Yolande Fox facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Yolande Fox
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Betbeze in 1950
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| Born |
Yolande Margaret Betbeze
November 28, 1928 |
| Died | February 22, 2016 (aged 87) |
| Alma mater | New School for Social Research |
| Occupation | Opera singer, activist |
| Title | Miss America 1951 |
| Predecessor | Jacque Mercer |
| Successor | Colleen Kay Hutchins |
| Spouse(s) |
Matthew Fox
(m. 1954; died 1964) |
| Partner(s) | Cherif Guellal |
| Children | 1 |
Yolande Margaret Betbeze Fox (born November 28, 1928 – died February 22, 2016) was an American singer. She was also a famous beauty pageant winner, crowned Miss America 1951. Yolande Fox became well-known for standing up for her beliefs. She helped change the focus of beauty pageants from just looks to also include intelligence and leadership.
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Yolande Fox's Early Life
Yolande Betbeze was born on November 28, 1928, in Mobile, Alabama. Her parents were William and Ethel Betbeze. Yolande grew up in a Catholic family. She went to convent schools when she was young.
Becoming Miss America and Beyond
Yolande won her first beauty title, "Miss Torch," in 1949 in Mobile. In 1950, she entered the Miss Alabama pageant. She hoped to win a scholarship to help with her education. As Miss Alabama, she traveled to Atlantic City, New Jersey. There, she competed in the Miss America 1951 pageant.
A Bold Choice Changes Pageant History
After winning Miss America, Yolande made a big decision. Because she had gone to a convent school, she felt uncomfortable posing in a swimsuit. She refused to do so. This choice had a huge impact. A swimsuit company called Catalina was a main sponsor of the Miss America pageant. They stopped their sponsorship because of Yolande's refusal. This event eventually led to the creation of a new pageant, Miss USA.
Shifting Focus: Brains Over Beauty
Yolande Fox won her Miss America title in 1950, but it was for the year 1951. This was the first time the title was "postdated." Because of this change, there was no Miss America 1950. The Miss America Organization says that Yolande's actions were very important. They helped guide the pageant to focus more on intellect, good values, and leadership skills. From then on, the Miss America pageant started to care more about scholarships than just physical beauty.
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Activism and Advocacy
After her year as Miss America, Yolande Fox became very active in important movements. She supported the feminist movement, which works for equal rights for women. She was also involved with the NAACP. This group works for civil rights for African Americans. She also joined CORE (Congress of Racial Equality) and SANE (The Committee for a SANE Nuclear Policy). These groups worked for racial equality and peace. Yolande also studied philosophy at the New School for Social Research in New York City.
A Career in Opera
Yolande Fox was also an opera singer. She became well-known for her singing talent. She performed with the Mobile Opera Guild, which is now called the Mobile Opera. She also helped start an off-Broadway theater in New York City.
Yolande Fox's Personal Life
In 1954, Yolande married Matthew Fox. He was a movie executive and a former president of Universal Pictures. They had one daughter, named Yolande "Dolly" Fox Campbell. Matthew Fox passed away after 10 years of marriage.
After her husband's death, Yolande moved to Georgetown, Washington, D.C.. She bought a house called the Newton D. Baker House. This house had a famous history; Jacqueline Kennedy lived there after the death of John F. Kennedy in 1963.
Yolande Fox had a relationship with Cherif Guellal. They helped raise her granddaughter, Yolande Paris Campbell, until Cherif's death in 2009.
In the early 1990s, a writer named Philip Roth contacted Yolande Fox. He was writing a novel called American Pastoral and was researching the Miss America pageant. Roth looked at Yolande's old scrapbooks and interviewed her. He wanted to learn about what the pageant culture was like in the late 1940s. He later said that Yolande was "very smart, very funny" and that she "opened up whole ideas for me."
Yolande Fox passed away on February 22, 2016, in Washington, D.C. She died from lung cancer. She was survived by her daughter and granddaughter.
