70th Anniversary of Miss Texas

Last weekend was the 70th Anniversary of the Miss Texas (America) pageant, and I got to celebrate it with some of my "sisters" (former Miss Texas titleholders) in the system. On Friday morning, several of us got together with a man who is like a father to almost all of us - B. Don Magness. We ate breakfast at a favorite haunt... Paris Coffee Shop in Fort Worth. The ones pictured here are as follows:

First row: (left to right) Yanci Yarbrough '99, Tara Watson '00, Sunni Cranfill '03 and Stacy James '02.

Second row: (left to right) Gloria Gilbert '82, Dana Rogers '83, B. Don Magness, me '96 and Tamara Hext '84.

Here is another picture of just me and B. Don. During my time living with him and his wife, Jean, B. Don and I ate breakfast every morning except one at Paris Coffee Shop. When I walked in the door, Mike (the owner) gave me a huge hug, and it felt like I was back home. They usually aren't open during the week of the fourth of July (the same week as the Miss Texas pageant), so this was a special treat.

It was a grand time, and we were glad to welcome a new Miss Texas into the fold - Morgan Matlock who represented the city of Fort Worth, making her the first Miss Texas to come from Fort Worth in 38 years. She has been in the system for 11 years, so we all know her quite well. When I was Executive Director of the Miss Dallas franchise, she was our girl in 2000, the year Tara won. Her family is just fantastic, and she will be a great Miss Texas.