Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: THURSDAY, September 16, 1993 TAG: 9309160373
SECTION: NEIGHBORS PAGE: N-15 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: JOANNE ANDERSON STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
The snickers have given way to proud smiles, and Jones has, as they say, come a long way. She has been the contestant she dreamed of and also has captured a few crowns. As the reigning Mrs. Virginia, she represents married women in the commonwealth.
Winning the title in Richmond in June was both a surprise and an honor. "It meant a lot to win because the women were so sweet," Jones said.
"They represented all ages, and entered the pageant for a myriad of reasons."
Jones, 28, entered at the insistence of family members and fellow students at Western Virginia Community College, where she was studying for a nursing degree. Since winning, the brown-haired woman has completed school and begun registered nurse's training at Montgomery Regional Hospital.
Not too many people are aware of her title. "There's such a stereotype of beauty queens," Jones said. She and her husband, Chris, are "new to the New River Valley, and it's important to me that people get to know me as a caring, down-to-earth, Christian person."
Jones and her husband, a sales representative with Tony Lama Boot Co. of El Paso, Texas, moved to Blacksburg two years ago. "He's wonderfully supportive," Jones said. "He helps design my gowns, too." And she couldn't have won the Mrs. Virginia title without him.
Jones speaks about her pageant past with hesitancy, as if she will be erroneously judged by the listener and swiftly squeezed into that dreaded stereotype box.
In the early 1980s, she was crowned West Virginia's Miss Perfect Teen and was first runner-up in the national America's Perfect Teen contest. In 1987, she won the Miss West Virginia-USA title. She was a runner-up in the Miss USA contest.
Those experiences gave her the foundation for a modeling career and for being a judge at beauty pageants in several states. "I still do a little modeling, but it's not satisfying work like nursing," she said.
As Mrs. Virginia, Jones participates in parades, ribbon cuttings and grand openings. Her title requires that she make 20 public appearances during her reign. Her favorite events are those that involve children and the elderly.
Jones will compete in the Mrs. USA pageant in San Diego in October. In preparation, the 5-foot 8-inch Jones stays on a low-fat diet, walks, and does aerobics to stay at less than 120 pounds. To keep up with current events for the interviews, Jones has friend and neighbor Lynn Everett quiz and interview her.
She spends time viewing pageant videos, completing paperwork and planning her wardrobe and costume. "There will be an independent costume contest for each state. My Virginia costume represents the naval bases on the coast," Jones said.
Jones says she has succeeded in pageants by "being consistently genuine, saying what you really feel, rather than what you think the judges want to hear, and having a humble presence."
by CNB