Miriam Stevenson

Miriam Stevenson

Beauty pageant titleholder
Born	Miriam Jacqueline Stevenson July 4, 1933 (1933-07-04) (age 78) Winnsboro, South Carolina, United States
Title(s)	Miss America 1954, Miss South Carolina USA 1954, Miss USA 1954, Miss Universe 1954
Major competition(s)	Miss USA 1954 (Winner), Miss Universe 1954 (Winner)

Miriam Jacqueline Stevenson born 4 July 1933, of Winnsboro, South Carolina, won the Miss USA pageant as Miss South Carolina USA in 1954. She was the first Miss USA to hold the Miss Universe beauty crown.^[1]

Her win over Brazil's Martha Rocha was memorable for there was a tie between the two women for the crown. As Catalina was the major sponsor of the pageant in its early years, the tie-breaking judgment finally came down to who had the better physical figure, which went to Miriam's favor, for she had the "fitter" hips over Martha Rocha.^[2]

Stevenson gave the car she won in her Miss Universe Prize package to Martha Rocha as a consolatory prize.^[3]

After a one-year stint in Hollywood at Universal Studios through the contract she won in the pageant, Miriam made headlines in Variety Magazine by returning home to South Carolina to complete her education. She hosted television shows for the local NBC affiliate in Columbia, WIS-TV. It was here that she met her future husband, chief announcer, songwriter [co-writer of the popular song: Christmas Eve in My Hometown], and public servant [Richland County School Board Chair] Donald Upton. She was active in the media through the 1970s as a model, Miss Universe Pageant Judge, and actress in national commercials. They had two children. Their son, Donald Upton, Jr., is a former telecom executive and founder of the global economic development and public affairs firm Fairfield Index, Inc. The firm is named after Fairfield County, the home of the Stevenson Family for several centuries.

Stevenson was also Miss South Carolina 1953 as her state's delegate to the Miss America pageant.^[4]

References

1. ^ "Miriam Setevenson (USA) 1954". globalbeauties.com. http://www.globalbeauties.com/mbmu/2011/03/60th-place-miriam-stevenson-usa/. 
2. ^ "Judges are hep to hips". The Miami News. http://news.google.com/newspapers?id=NywyAAAAIBAJ&sjid=fOgFAAAAIBAJ&pg=4085,1969331&dq=martha-rocha&hl=en. Retrieved 2011-08-01. 
3. ^ "Miss Universe 1954 -Miriam Stevenson". globalbeauties.com. http://www.globalbeauties.com/mbmu/2011/03/60th-place-miriam-stevenson-usa/. Retrieved 2011-08-01. 
4. ^ "Miss South Carolina". http://www.bookrags.com//wiki/Miss_South_Carolina. 

Preceded by Susan Day	Miss South Carolina USA 1954	Succeeded by Sara Stone
Preceded by Mary Griffin	Miss South Carolina 1953	Succeeded by Polly Suber

Persondata
Name	Stevenson, Miriam
Alternative names
Short description
Date of birth	4 July 1933
Place of birth	Winnsboro, South Carolina, United States
Date of death
Place of death