The Miss Texas competition was founded in 1937 as a scholarship contest for young women. The winner represents Texas in the
Miss America pageant; three winners have gone on to be crowned Miss America (but none since 1975).
To become Miss Texas, a contestant must first win a local competition. A young woman may compete at the local and state level more than once, but may only compete in the national
Miss America competition one time. Hundreds of women participate each year in the local pageants, culminating in the selection of local finalists who compete for the Miss Texas title each July. The state pageant was held in
Fort Worth
Fort Worth is a city in the U.S. state of Texas and the county seat of Tarrant County, Texas, Tarrant County, covering nearly into Denton County, Texas, Denton, Johnson County, Texas, Johnson, Parker County, Texas, Parker, and Wise County, Te ...
for 36 years before relocating to the
University of Texas at Arlington's
Texas Hall in 2009. In 2012, the pageant moved to the
Allen Event Center in suburban
Collin County. In 2014 the Miss Texas pageant began being held at the
Eisemann Center for Performing Arts in
Richardson, Texas.
In 2010, Miss Texas celebrated its 75th anniversary, and Randy Pruett wrote a book, ''A Dream as Big as Texas'', to document the stories of the 75 women that were crowned Miss Texas.
Annette Addo-Yobo of
Southlake was crowned Miss Texas 2024 on June 29, 2024, at
Eisemann Center in
Richardson, Texas. She is the first immigrant-born and Ghanaian woman to win the title.
She will compete for the title of
Miss America 2025 at the 97th Miss America pageant.
Gallery of past titleholders
File:Phyllis George 2008.png, Phyllis George,
Miss Texas 1970 and Miss America 1971 in 2008
File:Miss America 1975 aboard USS John F. Kennedy (CV-67) 1975.jpg, Shirley Cothran,
Miss Texas 1974 and Miss America 1975
File:SWAP300670000000026027.jpg, Jonna Fitzgerald,
Miss Texas 1985
File:Molly Hazlett parade.jpg, Molly Hazlett,
Miss Texas 2007
File:Rebecca Robinson-Miss Texas 2008-Wilford Hall Medical Center April 24, 2009.jpg, Rebecca Robinson,
Miss Texas 2008
Results summary
The following is a visual summary of the past results of Miss Texas titleholders at the national Miss America pageants/competitions. The year in parentheses indicates the year of the national competition during which a placement and/or award was garnered, not the year attached to the contestant's state title.
Placements
* Miss Americas:
Jo-Carroll Dennison (
1942
The Uppsala Conflict Data Program project estimates this to be the deadliest year in human history in terms of conflict deaths, placing the death toll at 4.62 million. However, the Correlates of War estimates that the prior year, 1941, was th ...
),
Phyllis George (
1971 *
The year 1971 had three partial solar eclipses (Solar eclipse of February 25, 1971, February 25, Solar eclipse of July 22, 1971, July 22 and Solar eclipse of August 20, 1971, August 20) and two total lunar eclipses (February 1971 lunar eclip ...
),
Shirley Cothran (
1975
It was also declared the ''International Women's Year'' by the United Nations and the European Architectural Heritage Year by the Council of Europe.
Events
January
* January 1 – Watergate scandal (United States): John N. Mitchell, H. R. ...
)
* 1st runners-up: Moselle Ransome (1927), Alice Emerick (1937),
Shilah Phillips (2007), Ellie Breaux (2023), Annette Addo-Yobo (2024)
* 2nd runners-up: Penny Lee Rudd (1963), Carmen McCollum (1977),
Jonna Fitzgerald (1986),
Averie Bishop (2022)
* 3rd runners-up: Linda Loftis (1962), Sharon McCauley (1965), Mae Beth Cormany (1973), Suzanne Lawrence (1991)
* 4th runners-up: Sheri Ryman (1982),
Tamara Hext (1985), Yanci Yarbrough (2000), Margana Wood (2018)
* Top 7: Caroline Carothers (2017)
* Top 8: Molly Hazlett (2008)
* Top 10: Mary Nell Hendricks (1959), Susan Logan (1967), Judy Mallett (1974), Mary Ellen Richardson (1976), Lori Smith (1978), Sandi Miller (1979), Terri Eoff (1981), Dana Rogers (1984), Stephany Samone (1987), Rita Jo Thompson (1988), Leah Kay Lyle (1990), Rhonda Morrison (1992), Arian Archer (1995), Michelle Martinez (1997), Tara Watson (2001), Mary Lisa Dalzell (2003), Jamie Story (2005), Morgan Matlock (2006), Kristen Blair (2010), Kendall Morris (2012),
DaNae Couch (2013), Ivana Hall (2014),
Shannon Sanderford (2016), Mallory Fuller (2021)
* Top 12: Ashley Melnick (2011)
* Top 13: Polly Below (1945)
* Top 15:
Rosebud Blondell (1926), Patricia Allen Green (1936), Charmayne Smith (1939), Chandler Foreman (2019/2020)
* Top 16: Margaret Sommers (1951),
Monique Evans
Monique Evans (born Monique Rezende Nery da Fonseca on 5 July 1956) is a Brazilian television personality. She was a participant on seasons third and fourth of '' A Fazenda''.
''A Fazenda''
On 28 September 2010, Monique Evans was officiall ...
(2015)
* Top 20: Stacy James (2002)
Awards
Preliminary awards
* Preliminary Evening Gown: Ellie Breaux (2024) Annette Addo-Yobo (2025)
* Preliminary Interview: Mary Lisa Dalzell (2003)
*
Preliminary Lifestyle and Fitness:
Jo-Carroll Dennison (1942),
Phyllis George (1971),
Shirley Cothran (1975), Carmen McCollum (1977),
Tamara Hext (1985), Molly Hazlett (2008), Kendall Morris (2012), Margana Wood (2018)
*Preliminary Social Impact Pitch: Mallory Fuller (2022)
*
Preliminary Talent:
Jo-Carroll Dennison (1942), Linda Loftis (1962), Carmen McCollum (1977), Sheri Ryman (1982),
Jonna Fitzgerald (1986), Stephany Samone (1987), Suzanne Lawrence (1991),
Shilah Phillips (2007)
Non-finalist awards
* Non-finalist Interview: BaShara Chandler (1994)
* Non-finalist Talent: Marilyn Turner (1960), Mary Cage Moore (1961), Gloria Gilbert (1983), Sunni Cranfill (2004), Madison Fuller (2019)
Other awards
* Equity & Justice Finalists: Averie Bishop (2023)
*
Miss Congeniality: Joyce Courrege (1944), Luna McClain (1947), Rebecca Robinson (2009)
* Louanne Gamba Instrumental Award: Kendall Morris (2012)
*
Quality of Life Award Winners: Suzanne Lawrence (1991)
* Women in Business Winners: Averie Bishop (2023)
* Women Who Brand Winners: Averie Bishop (2023)
Winners
In popular culture
* In the long-running television series ''
Dallas
Dallas () is a city in the U.S. state of Texas and the most populous city in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex, the List of Texas metropolitan areas, most populous metropolitan area in Texas and the Metropolitan statistical area, fourth-most ...
'', the character
Sue Ellen Ewing had purportedly won the title of Miss Texas in 1967, long before the events of the show took place (1978–91).
* The song "Almost" by the band
Bowling for Soup features the line, "I almost dropped out of school at fourteen where I almost made out with the Homecoming Queen, who almost went on to be Miss Texas, but lost to a slut with much bigger breasts."
References
External links
Miss Texas official website
{{Miss America state
Texas
Texas ( , ; or ) is the most populous U.S. state, state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. It borders Louisiana to the east, Arkansas to the northeast, Oklahoma to the north, New Mexico to the we ...
Texas culture
Recurring events established in 1936
1936 establishments in Texas
Women in Texas
Annual events in Texas