Miriam Stevenson
Encyclopedia
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.
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.
Stevenson gave the car she won in her Miss Universe Prize package to Martha Rocha as a consolatory prize.
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.
Winnsboro, South Carolina
Winnsboro is a town in Fairfield County, South Carolina, United States. The population was 3,599 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Fairfield County. Winnsboro is part of the Columbia, South Carolina Metropolitan Statistical Area....
, won the Miss USA
Miss USA
The Miss USA beauty contest has been held annually since 1952 to select the United States entrant in the Miss Universe pageant. The Miss Universe Organization operates both pageants, as well as Miss Teen USA...
pageant as Miss South Carolina USA
Miss South Carolina USA
The Miss South Carolina USA competition is the pageant that selects the representative for the state South Carolina in the Miss USA pageant. The pageant has been produced by RPM Productions since 1980....
in 1954. She was the first Miss USA
Miss USA
The Miss USA beauty contest has been held annually since 1952 to select the United States entrant in the Miss Universe pageant. The Miss Universe Organization operates both pageants, as well as Miss Teen USA...
to hold the Miss Universe
Miss Universe
Miss Universe is an annual international beauty contest that is run by the Miss Universe Organization. The pageant is the most publicized beauty contest in the world with 600 million viewers....
beauty
Beauty
Beauty is a characteristic of a person, animal, place, object, or idea that provides a perceptual experience of pleasure, meaning, or satisfaction. Beauty is studied as part of aesthetics, sociology, social psychology, and culture...
crown.
Her win over Brazil's
Brazil
Brazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is the largest country in South America. It is the world's fifth largest country, both by geographical area and by population with over 192 million people...
Martha Rocha
Martha Rocha
Maria Martha Hacker Rocha is a former Brazilian beauty pageant contestant.She is the seventh child of engineer Álvaro Rocha and housewife Hansa. At the age of 18, in 1954, after winning the title of Miss Bahia in her home state, she became the first Miss Brazil to become a finalist of the Miss...
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.
Stevenson gave the car she won in her Miss Universe Prize package to Martha Rocha as a consolatory prize.
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
Miss South Carolina
The Miss South Carolina competition is the pageant that selects the representative for the state of South Carolina in the Miss America pageant. The pageant was first held in Myrtle Beach and moved to Greenville starting in 1958 and remained in that city until the 90s. Spartanburg has hosted the...
1953 as her state's delegate to the Miss America
Miss America
The Miss America pageant is a long-standing competition which awards scholarships to young women from the 50 states plus the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico and the US Virgin Islands...
pageant.