—The Daily Collegian Monday, Sept. 11, 1078 Third time Pennsylvania, 48 By BARBARA KLEIN . Daily Collegian Staff Writer ATLANTIC CITY, N.J. The odds were one in 50 and the stakes were clear. Only one of the contestants at Saturday night's Miss America Pageant was going to inherit the throne and for University graduate Charmaine Kowalski the result was bad news. Miss Pennsylvania's luck ran out early in the show. When the top ten finalists were announced, Kowalski's name was not among the hopefuls. She was quickly eliminated from the competition and sat in the background as Kylene Barker of Virginia went on to become Miss America of 1979. Kowalski and Dorothy Benham, Miss America of 1977 were caught gossipping during a rehearsal for the pageant. In the background is the throne of the Miss America pageant. Miss AMerica of 1955, Lee Meriwether, plays the vamp in a number presented at the Miss America pre-show. Meriwether, who portrays Barnaby Jones's secretary in the television series of the same name, performed Barry Mani low's "Copa Cabana." "I think a Miss America should look like an all-American person," Barker said, "like the girl next door and not someone superficial that people are afraid to touch. I don't want people to put me on a pedestal." As the winner Barker has literally signed her life over to the Miss America Pageant Committee for one year. She will travel across the country and across . the world making endless public ap pearances. But also included in the package was a $20,000 scholarship, not to mention the opportunity to endorse national, civic or commercial organizations which could result in an extra $50,000. , •otv, not always the charm, others learn Her year will be spent in the company of chaperones appointed by the pageant committee to supervise her activities. Miss America's four runners up also came away from the contest with scholarship money. First runner up Miss Alabama, Teresa Cheatham received $15,000 in scholarship money, while Carolyn Cline of Florida, the second runner up, walked away with $lO,OOO. The third runner up, Sher Lynnette Patrick, received $7,000, and Miss Washington, Laurie Nelson, the fourth earned a $5,000 scholarship. Despite the fact that Kowalski was not in the finals, she too was awarded a scholarship. She now has $2,000 from the Glamour of pageantry superficial By GINA CARROLL Daily Collegian Staff Writer ATLANTIC CITY, N.J. The barn-like building At lantic City calls Convention Hall undergoes a tem porary, partial transformation each time NBC turns'on the television cameras. It becomqs the choosing grounds for the selection of the "queen of femininity" the Miss America pageant But tight security around the 50 contestants and an even tighter rein on the women themselves is the rule. And everything from production numbers to ad-libs is staged. The Miss America pageant contestants are never seen walking alone. They are constantly accompanied by their chaperones except during their walks down the runway. Interviews are held with the permission of their sponsor and the women politely decline to answer questions if there is a barely perceptible negative nod of the sponsors head. The living may be easy pageant officials make sure there are frequent breaks and food available but real freedom is rare. The camaraderie of the women, however, is genuine. During rehearsals an stage, they cluster together, talking and laughing. Borrowing and lending possessions is common. There is an exclusive Miss America sorority, to which each woman becomes a member by being in the pageant. _ _ During the three preliminary nights of competition (the contestants are divided into three groups) each contestant either models an evening gown or swimsuit David B. , Allman Scholarship Medical Education. But add on another $l,OOO for Kowalski and everyone else who entered the pageant. All contestants receive at least that much just for being there, And for Barker being there was just what she wanted, she said. Leaving a small dairy farm to earn the title of Miss America was a major part of her plans, she said. To realize those plans she endured the rigors of the pageant the judges' in terview and the evening gown, bathing suit and talent competitions. . "I enjoy being a woman," Barker said. "That's why I competed;' , -,, , ,r;!''' .. !.." - :-." . ;,,, '• ; •'.•• ' :•l'.j ' •••• • • „ • , , • '';p` '$ ! ,0:1• • ; • t or performs her talent. The shoW, complete with host Bert Parks, is run through as a dress rehearsal. For about two hours, the stage and runway are lit up; the number of women who make the grade in the judges' eyes diminishes. Personal interviews with the panel of judges are held during the day, with the questions geared to the contestants' major interests and broad political and social areas. The interview, according to pageant officials, is the most decisive factor in the selection process The contestant's image must be either scandal-free or well-hidden. Calls that implicate a woman in a scandal are checked for validity. The contestants must embody the image of "the girl next door," say the judges. They must be "fresh and bubbly," said Kylene Barker, the new Miss America, and have certain ideals. The Miss America image, despite the years, remains stagnant. In general, each woman must be patriotic and, on social issues such as abortion, disclaim willingness to be a participant, but say there are always extenuating circumstances. Convention Hall behind the scenes defies description. The crowning of the American "ideal" takes place in a large and dirty hall. The paint is peeling off walls in places. Dust lies in rolls in corners and on door or namentation. Even the stage and runway floors were dirty. Interviews with the contestants were held in a room adjacent to a garage. Gasoline fumes wafted in on air conditioned currents. Kylene Barker, the former Miss Virginia and new Miss America for 1970, per formed an acrobatic dance to the music of "Rocky" and "Feels So Good!" for her part In the talent competition. A fashion merchandising graduate, Barker had planned to open a dress boutique before winning the pageant. Photos by Lynn Dudinsky Charmaine Kowalski, a May graduate of the University, started on her way to the Miss America pageant by entering the Phi Kappa Pi fraternity's Miss Penn State contest in the spring. Winning there qualified her to enter the Miss 41 , Pennsylvania pageant, held in Altoona. Kowalski said the competition in the national pageant was no stiffer than in the state pageant. An attempt to make the cement walls more attractive was made by placing floral arrangements along the walls. Small tables were placed in groups for the contestants and their interviewers. Contestants politely flirt with photographers. On the boardwalk, com- r g mercialism is rampant. A take-off on the old phrase "wear your heart on your sleeve" was adapted to "wear your state representative on your chest" at some drugstores. Then the pageant itself. Vendors roamed the aisles in the building, urging potential customers to "Bring them up close get your opera glasses here, only $4!" But on the night of the pageant, they weren't necessary. What couldn't be seen on stage because of the televisio*, cameras was shown on a large movie screen. Despite the rehearsing, things still were botched. Host Bert Parks could not find the flap of the curtain at the beginning of one production number. Phyllis George, a former Miss America, was late for a stage call for a production number. And NBC identified Miss Connecticut, the only Black woman in the pageant, asc. Miss Colorado. Still it seemed only a few minutes before there was a new Miss America. But the gold-spangled curtains and shimmering gowns are nothing without the lights. Miss America contestants are rehearsed and seem to have an im munity to vulnerable points. The cameras and lights, just as the sponsors, form a protective cocoon. To thiwe reporter, the cocoon would seem a deterrent to the reception of new ideas during the 1979 reign.
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