Wednesday, May 8, 1968
THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
5
Miss Lawrence-KU pageant draws near
Miss Lawrence-KU preliminaries will begin at 7:15 p.m. Thursday in the University Theatre, ending weeks, sometime months, of preparation by the 26 contestants.
Ten finalists will be chosen on the basis of Thursday's competition and will compete once more Friday at 8 p.m. in the search to find the winner, who will enter the Miss Kansas Pageant July 5 in Pratt.
All Miss America preliminary pageants, like the Lawrence-KU pageant, involve judging the contestants in swim suits, formals and three-minute talent presentations. Preparation includes practicing walking in three-inch or higher heels, losing weight in some cases, planning what clothes to wear and trying to find a clever means of displaying talent in the short amount of time allotted each contest.
One contestant said there is more to being ready for a beauty pageant than just planning clothes, talent and losing enough weight to look good in a swim suit.
"Becoming mentally ready for it takes more than a few weeks. You have to want to become more than just Miss Lawrence-KU, and to get anything out of the pageant, you have to want to try to win." Beverly Gibbs, Kansas City junior, said.
Miss Gibbs, who was runner-up to Debbie Bryant in the Miss Kansas City, Kansas pageant in 1965, has had other pageant experience in the regional, state and national Honey Queen contests in 1966. As National Honey Queen, she traveled over 50,000 miles in 30 states—getting an idea of what Miss America's itinerary would be like.
For the Lawrence pageant, Miss Gibbs has built a dummy using two-by-four boards and her father's wardrobe to serve as her dancing partner in her talent act. She will be singing selections from "Bells Are Ringing"—The Party's Over and Is It A Crime—
to the six-foot dummy dressed in a long trench coat, hat and ascot.
Miss Gibbs uses the University Theatre for practice and gets her sorority sisters' viewpoints by rehearsing often in the Delta Delta Delta living room.
She has chosen to wear a rustic gold chiffon evening gown with a high bodice and satin belt and matching shoes for the formal competition. But for the swim suit judging, she will be wearing a more "sentimental" piece of attire—the white swim suit she wore in the Miss KCK contest three years ago.
Another contestant, whose father used to sing the "Here She Comes, Miss America" song to her, thinks it seems funny to actually be in something that could lead to hearing the song sung to her officially.
Valerie Frame, Wichita senior, will make use of special lighting effects and a "dual" dancing role in her talent presentation. Playing a Charlie Chaplin type character in an old-time movie, she will fall asleep and become the girl of his "dreams."
Miss Frame has been practicing almost every day in Robinson Gymnasium for the last month, along with walking for hours and hours in the halls of McCollum Hall wearing her three-inch heels.
She made her costume-a yellow leotard and clear plastic mindress-for her talent performance.
Linda Croman, Shawnee sophmore and Miss Lawrence - KU contestant, thinks the Miss America stereotype is changing from the "long-haired glass of milk image" to the individual, more than beauty ideal woman, who is unafraid to set paces and think for herself.
She entered the contest, not because of any strong desire to be Miss America, but for the experience of meeting people, and gaining poise. She was a runner-up in the Kansas City, Kansas pageant in 1966.
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