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Min Manitoba Gail Coopor and runner-up Myra AmyMiss Manitoba crowning draws tears, smilesBy JANICE KEYSTears and smiles abounded on the indoor stage of the Winnipeg Arena Wednesday ; night as blue-eyed, dark- : haired Gail Cooper was named Miss Manitoba of 1976,Miss Cooper was crowned by a tearful Lorraine Mans-bridge, the 1975 Miss Manitoba and George Prost, Man isphere’s president, immediately alter the 10 finalists in the annual pageant had com* • pleted the last of fife fashion shows they presented during the Red River Exhibition.Myra Amy was chosen runner-up and the girls voted Marian McGurran as Miss Congeniality.“I’m just ecstatic. I haven’t come down to earth yet,” the 23-yetr-old nursesaid in an interview shortly after the crowning.Miss Cooper said the judges’ announcement came as a complete surprise to her.“The 10 of us have been together such a lot and worked together so well that I would have been happy if anyone else had woo. They’re all great kids,”She said a friend finally persuaded her to enter this year’s pageant, although she had thought about entering, it before.“But I had always thought of the Miss Manitoba pageant as something special, so I didn’t want to enter it until 1 was really ready.”The whole experience was a rewarding one, she added.“It’s an experience I wish every girl could have. I can'temphasize enough the friend^ ships among the girls. Although we won’t see each other as often as v? have during the past few weeks, these friendships will last.”The fashion shows, presented Saturday to Wednesday on the Arena indoor stage, were the most enjoyable part of the pageant for her, Miss Cooper said.Each year, the 10 finalists are drilled, admonished and encouraged by Jeanette Currie, the. organizer o: t*w fashion shoWs, w/Jicn give the judges an oppoitriity to see how each girl moves and handles herself 3Z1: of a crowd.“I had never done any modelling before, except for alittle in high school. . . but 1 really enjoyed it ' ’Miss Cooper is ? graduate of River East Collegiate and the winner of a gold medal in psychiatric nursing, which she studied at Selkirk Mental Health Centre.“After I made my decision to go into nursing, I found the (psychiatric) course was available a .d it sounded challenging. Once I got into it, I did have doubts about whether I could cope with it at first, but 3 thint, you come out of it-a better ysrsGii.”She decided to take her registered nursing course at Misericord i a HcspUsd, so she would be able to vork in any nursing' field and is currently working at the Health Sciences Centre in neurosurgery.She hopes to be able to combine the demands of l^r job with those of Miss Manitoba but, “I just don’t know yet if I’U be able to.”She thinks her main function as Miss Manitoba will be that of a public relations representative, Miss Cooper said.It will be my pleasure and job to visit various parts of Manitoba and exchange ^ views with the people there. It’s one of helping people move closer together.”As Miss Manitoba, she mil also visit fairs in the United. States and w?G be Manitoba’s representativ at the Miss Canada pagcsnC which will be held during the f*U iu Toronto.The judges for the contest were June E-.ndberg^ Lee Thiessen, Jeanne Uuruh, Alex McKe*,: and Ralph Warring1-.
Newspaper Details
Winnipeg Free Press
Winnipeg, Manitoba, CA
Fri, Jul 02, 1976
Page 2
Full Page
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Anonymous
CA 15 Jan 2025
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