Ella Dee Kessel was 2nd runner up in the 1965 Miss America Competition. Better known to all of us as Dee Caperton, who later served the state as First Lady when married to Governor Gaston Caperton. A Ripley, West Virginia native, she held a degree in music from West Virginia University, a Master’s Degree in Education from the West Virginia College of Graduate Studies, and a Doctorate in Education from the University of Pittsburgh.

Elizabeth Lynch made history when she became the second Miss West Virginia to make the Top Five at the Miss America Competition. The Martinsburg native finished 3rd runner up to Miss America 2023 Grace Stanke from Wisconsin. As a result, Elizabeth won an additional $18,000 to apply towards her PhD in the fall. She is a summa cum laude graduate of Delaware State University and received a Master of Science in Food and Nutritional Science from West Virginia University.

OUR HISTORY

Although the first national contest to select a Miss America was held in 1921 in an effort to keep tourists in Atlantic City after Labor Day, it was not until 1923, that the Fairmont West Virginian Newspaper decided to sponsor a state competition to send an official state representative to the Miss America Pageant. The contest, which took place at the new Fairmont Theater on Tuesday, August 21, 1923, attracted a standing room only crowd. Ten contestants participated and five prominent bankers attending the 30th annual Convention of the West Virginia State Bankers Association served as judges.

            A dark, bobbed haired, fair skinned, and gray eyed beauty wearing a gold lace gown and long jade earrings was named Miss West Virginia 1923 before a very enthusiastic audience.  The newly crowned queen, Neva Jackson of Philippi, also had the distinction of being a third cousin of General Stonewall Jackson. Her grandfather, Samuel Dexter Jackson of Upshur County, was first cousin to the famous Civil War general. Neva described her Miss America experience as being, "Thrilled to the ears! I am just too excited to even talk, but I am certainly glad to be here. It has been one round of excitement after another; I wouldn't have missed it for the world.”

            After Neva Jackson in 1923, a state representative would not be crowned again until 1940. During the war years of 1942-1945, no titles were awarded; but in 1946, the state pageant resumed. During the 1950s, the state pageant was sponsored by the Morgantown Optimist club and was likely held at Morgantown’s Metropolitan Theatre, where it is now staged today.  In 1956, at the request from MAO Executive Director, Lenora Slaughter, Miss West Virginia spent much of the summer in New York City on a media tour with several other state representatives and Miss America promoting the upcoming Miss America Pageant.  It was only the third year for the live telecast and the first time it would include the talent competition. 

            During the next decade, the West Virginia Jaycees sponsored the Miss West Virginia Pageant and held the event in Charleston and Clarksburg.  In 1970, the state pageant moved to Parkersburg under the direction of Executive Director and Producer, Jim Smith and his wife, Betty.  During this time the pageant grew to twenty locals. A live band provided the music and Miss America was often a guest. It was around this time that Miss West Virginia was named the official Ambassador of the Mountain State.  By 1978, the state pageant had returned to Clarksburg. The production fashionably used Glen Osser arrangements on recorded tracks from the Miss America live telecast. In the late 1980s a local television station began broadcasting the crowning during the 11:00 news and the first in-kind scholarship was secured from West Virginia University.  In celebration of its Golden Anniversary, the 1994 Miss West Virginia Scholarship Pageant moved downtown to the Rose Garden Theatre under the guidance of MWVSO President Al Cox. Twenty-seven former Miss West Virginias were in attendance.  For the first time, the finals were presented in a live telecast which marked the beginning of the regional television broadcast of the pageant for fifteen years. The Miss West Virginia Scholarship Organization received a first place national Public Relations Award from MAO for their extensive state-wide publicity of the event.  It was also during this time that the state Quality of Life Award would be recognized in memory of a Miss West Virginia who lost her life to leukemia.

            It would take another anniversary year in 2004 to move the state pageant to its next home in Morgantown.  During the next decade, MWVSO would experience considerable growth. It gained the support of the West Virginia State Board of Education PASS program which supports Miss West Virginia’s Tour of Schools, allowing Miss West Virginia’s platform message to be heard by thousands of school age children every year.  A mentoring program for young girls, ages five through sixteen was begun and continues today to recruit thirty plus Monarch Misses to participate at the state and local level.  In 2009, the pageant was broadcast for the first time to a state-wide audience. The following year, the state pageant was joined by its sister pageant, Miss West Virginia’s Outstanding Teen Scholarship Pageant, in a four night competition schedule. In 2013, the in-kind scholarship offerings reached a remarkable $115,000.

            Following the 70th Anniversary, a cookbook entitled “Taking the Cake” was published and included over 100 delicious recipes from MAO volunteers from all across America.  It also told the adventures of many Miss West Virginias as they travelled miles and miles of country roads across the Mountain State.  Additionally, the book featured insight into the competition and answered the most asked question ever, What does it take to win?, by surveying the opinions of judges, directors, mentors, and stylists.

            The 75th Miss West Virginia was crowned in June 2019 when Martinsburg hosted the festivities for the first time in the history of the competition.  The celebration included a downtown parade with Carolyn Miller, Miss West Virginia 1956, as Grand Marshall, a storefront window display of Miss West Virginia gowns, costumes, and other memorabilia, and a two-night competition followed by a coronation gala.  In 2020, no competition was held because of the pandemic. The Miss West Virginia Competition returned in 2021 and in the same year the Miss America iconic brand reached a milestone as the Miss Alaska Emma Brooke’s was crowned the 100th Miss America.

West Virginia has had two Top 10, five Top 15, two Preliminary Swimsuit Winners, One Preliminary Evening Gown Winner, seven non-finalist Talent Award winners, and one non-finalist Interview Award winner. Three Miss West Virginias were selected to tour with the MAO USO Troupe. Two sisters have been crowned Miss West Virginia; another one had a daughter who competed at Miss America, representing another state. Two Miss West Virginias have held the title of Miss West Virginia’s Outstanding Teen.