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Texas seniors to compete for title of Ms. Texas Senior America
By Anthony Tosie, atosie@starlocalnews.com, and Kaitlin Pennell
On Aug. 11, the 2012 Ms. Texas Senior America Pageant, presented by John Pollack Financial, will be held at the Embassy Suites Frisco convention center.
The pageant, however, is not what some would expect.
"Our whole goal is to enrich and empower senior women," said Mary Frances Hansen, coordinator of the Ms. Texas Senior America Pageant. "We're not a beauty pageant -- our pageant is about redefining [what it means to be] a senior woman. We represent the positive image of aging."
This year's pageant will feature 22 senior women vying for the title of Ms. Texas Senior America. In addition to an overall winner, the competition will include a queen's court, which consists of first, second and third runner-ups. Contestants will also vote for a Ms. Congeniality winner.
The 2012 Ms. Texas Senior America winner will go on to compete for the national title of Ms. Senior America in Atlantic City from Oct. 7 to Oct. 12.
Last year's winner, Frisco native Debbie Carroll-Boyce, went on to win the national Ms. Senior America title. Carroll-Boyce stressed that the event is anything but a typical pageant.
"It was an incredible experience," Carroll-Boyce said. "It's really not a beauty pageant -- it's about your life, accomplishments and your overall philosophy on life. They look at your education and what you've done."
Carroll-Boyce, who has lived in Frisco all her life, was an educator for 31 years; for 17 of those years she was a principal at Frisco ISD. Carroll-Boyce said many of her former students and friends in Frisco cheered her on during the competition last year.
"When I participated in the Ms. Texas Senior America Pageant last year I had so much support from Frisco," she said. "I don't even know how many people were there, but it felt like there were a hundred or more people there -- my former students, friends and family -- cheering me on."
Since winning the two competitions, Carroll-Boyce has gone on to serve as an ambassador for the pageants, speaking to crowds of up to 800 people. Among the places she's spoken include hospitals and community service-related establishments across 10 states.
When she made it to the national competition last year, Carroll-Boyce didn't think would win. Being in the top 10 was all she hoped to accomplish, she said.
"I never expected to win -- I just wanted to be in the top 10, because that's when your friends and family can come in and watch the competition," Carroll-Boyce explained. "When I made the top 10 I never dreamed I'd win the competition because the other women were so talented -- I was just shocked when I won."
Another Frisco resident, Debbie Baker, hopes to achieve Carroll-Boyce's success this year.
"Being involved in this pageant allows me to further my cause of helping women age gracefully," Baker said. "I look forward to competing with the other contestants as we showcase our talents and philosophies of life."
Pageant contestants must be at least 60 years of age, have been a resident of Texas for at least three months and be a United States citizen.
This year's competition, which begins at 1 p.m., will be preceded by an expo at 10:30 a.m. featuring 25 exhibit booths in the Embassy Suites Frisco foyer. The pageant itself will be hosted by noted author and speaker Rose-Mary Rumbley and television personality Scott Murray.
While she enjoyed the experience the pageant provided, Carroll-Boyce just hopes the pageant will show women of all ages there's no limit to what they can accomplish.
"I really think it's important that I hopefully serve as an inspiration and a role model to women of all ages," Carroll-Boyce said. "I love when I go to schools and speak to students who tell me they want to do the same thing when they're my age."
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