Jo-Carroll Dennison, the oldest surviving Miss America, dies aged 97

Dennison, who held the title throughout World War II and broke with conference by refusing to put on a swimsuit onstage after the pageant, handed away at her dwelling in California final month, in keeping with her buddy Evan Mills. Mills, who edited Dennison's memoir and discovered of her dying immediately from her household, stated over e-mail that the former Miss (*97*) might "serve as a model for young women -- and men -- in a world where many are tempted to bend to social expectations rather than trusting and following their own moral compass."Born in 1923 in Florence, Arizona, a younger Dennison joined her dad and mom' travelling drugs present, the place she sang, dance and carried out on trick horses. She went on to coach as a secretary earlier than being scouted for the Miss Tyler pageant in Tyler, (*97*), the place she was finding out at the time.

In her autobiography "Finding My Little Red Hat," Dennison wrote that she had "sworn never to perform in public again" following her drugs present days. But she finally agreed to compete in Miss Tyler on the promise of a free swimsuit from a high-end division retailer.After profitable the pageant she went on to assert the Miss East (*97*) and Miss (*97*) titles, earlier than competing in -- and profitable -- the Miss America contest in 1942 at the age of 18.

Crowned Miss America shortly after USA's entry into World War II, Dennison would go to defence crops, hospitals and repair camps to assist enhance troop morale. "Miss America was a tangible symbol of the country (that soldiers) had enlisted to defend," she recalled at the anniversary gala, including: "It was their vision of democracy that made their hearts pound and bodies tingle."Dennison additionally signed a contract with twentieth Century Fox, starring in motion pictures together with "The Jolson Story" and the wartime drama "Winged Victory." Her proximity to Hollywood noticed her cross paths with lots of the period's celebrities, and he or she launched into relationships with Charlie Chaplin's son Sydney and comic Phil Silvers, whom she married in 1945 and divorced 5 years later. Dennison went on to seem in the "Dick Tracy" series, and later labored behind the scenes of tv productions. She married CBS producer and director Russell Stoneham, with whom she had two youngsters, although they separated in the Seventies and subsequently divorced. In her autobiography, Dennison expressed her help for #MeToo motion, revealing that she had been sexually assaulted at 12 years previous. She wrote, "It is stunning how poorly women have been treated in the American culture. I am so proud of the 'Me Too movement' and the women who have been brave enough to come forward about the male sexual abuse they have suffered, and grateful I have lived long enough to see it."Her autobiography's editor, Mills, described Dennison's story as "one of overcoming the adversities of a disjointed childhood and sub-par education, taking up social causes and crafting a vibrant intellectual life."