Miss America

The Miss America competition originated on September 7, 1921, as a two-day beauty contest in Atlantic City, New Jersey. The event that year was not even called the Atlantic City Pageant, and the winner of the grand prize, the 3-foot Golden Mermaid trophy, was not called, Miss America, until 1922, when she re-entered the pageant. The pageant was initiated in an attempt to keep tourists in Atlantic City after the Labor Day weekend.

Here She Is Miss America 2009

Katie Stam

In 1935, Talent was added to the competition. At the time, non-white women were barred from competing, a restriction that was codified in the pageant, Rule number seven, which stated that, contestants must be of good health and of the white race. No African American women participated until 1970, although African Americans did appear in musical numbers as far back as 1923, when they were cast as slaves. Until at least 1940, contestants were required to complete a biological questionnaire tracing their ancestry.

Miss Indiana Katie Stam has been crowned Miss America 2009

The 22-year-old University of Indianapolis student battled a throat infection and laryngitis throughout the week but still drew loud applause for her rendition of, Via Dolorosa, during the talent competition.

She also strutted onstage in a black bikini and an off-the-shoulder, white lace gown.

Stam, a communications major, plans to work in television news. She began competing in pageants at age 15.

When you are finished viewing Miss America please visit the Celebrity Website for Miss Universe. Simply clicking the picture will take you to the Celebrity Fan Site!

The Miss Universe Organization produces the internationally-recognized MISS UNIVERSE, MISS USA and MISS TEEN USA competitions. The MISS UNIVERSE and MISS USA competitions air as live specials and consistently rank among the most-watched television programming in the world.

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Miss America

Overview of the Corporation of Miss America

Developed by the Miss America Organization, the Miss America program exists to provide personal and professional opportunities for young women to promote their voices in culture, politics and the community. It provides a forum for today?s young women to express their viewpoints, talents and accomplishments to audiences during the telecast and to the public-at-large during the ensuing year. Almost all contestants have either received, or are in the process of earning either college or postgraduate degrees, and utilize Miss America scholarship grants to further their educations.

The Miss America Competition began in 1921 as part of an elaborate public festival staged by Atlantic City businessmen to extend the summer tourist season. In succeeding years, the Miss America competition evolved into an American tradition with contestants from each of the states competing every September for the coveted title of Miss America. Early on, the talent competition was made part of the Competition in addition to the original swimsuit segment.

Katie Stam in Swim Suit Competition

In 1945, the Organization began supporting women?s education by offering its first scholarship. Today, the Miss America Organization is one of the nation?s leading achievement programs and the world?s largest provider of scholarship assistance for young women. Each year, the Miss America Organization makes available more than $45 million in cash and tuition scholarship assistance.

In the 1980?s, a significant stride towards community service was made by the Organization when it began requiring each contestant in the local, state and national competition to embrace a social platform of national significance. As a result, Miss Americas have since become powerful, visible and credible spokeswomen for issues ranging from AIDS awareness and prevention programs to programs in support of homeless veterans. Whereas the Miss Americas of the past may have spent their year of service signing autographs in local drug stores for one of the pageant?s sponsors, Miss America today is in great demand as a speaker before legislative bodies, civic and national service organizations and prestigious bodies of the nation?s news media such as the National Press Club. Today, on an annual basis, Miss America state and local titleholders, along with the Organization?s network of volunteers, participate in more than 12,000 community service projects, providing in excess of 500,000 service hours to worthy causes.

Since its inception in 1921 the competition continues to grow and remains rich in history and social significance. Based in Linwood, New Jersey, the Miss America Organization (a not-for-profit organization) provides young women with a vehicle to further their personal and professional goals and instills a spirit of community service through a variety of unique nationwide community-based programs.

Miss America 2009 Katie Stam

Miss Indiana Katie Stam has been crowned Miss America. 22-year-old Katie Stam is currently a communications major at the University of Indianapolis. There?s also a bio here of Katie Stam on the University of Indianapolis website where Katie says the Miss America competition is much more than a beauty pageant.

Katie Stam has heard her share of cynical comments about ?beauty pageants,? even from close relatives, but she?s quick to correct any misconceptions. ?The Miss America pageant is a scholarship pageant,? says Stam, a University of Indianapolis senior who will be vying for that storied crown in January after winning the Miss Indiana title on June 21. ?It?s so much more than standing onstage and being poised.?

Stam, who turns 22 in July, has the resume to back up that statement, being listed on the honor roll and active in student government at UIndy. But as it turns out, she is especially good at being poised onstage, as well as on camera.

In her college career, she?s been one of the top broadcasting students in the Department of Communication, acting first as news director and more recently as operations manager for startup campus cable station UIndy TV. This spring, she helped lead her classmates to an underdog win in the Indiana Association of School Broadcasters annual college competition, seizing the TV School of the Year title from much larger competitors. Stam herself took home first-place honors in both the TV News Anchor and TV News Package categories. She also was among six UIndy students to win national recognition this year in the Broadcast Education Association?s annual competition, sharing second place in the TV Hard News Reporting category.

Congratulations Katie!