In March 1933, Miss Evangeline Burton Glidewell was chosen the most beautiful from a group of Danville girls in at a beauty contest sponsored by the Junior Wednesday Club. The contest was held at the Capitol Theater. Miss Glidewell was present with a silver loving cup and the opportunity to enter the state beauty contest.
“Van” Glidewell was the daughter of Edmund T. and Arlin Burton Glidewell of 912 Green Street, just turned 18 and a senior at George Washington High School, then on Holbrook Avenue. In addition to her beauty, she was also known as a talented singer, singing regularly on Danville’s WBTM when it began operation.
Evangeline did enter the state-wide contest and was crowned Miss Virginia by Lieutenant Governor James H. Price on August 31, 1933 at the Byrd Theater in Richmond. On September 2, “The Bee” reported she was awaiting instructions to travel to Atlantic City to vie for the title of Miss America. With her mother in attendance, our Danville Miss Virginia was declared third runner-up.
While her success in Atlantic City brought many offers including a screen test at RKO Studios, Evangeline Glidewell turned them all down. She returned to Danville with her mother and finished her year at G.W. She continued to compete in local beauty contests, and retained her title of Miss Danville in 1934.
In May 1936, Evangeline married James Hurdle Newman at her parents' home. By 1938, she was working for the local department store, L. Herman (later Thalhimers) as a beauty consultant. The Newmans later took up residence at 432 Chestnut Street where their only child, Evangeline “Little Van” Newman, was born.
In a 1954 interview, Evangeline recalled her days in Atlantic City packed with dinners, the theater, photography, and balls. But she also expressed her happiness in returning to Danville and being a mother and career woman saying, “I might have made more money but I couldn’t have been any happier.”
Evangeline passed in 1997 and rests with her husband and his family in the city’s Mountain View cemetery.
We all know that Danville has the most beautiful women, but somehow the ladies from nearby Martinsville have become Miss Virginia more often than from any place else – in 1956, 1958, 1981 and 2003. In 2003, Martinsville’s Nancy Redd placed in the top ten at the Miss America Pageant and graduating from Harvard the same year.
The State of Virginia has been very successful in the Miss America pageant with its participants becoming finalists in a dozen years. Miss Virginia has won the Miss America crown three times – Kylene Barker in 1978, Nicole Johnson in 1999, and Caressa Cameron in 2010. But none as dear to our hearts as our own Van Glidewell.
“Van” Glidewell was the daughter of Edmund T. and Arlin Burton Glidewell of 912 Green Street, just turned 18 and a senior at George Washington High School, then on Holbrook Avenue. In addition to her beauty, she was also known as a talented singer, singing regularly on Danville’s WBTM when it began operation.
Evangeline did enter the state-wide contest and was crowned Miss Virginia by Lieutenant Governor James H. Price on August 31, 1933 at the Byrd Theater in Richmond. On September 2, “The Bee” reported she was awaiting instructions to travel to Atlantic City to vie for the title of Miss America. With her mother in attendance, our Danville Miss Virginia was declared third runner-up.
While her success in Atlantic City brought many offers including a screen test at RKO Studios, Evangeline Glidewell turned them all down. She returned to Danville with her mother and finished her year at G.W. She continued to compete in local beauty contests, and retained her title of Miss Danville in 1934.
In May 1936, Evangeline married James Hurdle Newman at her parents' home. By 1938, she was working for the local department store, L. Herman (later Thalhimers) as a beauty consultant. The Newmans later took up residence at 432 Chestnut Street where their only child, Evangeline “Little Van” Newman, was born.
In a 1954 interview, Evangeline recalled her days in Atlantic City packed with dinners, the theater, photography, and balls. But she also expressed her happiness in returning to Danville and being a mother and career woman saying, “I might have made more money but I couldn’t have been any happier.”
Evangeline passed in 1997 and rests with her husband and his family in the city’s Mountain View cemetery.
We all know that Danville has the most beautiful women, but somehow the ladies from nearby Martinsville have become Miss Virginia more often than from any place else – in 1956, 1958, 1981 and 2003. In 2003, Martinsville’s Nancy Redd placed in the top ten at the Miss America Pageant and graduating from Harvard the same year.
The State of Virginia has been very successful in the Miss America pageant with its participants becoming finalists in a dozen years. Miss Virginia has won the Miss America crown three times – Kylene Barker in 1978, Nicole Johnson in 1999, and Caressa Cameron in 2010. But none as dear to our hearts as our own Van Glidewell.
Sources:
MissAmerica1933.com accessed 19 Feb 2015
Wikipedia.org, “Miss Virginia” accessed and updated 19 Feb 2015
The Bee, various dates, via Newspapers.com accessed 19 Feb 2015
MissAmerica1933.com accessed 19 Feb 2015
Wikipedia.org, “Miss Virginia” accessed and updated 19 Feb 2015
The Bee, various dates, via Newspapers.com accessed 19 Feb 2015
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