The Boys Club of Arizona held a Little Miss Boys Club pageant with contestants from 5 to 8 years of age.
The little girls were all declared winners, but the club was still only for boys, even though the winner of the pageant hoped this would get her in to the club to which her brothers belonged.
From the Arizona Daily Star, Saturday, April 6, 1968:
Debbie Mann, 1968.
‘Wrote A Letter To Daddy’
Little Miss Boys Club Crowned At Tully School
By BARBARA SEARS
Debbie Mann, 6, was crowned 1968 Little Miss Boys Club at Tully School last night, but every one of the nine contestants was a winner.
The 5-to-8 year-old charmers walked down the runway, sang their songs in the talent show and parried the master of ceremonies’ questions with a poise that would rival Miss America’s.
And no one cried.
The losers couldn’t have been better sports and the winner had one big question:
“Does this mean I can go to the Boys Club now?”
Debbie has four big brothers and was a little disappointed that even now she cannot join them there.
Hers was a three generation victory. Her grandmother accompanied her on the piano and her mother, Mrs. Ronald Mann, wrote the song she sang, “I Wrote a Letter to My Daddy.”
Daddy is a staff sergeant now stationed at Vang Tau with the Air Force in Vietnam. His family lives at 1848 W. Lester St.
Last night’s was the fourth annual Little Miss Boys Club of Arizona Pageant to be held at Tully, where the Boys Club of Tucson was founded 10 years ago. It now has its own building down the street at 1411 N. El Rio Dr.
Jack Young, administrative assistant at Old Tucson, was MC. Last year’s queen, Judy Flannigan passed on her scarlet satin robe of honor and the judges found it almost difficult to choose a favorite candidate.
Runners up were Henrietta Lopez, Magdalena Saucedo, Sandra Carrillo and Enedina Pro. The other contestants were Martha Gomez, Terry Grace Leon, Vicki Ann Lopez and Elizabeth Vega.
Atlantic City had better be prepared.
One doesn't suppose there was a hand-written sign that said "Girls Keep Out;" however, this is no longer a problem. Now we have the Boys and Girls Clubs of Tucson.
