ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Thursday, June 27, 1996 TAG: 9606270007
SECTION: EXTRA PAGE: 1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: ALESSANDRA SOLER STAFF WRITER
Some called it a scandal, others called it a blemish; regardless, the Miss Virginia Pageant seems to be recuperating from the controversy surrounding last year's pageant.
Pageant officials say the negative publicity from the dethroning of last year's winner didn't affect this year's support, but they made changes to the application process and took steps to avoid any further problems.
Margaret Baker, the pageant's executive director, said she carefully reviewed the fact sheets sent in by contestants this year - more so than in previous years.
"I asked them to provide the necessary documentation, and I didn't find anything that was questionable," she said. "This year, we stressed to them that it was their responsibility to make sure that everything was correct. There is an awareness within our local community of how important this is, and we certainly don't want another unfortunate situation to happen again. It was devastating."
Amber Medlin inherited the 1995 crown after it was taken from Andrea Ballengee for falsifying parts of her resume.
The discrepancies prompted pageant officials to scrutinize Medlin's application, questioning whether she should have rounded her grade-point average up to 3.0 when it was calculated as 2.9577.
Paul Harris, vice president for student affairs at Radford University, Medlin's alma mater, came to Medlin's defense and wrote a letter stating that the question on the fact sheet was "confusing" because the space provided for the grade-point average listing was "sandwiched" between two other questions about the contestant's major.
This year, officials decided to drop the question regarding grade-point averages. Baker secured permission from the Miss America organization in Atlantic City, N.J., to delete the question. "I found out last year that there is a fine line when calculating GPAs, and it's really not that important," she said. "The judges don't even know the grade-point averages. They get condensed, one-page fact sheets a few weeks in advance, and it doesn't include that information."
Last year's exposure also brought positive changes to the 1996 competition, which brings more than $1 million to the Roanoke Valley in hotel rentals, restaurant visits and other local business purchases.
Scholarship funds to be distributed among the winners jumped from $14,500 to $32,000. There will be a raffle, the first in 43 years, and a golf tournament to raise additional money for the winners.
This year, there will be 24 contestants - seven fewer than last year because organizers of several community-level pageants changed the dates of their festivals, leaving contestants insufficient time to run for the Miss Virginia title. "They ended up changing the system, but they'll be back on board next year," said Bud Oakey, public relations director of Miss Virginia Pageant Inc.
Fewer contestants means more money for those who do participate. Last year's Miss Virginia walked home with $7,000. This year, she'll win $13,000. The total awards for other winners range from $6,000 for first runner-up to $1,200 for fourth runner-up. Five semi-finalists this year will win $400 apiece; last year's 10 semi-finalists won $100 each.
And most of the local businesses that contributed last year are still on the roster of supporters.
Marti Spraker, who has worked for the pageant for 30 years, said she hasn't had any problems getting other businesses to donate time and money to the event.
"I'll still be volunteering for as long as I can," said Spraker, who owns Adventure Travel. "I do it because I believe in the pageant. There are always a few rotten apples in the barrel, but that hasn't stopped people from contributing. I feel like you need to just let this die and go on."
Bo Helffenstein, flower show chairman for the Roanoke Council of Garden Clubs, is responsible for all the pageant's donated floral arrangements.
"It never entered my mind to withdraw from the pageant," said Helffenstein, who has been part of the event for over 20 years. "And I don't know of anyone who has. I think everyone realized that this kind of thing can happen with any type of organization. And we're old enough to know not to take this so seriously. We've never had this type of blemish before, and I don't think we ever will again."
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