Janelle "Penny" Commissiong, T.C. (born, 15 June 1953) is a Trinidadian politician, model and beauty queen who was crowned

Miss Universe 1977 Miss Universe 1977 was the 26th Miss Universe pageant, held on 16 July 1977 at the National Theater in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic. It was the first time in the pageant's history that the event was held in Dominican Republic. Janelle Comm ...

Early life and education

Janelle Commissiong was born on 15 June 1953 in

Port of Spain Port of Spain ( ; Trinidadian and Tobagonian English, Trinidadian English: ''Port ah Spain'' ) is the capital and chief port of Trinidad and Tobago. With a municipal population of 49,867 (2017), an urban population of 81,142 and a transient dail ...

, to Lucy Maria Joseph and Ruel Commissiong. Commissiong's mother was

Venezuelan Venezuelans (Spanish language, Spanish: ''venezolanos'') are the Citizenship, citizens identified with the country of Venezuela. This connection may be through citizenship, descent or cultural. For most Venezuelans, many or all of these connect ...

and her father was

Trinidadian Trinidadians and Tobagonians, colloquially known as Trinis or Trinbagonians, are the people who are identified with the country of Trinidad and Tobago. The population of Trinidad is notably diverse, with approximately 35% Indo-Trinidadian, 34% ...

. Commissiong has one older sister, Gail. In 1958, Commissiong's parents moved to Venezuela and later migrated to

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

. During this time Commissiong and her sister remained in Trinidad and lived with their aunts. Commissiong studied at Bishop Anstey High School. In 1966, Commissiong to migrated

, and was educated at

Erasmus Hall High School Erasmus Hall High School was a four-year public high school located at 899–925 Flatbush Avenue between Church and Snyder Avenues in the Flatbush, Brooklyn, Flatbush neighborhood of the New York City borough (New York City), borough of Brookly ...

. Commissiong studied fashion at the

Fashion Institute of Technology The Fashion Institute of Technology (FIT) is a public college under the State University of New York, in New York City. It focuses on art, business, design, mass communication, and technology connected to the fashion industry. It was founded in ...

. In 1976, Commissiong returned to Trinidad.

Career

Commissiong was selected to represent the country at the 1977 Miss Universe competition in

Santo Domingo Santo Domingo, formerly known as Santo Domingo de Guzmán, is the capital and largest city of the Dominican Republic and the List of metropolitan areas in the Caribbean, largest metropolitan area in the Caribbean by population. the Distrito Na ...

Dominican Republic The Dominican Republic is a country located on the island of Hispaniola in the Greater Antilles of the Caribbean Sea in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean. It shares a Maritime boundary, maritime border with Puerto Rico to the east and ...

. She was elected Miss Photogenic four days before the final, becoming the first black woman to win these awards in Miss Universe history. On July 16, in the National Theater of Santo Domingo, Commissiong was crowned Miss Universe, attracting international attention as the first black winner in the chronology of Miss Universe. During her reign, she was an advocate for black rights and world peace. Commissiong was awarded the

Trinity Cross The Trinity Cross (abbreviated T.C. or TC) was the highest of the National Awards of Trinidad and Tobago, between the years 1969 and 2008. It was awarded for: "distinguished and outstanding service to Trinidad and Tobago. It was awarded for gall ...

, the country's highest

award An award, sometimes called a distinction, is given to a recipient as a token of recognition of excellence in a certain field. When the token is a medal, ribbon or other item designed for wearing, it is known as a decoration. An award may be d ...

, in 1977. After winning the Miss Trinidad and Tobago Universe title, she went on to be crowned Miss Universe 1977 in

and in the process became the first black woman to win the prestigious pageant crown. After winning the title, she was most commonly known as 'Penny' because she was small as a penny. Commissiong was named

chair A chair is a type of seat, typically designed for one person and consisting of one or more legs, a flat or slightly angled seat and a back-rest. It may be made of wood, metal, or synthetic materials, and may be padded or upholstered in vario ...

of the newly formed Tourism Trinidad Destination Management Company in October 2017. From 2012 to 2015 she had served as vice-chair of its predecessor agency, the Tourism Development Company.

In popular culture

In honour of Commissiong's Miss Universe 1977 winner, Three

postage stamp A postage stamp is a small piece of paper issued by a post office, postal administration, or other authorized vendors to customers who pay postage (the cost involved in moving, insuring, or registering mail). Then the stamp is affixed to the f ...

s were commissioned of Commissiong by the Trinidad and Tobago Postal Service. In 2017, Queen Street in Port of Spain was renamed to Queen Janelle Commissiong Street in tribute of Commissiong's 1977 Miss Universe win.

Personal life

She married Brian Bowen, founder of Bowen Marine, who died in an accident in November 1989. After his death, she married businessman Alwin Chow.

References

Janelle Commissiong
at bestoftrinidad.com

- biography at nalis.gov.tt {{DEFAULTSORT:Commissiong, Janelle 1953 births Fashion Institute of Technology alumni Living people Miss Universe 1977 contestants Miss Universe winners Recipients of the Trinity Cross Trinidad and Tobago beauty pageant winners Trinidad and Tobago female models

Early life and education

Career

In popular culture

Personal life

See also

References