers while supporting the organization that helped them along
the way. Missouri Junior Miss and America's Junior Miss 1961 Mary Frann would
one day appear on TV programs such as "Newhart" and numerous variety shows in
her acting career. Frann help founded the alumni organization America's Junior
Miss Council in 1995. Kentucky Junior Miss and America's Junior Miss 1963 Diane
Sawyer continued to support the program as her career in journalism continued,
which led to a position at the ABC Television Network program "Good Morning
America".
The 1970s
The New Seekers band entertained one and all at the May 1973 finals, hosted by
Ed McMahon. Actor Michael Landon would host the national finals for the first
time in 1974, his first out of seven appearances. Along with Landon, America's
Junior Miss was proud to have Donna Alexander of New Jersey, as she was the
first black female to reach this point of the competition. Alumni from this
decade include America's Junior Miss 1973 Linda Rutledge Delbridge of Kansas,
who would one day become a computer scientist and executive for IBM. Georgia
Junior Miss 1976 Deborah Norville followed a journalism career path that would
earn her the job of hosting the syndicated news program "Inside Edition".
Maryland Junior Miss 1971 was Kathie Lee Gifford, who would one day host a
syndicated talk show with TV personality Regis Philbin. Raleigh, North Carolina
had its own Junior Miss in 1979, and that would be actress Sharon Lawrence. In
spite of never advancing to the 1971 finals, Georgia contender Kim Basinger
would later have an acting career that would catch the attention of the Academy
of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.
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