Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: FRIDAY, February 25, 1994 TAG: 9402250350
SECTION: EXTRA PAGE: 1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: By WENDI GIBSON RICHERT STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
The Aikens, of Columbia, S.C., don't see their 19-year-old daughter much anymore. Not since she was crowned the 1994 Miss America in October, anyway. These days, Kimberly no longer lives an hour and a half up the road at the University of North Carolina in Charlotte.
Now her life unfolds on the road and in the spotlight, with every minute of her day planned, right down to the 15-minute newspaper interview from her Norfolk hotel room.
Aiken will join Miss Virginia Nancy Glisson and Stan Kingma's Virginians on Saturday night at the Roanoke Civic Center auditorium. The family event, which starts at 8 p.m. and is a benefit for Roanoke Area Ministries, is a homecoming of sorts for Aiken.
Just four years ago in Roanoke, the 15-year-old Aiken sang her first solo with the U.S. National Chorus, also directed by Stan Kingma. Her song: ``Summertime'' from the opera ``Porgy and Bess.''
Aiken had first sung the tune as a sophomore in her South Carolina high school musical, she said. She reprised it in 1990 for the chorus auditions and sang it so well in Roanoke that she was named a soloist for the chorus' European tour that followed.
She hung onto the song for the Miss America pageant, where she sang it in the talent portion as Miss South Carolina. If you missed it then, you can hear Aiken's ``Summertime'' on Saturday night, along with ``Wind Beneath My Wings'' and Mariah Carey's ``Hero.''
Glisson, Miss Virginia 1994, will join Aiken for a duet during the two-and-a-half-hour show, and will sing three solos, too. Among them, Glisson's trademark rendition of Dolly Parton's ``I'll Always Love You.'' Glisson wowed audiences with that solo during the Miss Virginia pageant in July, when she received loud applause from an appreciative crowd before she even sang the first note. She sang it again at the Miss America pageant, where she placed fourth runner-up and compiled $16,500 in scholarship money from the Miss America Organization.
Since the pageant, both Aiken and Glisson have kept schedules that rival the campaign tours of presidential hopefuls. Glisson already has gone through six demonstration cars - getting a new one donated after every 6,000 miles or so. In fact, she's so used to traveling across the state that her car has become a second home, her car phone a link to everyone else.
``I try to see the job - the title - of Miss Virginia as a job,'' she said by phone - en route to Norfolk on Interstate 81. ``It's driving extensively. It's living out of your suitcase. And you are a servant to the state. A lot of people don't realize this is my job.''
Glisson's chief duty is being an advocate for adult day care - an alternative to nursing homes that allows the elderly to remain at home. Glisson has addressed the General Assembly on the subject. She also visits nursing homes, Veterans Administration hospitals and adult day care centers, spending time with elderly people, whom she admires.
Glisson is excited to be returning to the same stage where she won her title eight months ago. In addition to Glisson's and Aiken's performances, the Virginians' show will feature contemporary pop tunes and some Manhattan Transfer standards by the group's Star City Jazz quartet.
Aiken, too, is eager to return to Roanoke, where she'll visit with Kingma for the first time since the chorus' European tour ended in 1990. She's also eager to play a part in raising money for Roanoke Area Ministries, which assists the homeless and aims to prevent others from becoming that way. As Miss America, Aiken travels the country lecturing and serving as an advocate for the homeless.
``Homelessness doesn't just happen at Thanksgiving and Christmas,'' she said. ``It happens every day of the year.''
Everybody knows to give clothes and money, but what the homeless need isn't always in the shelters' store rooms. ``If you can just give a little extra timevolunteer your time and profession.''
Tickets for Saturday's show are still available for $8 at the Roanoke Civic Center box office, all TicketMaster locations, and from any Raleigh Court or Williamson Road Lions Club member.
STAN KINGMA'S VIRGINIANS: Saturday, 8 p.m., Roanoke Civic Center Auditorium. With Kimberly Aiken, Miss America '94, and Nancy Glisson, Miss Virginia '94. Tickets, $8, available through TicketMaster, Raleigh Court or Williamson Road Lions Club members, by credit card (343-8100) or through box office (981-1201).
by CNB