The Brooksville Journal

CLEARWATER BEAUTY WINS TITLE - Miss Susan Shay (left), 20-year-old brunette beauty from Clearwater, smiles happily after announcement of her selection as winner of the coveted title of Miss Weeki Wachee Spring in a beauty contest held last Saturday afternoon, Oct. 12th, commemorating the attraction's 10th anniversary. Joe Seltzer, General Manager of the Spring, is shown as he presented Miss Shay with her first-place trophy and Miss Carolyn Bagg (right), comely St. Petersburg blond, with her trophy as runner-up. Miss Shay won the title in competition with 20 other glamorous beauties from this section of the Sunshine State.
—Weeki Wachee Photo Courtesy Ted Lagerberg

Brunette Beauty Wins Miss Weeki Wachee Title
A shapely brunette beauty from Clearwater, Miss Susan Shay, won the coveted title of Miss Weeki Wachee Spring on Saturday afternoon in the beauty contest held as the climax of the 10th anniversary celebration of the top-flight tourist attraction located 12 miles west of Brooksville.

The personable, 20-year-old young lady was sponsored by the Clearwater Chamber of Commerce in the competition which saw her chosen by the judges for the title over 20 other glamorous entries, four of them from Brooksville.

The sterling beauty of the young lady winning the Miss Weeki Wachee Spring title is further evidenced by the fact that she now holds the title of Miss Dunedin and was runner-up in the recent contest of Miss Softball Queen of the World. Her vital statistics measure 36-23-35¾.

Blond Is Runner-up The judges had a hard time choosing the winner from the field of entries, ranging from pert blonds to raven-haired beauties, and just as hard a time selecting the runner-up in the competition.

Miss Carolyn Bagg, representing Northeast High School in St. Petersburg, an eye-catching blond, was finally chosen for the second place spot. The 18-year-old beauty's measurements are 36-25½-38.

Blonde Medora Mercer, of Cypress Gardens, won honorable mention.

Receive Awards When the winners were announced by the judges, Joe Seltzer, General Manager of the attraction, congratulated the girls and presented them with handsome trophies. The first-place winner also received a $25.00 Savings Bond.

Other Contestants The other contestants included: Miss Patsy Kelly, representing the Lake Wales Highlander Band; Miss Jan Lodmell, rep. Lake Wales High School; Miss Jessie Bynum, the present Miss Lake Wales; Miss Geneva Hicks, rep. Gulf High School, New Port Richey; Miss Mona Jones, Miss Harriet Brittle, Miss Dana Dick, and Miss Louise Hurst, all rep. Hernando High School, Brooksville; Miss Donna Wyman, rep. St. Petersburg High; Miss Joan Dodge, Miss Diane Shea, Miss Judy Baker, all rep. Northeast High School, in St. Petersburg; Miss Pat Shockey, rep. New Smyrna Beach High School; Miss Annette Leingartner, rep. Treasure Island, St. Petersburg; Miss Jonelle Dann, rep. Ocala High School; Miss Sharon K. Howard, rep. Florida State Univ., Tallahassee; Miss Annette Baker, rep. Largo High School; Miss Bonnie Leonard, "Queen of the Rainbows," Dunnellon; and Miss Medora Mercer, rep. Cypress Gardens, Winter Haven.

Judges were: Charles Friedley, former Mayor of New Port Richey; Sybil Noble, Public Relations Director of Port Paradise Hotel and Villas, Crystal River; Charlie Luckie, Jr., of the firm of Dayton, Dayton, and Luckie, of Dade City; Ray P. Cochran, General Manager, Florida Citrus Tower, Clermont; and Dorothy Berner, Tek-A-Fold Service, DeLand.

The Program
The short but entertaining program which preceded the beauty contest had as Master of Ceremonies John Dillin, Publicity Director of the Spring, who emphasized that the day was being observed as the 10th anniversary of the world's first underwater show for which Weeki Wachee is becoming world famous.

The show got off to a colorful start as seven pretty Weeki Wachee Mermaids performed in a synchronized surface ballet which drew the praise of everyone.

Mermaids performing were Susan Powell, Terry Ryan, Mary Sue Wernicke, Susie Irons, Pat Graves, Vicki Sharp, and Barbara Nelson.

Mayor John C. Bacon, of Brooksville, reminisced about the Spring in the "old days" and marveled at the great strides it has made during its 10 years as an outstanding tourist attraction.

County Commissioner Guy Harris expressed his pleasure at being present and on behalf of the County, wished the Spring continued success in the future. Dr. Chan Springstead, President of the Chamber of Commerce, read a letter signed jointly by the Chamber of Commerce, City, and County officials which related the pleasure that is associated with having such an attraction in this county and told something of its history, wishing the management continued success in its endeavors in years to come. (Full text of the letter is given opposite the start of this story).

The pre-contest program closed with an outstanding Surface Duo performed by Weeki Wachee Mermaids Susan Powell and June Girard Patterson.

A crowd of several hundred local citizens, visitors, and tourists enjoyed the anniversary celebration.