When you think about Oklahoma, many different images might come to mind. Singing farmers, diverse Native reservations, and oil rigs on the lawn of the state capital are all well-known icons of the Sooner State. What you may not know is that one local college, Oklahoma City University, prides itself on its alumni’s success in the Miss America beauty pageant. Alumni representing the state of Oklahoma have won the competition three times since the contest’s inception.
Of course, this did not happen by sheer luck. OCU aggressively markets itself as a school catered to Miss America contestants. They hire teachers skilled in teaching performing arts and offer generous scholarships to young women who they perceive to have the talent to win the famous contest. Many aspiring Miss Americas have attended OCU for this reason, and gone on to represent their home states in the pageant.
In honor of their three winners (Jane Jayroe of 1967, Susan Powell of 1981, and Shawntel Smith of 1996), OCU made a permanent monuments in the form of three bronze statues. Each of them grins broadly, holding bouquets of flowers and balancing a crown on their heads. Their eyes have a distant look that doesn’t quite match their smiles. While this could be read as a sign of existential dread, the sculptor’s intent was for each woman to be looking forward to her future.
While there may be something slightly uncanny about the statues themselves, their real-life counterparts are doing just fine. Jayroe and Powell found careers in media, while Smith is the CEO of her own technology company. OCU is also looking forward to its own future in the pageant business. There is room for up to seven more statues on this plot. Only time will tell if the statues will gain new company, but for now, they stand as enduring symbols of OCU’s unique claim to fame.
