| Posted on Sun, Jul. 06, 2003 |   |
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Miss Amarillo Area wins crown Special to the Star-Telegram
FORT WORTH - Miss Amarillo Area Sunni Cranfill, a tomboy from Hooks who dances en pointe, won the Miss Texas crown Saturday night before a cheering audience at the Will Rogers Auditorium. The blonde, wearing a champagne-colored evening gown, raised her hands to her face and mouthed "Oh my God" upon hearing she was Miss Texas 2003. Miss Fort Worth, Morgan Matlock, was named first runner-up. Other top five finalists included Miss Lubbock, Stephani Stokes, second runner-up; Miss Humble-Kingwood, Megan Gilbride, third runner-up; and Miss Metrocrest, Kristen Porter, fourth runner-up. Rounding out the top 10 were Miss Collin County, Lindsay Wilcox, Miss El Paso Area, Elizabeth Davis, Miss Ellis County, Rebecca Smith, Miss Southeast Texas, Betsy Uschkrat, and Miss Wise County, Lindsay Kellum. A 23-year-old senior at West Texas A&M University in Canyon, Cranfill wore a red and black tutu to perform a classical, but saucy, ballet to a medley from Bizet's Carmen. Her platform, Empowering the DisABLEed, National Education and Awareness for All Americans, will focus on "the hopes, fears and dreams" of all people, she said during an onstage interview. Cranfill, only the second Miss Texas from the Amarillo area pageant, said she hopes to dance the same ballet at the Miss America Pageant. Reared on a farm in Hooks, she had to travel 14 miles to Texarkana for the lessons she took from the late Judith McCarty Moore. "I always tease my parents that they put me in dance class to put some femininity in me," she said, adding that she was a huge tomboy who loved to play in the cottonseed as a child and ran hurdles in high school. The farm girl is quite excited about her upcoming trip to Atlantic City. "I said I would not go to Miss America unless I won my way there or aged out," she said. She is the daughter of Elaine and Wayne Cranfill, and her father, a former dairy farmer, is her role model because of his work ethic. "I didn't know that," said the elder Cranfill, watching his daughter photographed on stage. "She was exposed to a hardworking family and she epitomizes the best of those who work hard." The new Miss Texas received an $11,000 scholarship, a fur coat, a Chevrolet of her choice, a furnished apartment and her trip to Atlantic City. She will be Texas' representative Sept. 20 at the annual Miss America Pageant. Among the many awards were $9,000 to first runner-up, $7,000 to second, $5,000 to third and $3,000 to fourth. The other top 10 semifinalists each received prizes of more than $1,000 each. Scoring for Miss Texas was 40 percent based on a personal interview before the panel of judges, 30 percent on her talent, and 10 percent each for physical fitness in swimsuit, evening gown and the onstage question. Preliminary competitions were held Wednesday through Thursday to determine the top 10 contestants. Judges for this year were Tom Faircloth, a graduate of Mercer University's Speech and Theater School and a former mayor of Thomasville, Ga.; and Bobby H. Grayson, an award-winning hair designer for Broadway, television and film. Grayson won a 2000 Emmy for oustanding hair styling for a series. Also judging was Mary D'Arcy Jurman, who starred as Christine opposite both Michael Crawford and Colm Wilkinson in Andrew Lloyd Webber's Phantom of the Opera. Other judges were R. Dennison Keller, a former producer and director for both the Miss Texas Scholarship Pageant and the Miss Ohio telecast. In 1992, he judged the Miss America Pageant, selecting Leanza Cornett as the winner. Sandy Nicklas, a former supervisor of appearance at United Airlines Training Center in Chicago, and Dana Pletcher, Miss Texas 1969 and a former Texas Christian University student, also scored the contestants, along with Oz Roberts, an Emmy Award-winning producer and director. The Miss Texas Scholarship Pageant awarded a total of $980,000 in cash, scholarship and prizes. Awards for such categories as talent and personal interview were announced at a late-night gala after the crowning of Miss Texas. The contest was broadcast live on 20 stations throughout Texas. Hosting the show were Lisa Dalzell, Miss Texas 2002; Gloria Gilbert Barron, Miss Texas 1982; and Tatum Hubbard Fulbright, Miss Texas 1998. Correspondent Allie Mack contributed to this report. |
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