The quality of this article or section may be compromised by "peacock terms", which merely promote the subject without explaining why. You can help Wikipedia by removing peacock terms or finding content which backs the claims.

America's Junior Miss is a national's non-profit organization that provides scholarship opportunities to high school junior girls. Only young females in their junior year of high school are eligible for the program. This program provides the young ladies with the opportunity and support needed to succeed before, during, and after attending college. Since its existence in 1958, over 500,000 young ladies have participated in competitions spanning the United States. Each state hosts a state program in which the winning representative advances to the national program, America's Junior Miss held in the program's birthplace of Mobile, Alabama. Image File history File links This is a lossless scalable vector image. ... For other uses, see High school (disambiguation). ... For other uses, see College (disambiguation). ... Nickname: Coordinates: , Country State County Mobile Founded 1702 Incorporated 1814 Government  - Mayor Sam Jones Area  - City 412. ...

The Early Years

In the late 1920s, Mobile's Junior Chamber of Commerce, known today as the Jaycees, began the earliest form of the Junior Miss program as an annual floral pageant in the spring to encourage participation from residents in local beautification projects, including azalea flowers. The winner of the pageant would eventually choose her successor to carry on the role of representing the annual program: an act similar to what every America's Junior Miss has done a year after winning the title, but it's the judges who decide first. The 1920s they were sexy referred to as the Jazz Age or the Roaring Twenties, usually applied to America. ... For other uses, see Spring. ... Species see text Source: The Rhododendron page, and some research. ...

Shortly after the Second World War, the Junior Chamber changed the program especially for young high school seniors to participate. Prizes included the honor of being queen of the Azalea Trail Maids, Mobile's official hostesses at special events. Before 1957, the Junior Chamber realized that not only were Mobilians participating in their program, so were Mississippi and Florida residents. It was decided that year to make the program national, allowing high school seniors from every state to participate in the renamed Junior Miss America Pageant. Just like the Miss America pageant now (Miss America started as a Beauty pageant, but now she is judged on Evening Gown, Private 12 Minute Interview, On Stage Q & A, Evening Gown and Swimsuit), Junior Miss America did not judge only on beauty, but on talent, fitness, poise/self-expression, and scholastic achievement. Mushroom cloud from the nuclear explosion over Nagasaki rising 18 km into the air. ... Year 1957 (MCMLVII) was a common year starting on Tuesday (link displays the 1957 Gregorian calendar). ... This article is about the U.S. state. ... This article is about the U.S. State of Florida. ... For the patriotically-themed comic book superheroines, see Miss America (comics). ...

The first national finals were held in March 1958 at the Saenger Theater in downtown Mobile, with 18 states represented and a budget of $10,000 in scholarship money. Phyllis Whitenack of West Virginia would leave Mobile with $5000 to attend college, along with the title of Junior Miss America. Junior Miss America became America's Junior Miss in 1959. Jan. ... Official language(s) English Capital Charleston Largest city Charleston Largest metro area Charleston metro area Area  Ranked 41st  - Total 24,244 sq mi (62,809 km²)  - Width 130 miles (210 km)  - Length 240 miles (385 km)  - % water 0. ... Year 1959 (MCMLIX) was a common year starting on Thursday (link will display full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ...

The 1960s

In 1963, all 50 states had their own Junior Miss in the national finals. The 1960s was a decade of excellence for the America's Junior Miss program, with new sponsors such as Kodak and Chevrolet, the program was able to continue increasing scholarship beyond $24,000 and bring Mobile's annual event before the eyes of network television viewers regularly for 23 years starting in 1965. Among the entertainers invited to perform at the finals early in the Sixties was Eddie Fisher. In this decade, two holders of the Junior Miss title would soon lead successful careers while supporting the organization that helped them along the way. Missouri Junior Miss and America's Junior Miss 1961 Mary Frann would one day appear on TV programs such as "Newhart" and numerous variety shows in her acting career. Frann help founded the alumni organization America's Junior Miss Council in 1995. Kentucky Junior Miss and America's Junior Miss 1963 Diane Sawyer continued to support the program as her career in journalism continued, which led to a position at the ABC Television Network program "Good Morning America". For other uses, see 1963 (disambiguation). ... The 1960s decade refers to the years from the beginning of 1960 to the end of 1969. ... Sponsors in the 12 step tradition help the addict to recover by bringing a personal experience of recovery on a one to one basis. ... Eastman Kodak Company (NYSE: EK) is a large multinational public company producing photographic equipment. ... Chevrolet (IPA: - French origin) (colloquially Chevy) is a brand of automobile, produced by General Motors (GM). ... A television network is a distribution network for television content whereby a central operation provides programming for many television stations. ... Year 1965 (MCMLXV) was a common year starting on Friday (link will display full calendar) of the 1965 Gregorian calendar. ... Eddie Fisher (born August 10, 1928) is an American singer and entertainer. ... This article is about the U.S. state. ... Year 1961 (MCMLXI) was a common year starting on Sunday (link will display full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... Mary Frann ( February 27, 1943 - September 23, 1998) was an American actress. ... This article or section does not cite any references or sources. ... A variety show is a show with a variety of acts, often including music and comedy skits. ... Acting is the work of an actor or actress, which is a person in theatre, television, film, or any other storytelling medium who tells the story by portraying a character and, usually, speaking or singing the written text or play. ... Year 1995 (MCMXCV) was a common year starting on Sunday. ... Official language(s) English[1] Capital Frankfort Largest city Louisville Area  Ranked 37th  - Total 40,444 sq mi (104,749 km²)  - Width 140 miles (225 km)  - Length 379 miles (610 km)  - % water 1. ... For other uses, see 1963 (disambiguation). ... Diane Sawyer is a television journalist for the U.S. network ABC News and co-anchor of ABCs Good Morning America, along with with Robin Roberts. ... Journalism is a discipline of gathering, writing and reporting news, and broadly it includes the process of editing and presenting the news articles. ... The American Broadcasting Company (ABC) is an American television network. ... Good Morning America is a weekday morning news show that is broadcast on the ABC television network. ...

The 1970s

The New Seekers band entertained one and all at the May 1973 finals, hosted by Ed McMahon. Actor Michael Landon would host the national finals for the first time in 1974, his first out of seven appearances. Along with Landon, America's Junior Miss was proud to have Donna Alexander of New Jersey, as she was the first black female to reach this point of the competition. Alumni from this decade include America's Junior Miss 1973 Linda Rutledge Delbridge of Kansas, who would one day become a computer scientist and executive for IBM. Georgia Junior Miss 1976 Deborah Norville followed a journalism career path that would earn her the job of hosting the syndicated news program "Inside Edition". Maryland Junior Miss 1971 was Kathie Lee Gifford, who would one day host a syndicated talk show with TV personality Regis Philbin. Raleigh, North Carolina had its own Junior Miss in 1979, and that would be actress Sharon Lawrence. In spite of never advancing to the 1971 finals, Georgia contender Kim Basinger would later have an acting career that would catch the attention of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. The New Seekers was an Australian pop group, formed in 1969 by Keith Potger after the break-up of his group, The Seekers. ... For the song by James Blunt, see 1973 (song). ... Edward Ed Peter Leo McMahon, Jr. ... For other uses, see Actor (disambiguation). ... Michael Landon (October 31, 1936 - July 1, 1991) was an American actor, writer, director, and producer, who starred in three popular NBC TV series that spanned three decades. ... Year 1974 (MCMLXXIV) was a common year starting on Tuesday (link will display full calendar) of the 1974 Gregorian calendar. ... This article is about the U.S. state. ... This article is about the U.S. state. ... Computer science (informally: CS or compsci) is, in its most general sense, the study of computation and information processing, both in hardware and in software. ... It has been suggested that this article or section be merged into Corporate title. ... For other uses, see IBM (disambiguation) and Big Blue. ... Year 1976 Pick up sticks(MCMLXXVI) was a leap year starting on Thursday (link will display full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... Deborah Norville (born August 8, 1958 in Dalton, Georgia) is an American television broadcaster and journalist. ... In the television industry (as in radio), syndication is the sale of the right to broadcast programs to multiple stations, without going through a broadcast network. ... Inside Edition is a syndicated news program, on the air since January 9, 1989. ... Official language(s) None (English, de facto) Capital Annapolis Largest city Baltimore Largest metro area Baltimore-Washington Metropolitan Area Area  Ranked 42nd  - Total 12,407 sq mi (32,133 km²)  - Width 101 miles (145 km)  - Length 249 miles (400 km)  - % water 21  - Latitude 37° 53′ N to 39° 43′ N... Year 1971 (MCMLXXI) was a common year starting on Friday (link will display full calendar) of the 1971 Gregorian calendar, known as the year of cyclohexanol. ... VHS box cover of Kathie Lees Rock n Tots Cafe: A Christmas Giff starring Kathie Lee Gifford, copyright 1995 Rock n Tots Joint Venture. ... A talk show (U.S.) or chat show (Brit. ... Regis Francis Xavier Philbin (born August 25, 1931) is an Emmy Award-winning American television personality best known for his roles as a talk show host, game show host, and presenter at various events. ... For other uses of this name, see Raleigh. ... Also: 1979 by Smashing Pumpkins. ... Sharon Lawrence (Born June 29, 1961 in Charlotte, North Carolina) is an American television actress. ... Year 1971 (MCMLXXI) was a common year starting on Friday (link will display full calendar) of the 1971 Gregorian calendar, known as the year of cyclohexanol. ... Kimila Ann Basinger (born December 8, 1953) is an Academy Award-winning American film actress and former fashion model. ... Pickford Center for Motion Picture Study in Hollywood, California Founded on May 11, 1927 in California, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) is a professional honorary organization dedicated to the advancement of the arts and sciences of motion pictures. ...

The 1980s

Andy Gibb performed for the audience and the Junior Misses participating at the 1980 national finals. One year later, the format known as "theater in the round" was introduced for the finals and its television broadcasts. Mary Frann returned for the finals in 1985 to co-host with Bruce Jenner. The outreach program "Be Your Best Self" became the official platform of the America's Junior Miss program in 1987. America's Junior Miss 1980 Julie Bryan Moran hosted the finals in 1988, the program's final time as a yearly event on a major television network. The national finals were moved from the Mobile Civic Center arena to the theater section in 1989. Among the Junior Miss participants in this decade who would become well known were Georgia's Julie Moran, who would anchor the syndicated TV program "Entertainment Tonight" and 1986 Junior Miss Debra Messing of Rhode Island, whose acting career led to earning one of the leading roles in the sitcom "Will & Grace". At the end of the Eighties, the name of the program was changed to "America's Young Woman of the Year" to renew interest, but it was later realized that this new identity was unlike the long established brand of America's Junior Miss that interested many participants. The name "America's Junior Miss" would be restored in 1993. Andy Gibb (March 5, 1958 – March 10, 1988) was an English-born Australian singer and teen idol, and the youngest brother of Barry, Robin and Maurice Gibb, also known as the Bee Gees. ... Year 1980 (MCMLXXX) was a leap year starting on Tuesday (link displays the 1980 Gregorian calendar). ... Theater in the round is a type of theater stage design. ... This article is about the year. ... William Bruce Jenner (born October 28, 1949 in Mount Kisco, New York) is a U.S. track athlete, known principally for winning the decathlon in the 1976 Summer Olympics. ... Year 1987 (MCMLXXXVII) was a common year starting on Thursday (link displays 1987 Gregorian calendar). ... Year 1988 (MCMLXXXVIII) was a leap year starting on Friday (link displays 1988 Gregorian calendar). ... Year 1989 (MCMLXXXIX) was a common year starting on Sunday (link displays 1989 Gregorian calendar). ... Entertainment Tonight is a daily television entertainment news show that is syndicated by CBS Paramount Domestic Television throughout the United States, Canada, on the Nine Network in Australia and on UBC Inside in Thailand. ... Year 1986 (MCMLXXXVI) was a common year starting on Wednesday (link displays 1986 Gregorian calendar). ... Debra Lynn Messing (born August 15, 1968) is an Emmy Award-winning American actress, known for portraying Grace Adler in Will & Grace and for appearing in a series of film roles. ... This article is about the U.S. State. ... A sitcom or situation comedy is a genre of comedy performance originally devised for radio but today typically found on television. ... Will & Grace is a popular American television sitcom that was originally broadcast on NBC from 1998 to 2006. ... Year 1993 (MCMXCIII) was a common year starting on Friday (link will display full 1993 Gregorian calendar). ...

The 1990s

In 1994, the America's Junior Miss finals once again became a national event on television. One of the guests this time was actor Brian Austin Green of the TV series "Beverly Hills 90210". One year later, the NBC Television Network stopped televising the finals. The judging criteria for the local and national levels of the program would be revamped in 1995. With help from David G. Bronner of the Retirement Systems of Alabama and Raycom Media, viewers got to see Alabama's Junior Miss Tyrenda Williams become the first black America's Junior Miss in 1997 and earn $30,000 in scholarship out of a total of $97,500 for the winners. The number of stations airing the national finals would increase from 50 to 177 in 1998. The 1999 finals, hosted by 1976 Junior Miss Deborah Norville aired tape-delayed on the The Nashville Network, which would air the event live in 2000 and 2001. Year 1994 (MCMXCIV) The year 1994 was designated as the International Year of the Family and the International Year of the Sport and the Olympic Ideal by the United Nations. ... Brian Austin Green, (born Brian Green on July 15, 1973 in Van Nuys, Los Angeles, California), is an American actor, best known for his role as David Silver on the television series Beverly Hills 90210, a character he portrayed from 1990 until 2000. ... Beverly Hills 90210 was a popular primetime television soap opera that aired from October 1990 to May 2000 on the Fox Network in the United States and subsequently on various networks around the world. ... This article is about the television network. ... Year 1995 (MCMXCV) was a common year starting on Sunday. ... David George Bronner (born January 22, 1945, Cresco, Iowa) is the present CEO of Retirement Systems of Alabama. ... For the band, see 1997 (band). ... Year 1998 (MCMXCVIII) was a common year starting on Thursday (link will display full 1998 Gregorian calendar). ... Events of 2008: (EMILY) Me Lesley and MIley are going to China! This article is about the year. ... Spike TV logo Spike TV is a cable television network. ... Year 2000 (MM) was a leap year starting on Saturday (link will display full 2000 Gregorian calendar). ... Year 2001 (MMI) was a common year starting on Monday (link displays the 2001 Gregorian calendar). ...

The 2000s

In 2000, for the first time ever, a scholarship of $50,000 was the top prize and Utah Junior Miss Jesika Henderson earned it along with the title of America's Junior Miss that year. Both Deborah Norville and Karen Morris Gowdy took part in the 2001 finals, with Norville hosting the finals and Gowdy handling the preliminary round. Singer Toby Keith provided entertainment for the finals. Dan Marino joined Norville for the finals in 2002, which aired nationally on the PAX TV network. Billy Gilman and 3rd Faze were also part of the 2002 finals. The 2004 finals were a little different from previous years, as the 50 Junior Misses were taped for documentary segments spanning their two weeks of preparation. Year 2000 (MM) was a leap year starting on Saturday (link will display full 2000 Gregorian calendar). ... This article is about the U.S. state. ... Year 2001 (MMI) was a common year starting on Monday (link displays the 2001 Gregorian calendar). ... Toby Keith Covel (born July 8, 1961) is an American country music singer-songwriter who has enjoyed commercial success throughout the 1990s and 2000s. ... Daniel Constantine Marino, Jr. ... Also see: 2002 (number). ... The PAX Network, PAX TV, PaxNet, or simply PAX, is a broadcast and cable television network formed in 1998. ... Billy Gilman (born William Wendell Gilman III May 24, 1988) is a Grammy-nominated country music singer-songwriter. ... Year 2004 (MMIV) was a leap year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ... A television documentary is a documentary or a series of documentaries that are meant to be broadcasted on television. ...

In 2005, the AJM Board of Directors' executive committee was unsuccessful at retaining sponsors and a major television network willing enough to broadcast the national finals. The Board of Directors had no choice but to make the 2005 national finals on June 25 possibly the very last for America's Junior Miss. After Mississippi's Junior Miss Kelli Lynn Schutz was chosen and given a $50,000 scholarship she was not originally scheduled for any of the traditional AJM appearances. The 2005 finals, hosted by 2000 America's Junior Miss Jesika Henderson and actor Nicky Brown, airing live on Mobile station WKRG-TV and pre-recorded for PAX TV on June 27 was a celebration of all 48 years of accomplishing a feat that no other organization similar to AJM would attempt: prepare and encourage the lives of young women beginning to enter a new world of possibility. Year 2005 (MMV) was a common year starting on Saturday (link displays full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 176th day of the year (177th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... WKRG has been the CBS station in Mobile, Alabama since its inception on September 5, 1955. ... is the 178th day of the year (179th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ...

The organization had originally set a date of September 30, 2005 to end operations. A group of concerned Junior Miss supporters, under the band of Friends of AJM and with the website saveajm.org, fought for the continuation of the program. On August 9 the Board of Directors decided that the national finals shall continue to be held in Mobile, only without any national television coverage as part of the new budget. is the 273rd day of the year (274th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2005 (MMV) was a common year starting on Saturday (link displays full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 221st day of the year (222nd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ...

Through the dedication of Junior Miss supporters across the country, America's Junior Miss has continued operations from the national headquarters in Mobile, Alabama. The board of directors hired Becky Jo Peterson, formerly chairperson of the California Junior Miss program, as the new executive director of America's Junior Miss. In June 2006 fifty state Junior Misses spent two weeks in Mobile, Alabama for the 49th annual national finals where Kentucky's Junior Miss Taylor Phillips was chosen as the new America's Junior Miss. Over $100,000 in scholarships were awarded at the national finals to the class of 2006.

2007 marks the 50th anniversary of America's Junior Miss. The national finals was held June 28, 29 and 30th at the Mobile Civic Center Theater in Mobile, Alabama where over $150,000 in scholarships was awarded. The current America's Junior Miss (2007), Nora Ali from Minnesota, was selected. Nora is the first AJM of the Muslim faith and is currently a student at Harvard.

Dates for the 2008 national finals have been set for June 26, 27 and 28th at the Mobile Civic Center Theater in Mobile, Alabama.