Laverne is a town in Harper County, Oklahoma, United States. The population was 1,223 at the 2020 census.
Miss America is an annual competition that is open to women from the United States between the ages of 18 and 28. Originating in 1921 as a "bathing beauty revue", the contest is now judged on these competition segments with the following scoring percentages: Private Interview (30%) – a 10-minute press conference-style interview with a panel of judges, On Stage Question (10%) – answering of a judge's question while onstage, Talent or HER Story (20%) – a performance talent or 90 second speech, Health and Fitness (20%) – contestants demonstrate physical fitness onstage while dressed in athletic wear, and Evening Gown (20%) – contestants model evening-wear onstage.
Miss USA is an American beauty pageant that has been held annually since 1952 to select the entrant from United States in the Miss Universe pageant. The Miss Universe Organization operated both pageants, as well as Miss Teen USA, until 2020, when the organization announced it was licensing operation of the Miss USA and Miss Teen USA pageants to Crystle Stewart, Miss USA for 2008 prior to her suspension in October 2022, thus returning the said pageants to the Miss Universe Organization.
Jennifer Berry-Gooden is an American beauty pageant titleholder who was crowned Miss America on January 21, 2006. A resident of Tulsa, Oklahoma, at the time of her investment to sovereignty of beauty, she became the fifth Miss America from Oklahoma to have held the title.
The Miss Oklahoma USA competition is the pageant that selects the representative for the state of Oklahoma in the Miss USA pageant. This pageant is directed by Vanbros and Associates, headquartered in Lenexa, Kansas. In 1997, Oklahoma joined the Vanbros group of state pageants for the Miss USA and Teen USA system.
The Miss Oklahoma competition selects a winner to compete on behalf of Oklahoma in the Miss America pageant. Miss Oklahoma has won the Miss America crown on five occasions. Also, in the years when city representatives were common, Norma Smallwood won, competing as Miss Tulsa, giving the state of Oklahoma a total of six crowns. Oklahoma is also one of three states to win back to back Miss America titles.
Johnathan Kayne Gillaspie is an American fashion designer, specializing in eveningwear gowns. His brand Johnathan Kayne is distributed to specialty retail stores internationally. Kayne gained attention as a contestant on the third season of the Bravo reality series Project Runway and as a contestant on the second season of the Lifetime series Project Runway All Stars.
Norma Des Cygne Smallwood was the winner of the Miss America 1926 pageant.
Jane Anne Jayroe-Gamble is an American broadcaster, author, public official and former beauty queen from Laverne, Oklahoma, who was Miss Oklahoma in 1966 and Miss America in 1967. Jayroe worked as an anchor in TV news in Oklahoma City and Dallas-Fort Worth broadcast media markets for 16 years. Later, Governor of Oklahoma Frank Keating appointed her to serve as his Secretary of Tourism and Recreation in his Cabinet. She served in that position from 1999 until 2003. Jayroe has authored numerous articles and books and was spokesman for The Presbyterian Health Foundation.
Susan Carol Powell is an American actress, singer, and television personality. A native of Elk City, Oklahoma, Powell began her career as a successful beauty pageant contestant, winning the Miss Oklahoma pageant in 1980 and proceeded to the Miss America crown for the year 1981. A coloratura soprano, she has performed in musical theater and on opera stages around the world. In 1993, Powell embarked on a new television career, becoming the co-host of Discovery Channel's Home Matters home and garden program in 1993.
Miss America 2007, the 80th Miss America pageant, was held on the Las Vegas Strip in Paradise, Nevada on Monday, January 29, 2007, making it the first time that the pageant was held on a weekday, rather than the traditional Saturday since 1927's contest.
Lauren Paige Nelson is a beauty queen from Lawton, Oklahoma who holds the Miss America 2007 title. Nelson is the second consecutive Miss America and sixth in the history of Miss America to hail from this state.
For the state pageant affiliated with Miss Teen USA, see Miss Oklahoma Teen USA
Drag pageantry is a developed form of pageantry for female impersonators, drag queens, and trans women, styled after traditional beauty pageants or contests for cisgender women. It has also evolved into a pageantry for male impersonators, drag kings and trans men.
Edward H. "Ed" Cook is an American businessman from Oklahoma. Cook has held numerous positions with the Greater Oklahoma City Chamber, that City's chamber of commerce, serving as that organization's president. After a return to the private sector, Governor of Oklahoma Frank Keating appointed him as his Secretary of Tourism and Recreation in 1995. Serving in that position until 1999, Cook oversaw all efforts to promote Oklahoma as a tourism destination.
Emoly Ann West is an American beauty pageant titleholder who was crowned Miss Oklahoma 2010 and was fourth runner-up in the Miss America 2011 Pageant on January 15, 2011, in Las Vegas, Nevada.
Miss America 2015, the 88th Miss America pageant, was held at the Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City, New Jersey on Sunday, September 14, 2014. Miss America 2014, Nina Davuluri crowned the winner, Miss New York, Kira Kazantsev, making it the third consecutive year that a Miss New York won the Miss America crown; New York thus became the first state to have a Miss America winner three years in a row.
Georgia Lynn Canady is an American beauty pageant titleholder from Tulsa, Oklahoma, who was crowned Miss Oklahoma's Outstanding Teen 2009 and Miss Oklahoma 2015. She competed for the Miss America 2016 title in September 2015 and placed in the Top 10.
Miss USA World 1966 was the 5th edition of the Miss USA World pageant and it was held at the Ohio State Fairgrounds in Columbus, Ohio and was won by Denice Estelle Blair of Utah. She was crowned by outgoing titleholder, Dianna Lynn Batts of the District of Columbia. Blair went on to represent the United States at the Miss World 1966 Pageant in London later that year. She finished as 6th Runner-Up at Miss World.
Oklahoma 
