Yolande Fox
| Yolande Fox | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born |
Yolande Betbeze November 29, 1928[1] Mobile, Alabama |
| Ethnicity | Basque American |
| Alma mater | New School for Social Research (Philosophy) |
| Occupation | Opera singer, activist |
| Term | Miss America 1951 |
| Religion | Roman Catholic |
| Spouse(s) | Matthew Fox (1954-1964; his death) |
| Children | 1 |
Yolande Betbeze Fox (born November 29, 1928, Mobile, Alabama) is an American singer and beauty pageant titleholder who was crowned Miss America 1951.
Early life
Yolande Betbeze was born in 1929 to William, a butcher, and Ethel Betbeze of Mobile. Betbeze was raised in a strict Roman Catholic family of Basque descent, and attended convent schools.[2]
Career
She captured her first crown in 1949 when she won Mobile's "Miss Torch" pageant.[2] In 1950, Fox (then Betbeze) entered Miss Alabama for the scholarship opportunities the pageant presented.[3] As Miss Alabama, she traveled to Atlantic City, New Jersey, to compete in the Miss America 1951 pageant. Having been educated in a convent school, she was reluctant to pose in a swimsuit and refused to do so after she won Miss America.[4] That led the swimsuit company, Catalina, to withdraw their sponsorship of the Miss America pageant and eventually brought about the creation of the rival Miss USA pageant.[1]
Fox's Miss America title, although won in 1950, was for 1951 and is the first Miss America title to be "postdated" in this manner. Due to the change, there was no Miss America 1950. The Miss America Organization has claimed that Fox's (then Betbeze's) actions were pivotal in directing pageant progress towards recognizing intellect, values, and leadership abilities, rather than focusing on beauty alone. From then on the Miss America pageant concentrated more on scholarship than beauty.[1]
Fox has been active in the feminist movement. After her one-year reign as Miss America, she served as an ambassador to Paris, was active in the NAACP, CORE (Congress of Racial Equality), and SANE (The Committee for a SANE Nuclear Policy), and studied philosophy at the New School for Social Research in New York City. Fox was an opera singer and did gain a reputation in that area. She continued to sing, appearing with the Mobile Opera Guild (now the Mobile Opera), and helped found an off-Broadway theater.[2]
Personal life
She married movie magnate Matthew Fox, the former president of Universal Pictures, in 1954, and they had one daughter, Yolande “Dolly” Fox Campbell.[4] Her husband died after 10 years of marriage.
After her husband's death, she moved to Georgetown, Washington, D.C. She had a relationship with Cherif Guellal, with whom she raised her grandchild, Yolande "Paris" Campbell, until Guellal's death in 2009.[5]
References
- 1 2 3 Ericson, Sally Pearsall (April 17, 2014). "A famous Mobilian you should know: Yolande Betbeze Fox, an outspoken beauty queen". Press-Register (Mobile, AL: Advance Publications). Retrieved June 10, 2015.
- 1 2 3 "Yolande Betbeze". Encyclopedia of Alabama. Retrieved August 24, 2013.
- ↑ "Miss Alabama History". Miss Alabama. Retrieved June 11, 2015.
- 1 2 Watkins, Mia (September 9, 2014). "Yolande Betbeze Fox: Alabama's first Miss America reflects on title more than 60 years later". The Huntsville Times (Huntsville, AL: Advance Publications). Retrieved June 10, 2015.
- ↑ Bernstein, Adam (April 13, 2009). "Cherif Guellal dies at 76; Algerian resistance fighter and diplomat". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved December 26, 2014.
External links
| Awards and achievements | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Jacque Mercer |
Miss America 1951 |
Succeeded by Colleen Kay Hutchins |
| Preceded by Freida Roser |
Miss Alabama 1950 |
Succeeded by Jeanne Moody |
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