BEAUTY CONTEST
THE HISTORY FROM PHOTOGRAPH'S TAKEN BY BOB GRAMBLING
And Submitted by: Greg Grambling
MISS MINDEN 1956 HAD THREE WINNERS
ALL THREE BECAME MISS MIDEN
BR600 - L-R, Annetta Baker, Mary Jo Skinner, (1955 Miss Minden,
Trudy Brooks) and Earlene Mendenhall
BC567 - EARLENE MENDENHALL
BECAME THE OFFICIAL MISS MINDEN 1956
was elected Miss Civitian, Miss MHS and became a
triple title holder when she became the official Miss Minden in 1956.
The Tide Talk named her most beautiful girl.
She was named Illustrious Alumni 2006
Author of The Minden Cemetery book. She and her sister Barbara wrote
Transcriptions from the Gardens of Memory Cemetery in Minden, Webster Parish
Earlene crowned Marclee Robinson Miss Minden in 1957.
BC566 Mary Jo Skinner the night she was crowned Miss Minden
BC564 Annetta Baker
Annetta Baker would have assumed the tile of Miss Minden two days after Mary Jo was crowned.
According to the article in the newspaper...Earlene Mendenhall became Miss Minden in May, 1956.
Annetta was second runner up Miss Minden in 1955 and 4th runner up Miss Minden in 1954.
BC565 Earlene Mendenhall
BC563 L-R, Annetta Baker, Earlene Mendenhall and 1955 Miss Minden
Trudy Brooks presenting trophies to runners up in the contest.
In May 1956 Earlene took over the duties of Miss Minden and crowned
Marcelee Robinson as the new Miss Minden in 1957. It is unknown to the compiler
If anyone went to Miss Holiday-In-Dixie to represent Minden. They failed
to notify Earlene when it was time to go to the Miss Louisiana Contest in 1956 so
Minden was not represented that year. She just might have won that contest for Minden.
BC562- Trudy Brooks presents a trophy to Earlene Mendenhall
BC561 -The winner was Mary Jo Skinner
She traded in her title for a Mrs. two days after she was crowned.
Mary Jo was also first runner up in the Miss Minden High School
contest.
IN 1956 MENDENHALL SISTERS WIN BEAUTY CONTESTS
M560 Earlene Mendenhall and her younger sister Barbara are both crowned on the same night in 1956.
M550 Earlene Mendenhall and Jasper Goodwill, Mayor of Minden in 1956
M540 Barbara Mendenhall and Jasper Goodwill,
Mayor of Minden in 1956
1955 MISS MINDEN CONTEST
MM 530- Trudy Ann Brooks Minden
Trudy was also named most beautiful
girl in the Tide Talk in 1955
MM528 - Miss Minden 1954, Betty Jean Davis, crowns the new Miss Minden,
Trudy Brooks, 1956 wearing a yellow dress.
On the left is second runner up, Annetta Baker
MM527 L-R, Annetta Baker was second runner up, first runner up was
Carla Faye Green wearing a blue dress.
MM 526 -MISS MINDEN 1955 TOP TEN CONTESTANTS
Top Ten, L-R, Barbara Bryan, Kathy Walden, Earlene Mendenhall, Mary Jo Skinner,
Betty Claire Rhea, Gracie Davidson. Annetta Baker, Sandra Pullig, Trudy Brooks &
Carla Faye Green.
mm525 -Trudy Brooks
mm 524 -Carla Faye Green
1954 MISS MHS
mm523 - We Present Pat Wilson
Runner up was Millie Aarrons who became Miss Minden after Pat Wilson married Hugh Cranford.
mm521- Pat Wilson before the crowing...Does anyone know the name
of the cute lttle girl? If so, e-mail MindenMemories@AOL.COM
MISS MINDEN BEAUTY CONTEST
1953 -54 Miss Minden Contest
Billie Sue Brooks, Rene Pugh, Patsy Allen, Pat Wilson, Sally Powell, Nell Gilbert,
Cora Lou Brown and Gene Pugh.
Identified by Earlene Mendenhall Lyle ,Nan Hunter Castle and Maurice Whitlow
1mm5191 Patsy Allen
MM517 - L-R, I will try to list the ones I think it might be; Nell Gilbert, Cora Lou Brown, Gene Pugh, Rene Pugh, Jane Grubbs,
Judianne Braswell, Sarah Ruth Campbell, Marilyn Watkins, Rebecca Campbell, Annetta Baker, Carolyn Sale, Mary Jane Adams,
Mary Alice Jones and Rebecca Whisenhunt.
Identified by Earlene Mendenhall Lyle and Nan Hunter Castle
mm-516 - 1st. runner up, Carla Faye Green, 2nd runner up, Cortez David,3rd runner up,
Judianne Braswell, 4th runner up, Annetta Baker
BETTY JEAN DAVIS - MISS MINDEN 1954
mm515 Cortez David, Betty Jean Davis, and Carla Faye Green
Carol Whitfield
Miss MHS, 1953
Miss Minden 1953
Holiday - In Dixie's
Miss Congeniality 1953
mm514 - Finalists for Miss Minden High School were: Carla Faye Green, Cortez David, Sarah Ruth Campbell and Earlene Mendenhall. First runner up in the Miss Minden Minden contest was Sandra Gray. She became Miss Minden after Carol gave up her crowns to marry Derald Kirkland. Second runner up was Keitha Clement. You can see their pictures if you visit http://www.mindenmemories.org and visit Gems of Minden. You will have to scroll down to the 1953 pictures.
four1953 - They needed four crowns
Finalists in the Miss Minden High School Contests were
L-R, Carla Faye Green, Sarah Ruth Campbell,
Earlene Mendenhall and the winner was Carol Whitfield
Carla Faye became Miss Minden High School in 1955.
Earlene became Miss Minden School in 1956. (See Beauty Contest 56)
We do not have pictures of Carol, Sandra and Keitha the night of the Miss Minden contest.
carla1955 - Miss MHS 1955 CONTEST
There she is.....Miss Minden High School 1955
CARLA FAYE GREEN
Five girls were chosen from each gym class to be in the beauty review each year. The winner became Miss Minden High School. In 1953 Carol Whitfield was the first to win the title. She became a triple crown holder when she won the Miss Minden Contest and went to the Holiday In Dixie and won the title of Miss Congeniality. We regret that we do not have all the pictures of the girls .
The next year Pat Wilson was crowned Miss Minden High School.
The gym classes voted for five girls to represent them in the Beauty Review each year. In 1955 the six seniors were Gracie Davidson, Carla Faye Green, Patsy Heflin, Sandra Pullig, Wanda Rhoden and Sue Smith.
If anyone has a photo of Sue Smith we would appreciate it if you would scan a copy to MindenMemories@aol.com. Please send us a message first so we will be expecting the attachment. You can also send it to Sherry Gritzbaugh, 4507 Verone St., Bellaire, TX77401.
mm512 -SANDRA BARNETTE
mm511-RITA BARRON
mm510 -JUDY BARRON
mm509
-KAY CUNNINGHAM
mm508 -BONNIE SUE BURNS
mm507 -GRACIE DAVIDSON
mm506 - CARLA FAYE GREEN
mm505 - CAROLYN HALL
mm504 - CATSY HARPER
mm503 -PATSY HEFLIN
mm502 - JOYCE HUMPHRIES
mm500 -BOBBIE JEAN
LANGHELD
mm500 - GRACIE
MCCULLOUGH
mm499- SHELBY
NUNN
mm498 - SANDRA PULLIG
mm497
-
BETTY CLAIRE RHEA
mm496 - WANDA RHODEN
mm495 - HATHIA
SEARLES
mm494 - YVONNE
SIMMONS
mm493 - MARY
JO SKINNER
NOT PICTURED mm492 - SUE SMITH
mm491 - JEANETTE WOODARD
Contestants in the 1954 Beauty Pageant
1054 Pat Wilson
Pageants 1054 First Place Winner was PAT WILSON, CLASS OF 1954
she forfeited to become a Mrs.
and the title of Miss Minden High School went to
MILLIE AARONS, CLAS OF 1956
P54 Millie Aarons
Pagent054 - First Runner Up Millie Aarons became Miss Minden High School
after Pat Wilson became Mrs. Hugh Cranford
P154 Gracie Davidson
Pageant 154 Gracie Davidson
P254 Earlene Mendenhall
Pageant 254 Earlene Mendenhall
P354 Marilyn Watkins
Pageant 354 - Marilyn Watkins
P454 Barbara Bryan
Pageant 454 Barbara Bryan
P554 Carla Faye Green
Pageant 554 Carla Faye Green
P654 Sally Ann Powell
Pageant 654 Sally Ann Powell
754 Judianne Braswell
754 Pageant Judianne Braswell
854 Mary Ellen Bailey
Pageant 854 Mary Ellen Bailey
954 Sandra Pullig
Pageant954 - Sandra Pullig
CONTINUED TO BEAUTY CONTEST TWO..............................................................................................................
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