Former Miss America winners in Muskegon: Kaye Lani Rae Rafko Wilson (1988), Nancy Anne Fleming Lange (1961), Pam Eldred (1970) and Kirsten Haglund (2008). (Not pictured: Miss America 1939 Patricia Donnelly Harris) (Courtesy of Miss Michigan Organization)
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Miss Michigan became Miss America five times
Miss Michigan has been crowned Miss America five times. The most recent being in 2008, and the first being in 1939.
Miss America 1961 Nancy Ann Fleming was so beloved by her hometown of Montague that people petitioned to have a street named after her. Miss America 1988 Kaye Lani Rae Rafko does have a street named for her in her hometown of Monroe.
The title of Miss America comes with a year-long job of advocating for a personal platform and the Miss America Organization's national platform, which is currently the Children's Miracle Network. Miss America travels throughout the United States, sometimes making multiple appearances a day.
The four points of the Miss America crown stand for style, success, scholarship and service – the four pillars of the Miss America Organization.
2017 Miss America Savvy Shields' crown is seen during the statewide pageant orientation at Holiday Inn Muskegon Harbor in Muskegon on Saturday, March 4, 2017. (Youngrae Kim | MLive.com)
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Number of Miss Americas per state
With five Miss Michigans having been crowned Miss America, the state ties with Illinois and Pennsylvania for the fifth most Miss America wins. Californa, New York, Ohio and Oklahoma tie for first with six wins each.
All 50 states plus Washington D.C. and Puerto Rico are represented at the annual Miss America Scholarship Pageant -- 20 have never won.
Six winners: California, New York, Ohio, Oklahoma
Five winners: Illinois, Michigan, Pennsylvania
Four winners: Mississippi
Three winners: Alabama, Arkansas, Colorado, Connecticut, Kansas, Minnesota, Texas, Virginia
Two winners: Arizona, Washington, D.C., Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, New Jersey, South Carolina, Tennessee, Utah, Wisconsin
One winner: Indiana, Kentucky, Missouri, Nebraska, North Carolina, Oregon
Zero winners: Alaska, Delaware, Idaho, Iowa, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Montana, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Mexico, North Dakota, Puerto Rico, Rhode Island, South Dakota, Vermont, Washington, West Virginia, Wyoming
Miss America 2008, Kirsten Haglund, sings during the 2008 Miss Michigan Scholarship Pageant at the Frauenthal Theater in Muskegon. (MLive.com file)
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Miss America 2008 Kirsten Haglund
Kirsten Haglund was crowned Miss Michigan 2007, and went on to become Miss America 2008. She won the preliminary swimsuit competition at Miss America, and had a personal platform related to fitness and eating disorders.
Haglund's talent at the Miss America and Miss Michigan pageants was singing "Somewhere over the Rainbow."
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Miss America 2008 Kirsten Haglund
During her year with the Miss America Organization, she served as goodwill ambassador for the Children's Miracle Network, appeared as one of SHAPE magazine's "Women Who SHAPE'd the World in 2008," and was an advocate for increased awareness of eating disorders. Haglund overcame a battle with anorexia as a young ballet dancer.
Haglund earned a bachelor's degree in political science from Emory University in 2013. She is now a political analyst and host appearing on cable news networks, including Fox News Channel, Fox Business Network, MSNBC and CNN.
During February 2009, Haglund founded The Kirsten Haglund Foundation and serves as its president. The mission of the foundation is to provide treatment scholarships that assist families and individuals battling eating disorders.
Kaye Lani Rae Rafko, now Kaye Lani Rafko Wilson, of Monroe, Mich., won the 1987 Miss Michigan pageant and the 1988 Miss America Pageant and returned a local celebrity.
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Miss America 1988 Kaye Lani Rae Rafko Wilson
Miss America 1988 went to Kaye Lani Rae Rafko, of Monroe. Her journey began when she won Miss Monroe County, and went on to win Miss Michigan.
Rafko's talent at the Miss America and Miss Michigan pageants was a Hawaiian-Tahitian dance.
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Miss America 1988 Kaye Lani Rae Rafko Wilson
Rafko was crowned at the age of 24, and inspired the Miss America Organization to require participants to have a personal platform, a requirement that lives on today. She was an advocate for nursing and healthcare issues as Miss America, and continued in that capacity after her reign. She was the first nurse to be crowned.
"I took advantage of the Miss America title to educate the public on the role of nurses in healthcare and the value of hospice/grief services," she told MLive in 2015. "People listened and the Miss America Organization implemented the platform issue…It wasn't something I set out to do, it just happened."
Pam Eldred, June 27, 1969. She would go on to win Miss Michigan and Miss America. Muskegon Chronicle file photo.
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Miss America 1970 Pam Eldred Levey
Pamela Eldred, of West Bloomfield, was crowned Miss America 1970. First she won Miss Detroit, then Miss Michigan.
She won the competition at the age of 21. Her talent was ballet dance to a classic number from Shakespeare's "Romeo and Juliet."
Eldred later became a professional aesthetician, speaker and advocate for people with disabilities. She founded the Pam Eldred Community Health Scholarship.
Miss America 1970 Pam Eldred. Muskegon Chronicle file photo.
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Miss America 1970 Pam Eldred Levey
Over the years, she served as a lecturer, spokesperson, dance and film and print model. She graduated from the University of Detroit Mercy, and also acquired cosmetology and electrolysis licenses.
She opened an image consulting business in West Bloomfield, Pam Eldred's Paint Shop. Eldred wrote a bi-weekly column for the Oakland Press for 11 years.
In her work as an advocate for people with disabilities, Eldred served as an ambassador for volunteers for the National Association of Retarded Citizens (ARC). She also recruited congressmen to support the Development Disabilities Service and Construction Act.
Nancy Anne Fleming, a montage native, rides in the Michigan Parade on July, 27, 1964. Fleming was crowned the 1961 Miss America, She competed in Miss Michigan as Miss White Lake. (Muskegon Chronicle Archives)
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Miss America 1961 Nancy Ann Fleming Lange
A native of Montague, Fleming was just 18 years old when she won the 1960 Miss Michigan Scholarship Pageant. She had just graduated from high school and within a matter of months, she was crowned Miss America of 1961.
Fleming entered the local Miss White Lake pageant after some encouragement from a teacher. She wanted to earn some scholarship money.
She easily won the local pageant and impressed judges at the state and national pageant with her unique talent for sewing, which she transformed into a presentation of dress design. She remains the only woman to win Miss Michigan or Miss America using the skill of sewing.
She went into the Miss America Pageant in Atlantic City, New Jersey, with a goal of finishing in the top 10. After winning, she was surprised to learn that she was contractually obligated to make appearances as Miss America for a year.
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Miss America 1961 Nancy Ann Fleming Lange
Upon her return to the Muskegon area, Fleming became a celebrity. Articles in the Muskegon Chronicle from that time show Montague being referred to as "Nancyville, U.S.A." and Fleming simply being called "Nancy" in the headlines.
After passing the Miss America crown, Fleming began her studies at Michigan State University and eventually the University of California-Berkley.
She spent many years working in TV as a writer, researcher and on-camera talent. She appeared on an episode of the popular show "The Love Boat" in 1984. She met her second husband -- radio and TV personality Jim Lange, the original host of The Dating Game -- in 1975. They were married three years later, a union that continued until his death in February 2014.
Nancy Fleming Lange now lives a quiet life in California.
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Miss America 1939 Patricia Donnelly Harris
In 1939, Patricia Donnelly was the first Miss Michigan to be crowned Miss America. Donnelly, of Detroit, started her journey by winning Miss Detroit.
For her talent, she sang the ballad "To You" and then switched to a more upbeat number, "Old Man Mose." During the second chorus she picked up the bass fiddle to end her routine.
She was the last Miss America to be crowned on the Steel Pier in Atlantic City, New Jersey. The pageant is still held in Atlantic City.
She later married and became Patricia Donnelly Harris.
Harris died in 2009 at the age of 89.
2017 Miss America Savvy Shields speaks during Miss Michigan pageant orientation at Holiday Inn Muskegon Harbor in Muskegon on Saturday, March 4, 2017. (Youngrae Kim | MLive.com)
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Reigning Miss America Savvy Shields
Savvy Shields was crowned Miss America 2017 on Sept. 10, 2016. She competed as Miss Arkansas, which she won competing as Miss Heart of the Ozarks.
Shields visited Michigan to inspire Miss Michigan contestants at pageant orientation on March 4.
It was Shields' first time speaking at a statewide pageant orientation, and there were lots of questions from the contestants.
"We mostly talked about the emotional aspects of it, and how to be mentally tough in pageants," she said. "It's an emotional roller coaster. It's so important to remember who you are in pageants and stay true to yourself. … It's important for these girls to find their niche and find who they want to be, and the story that they want to tell."
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Reigning Miss America Savvy Shields
Shields has been traveling the world on behalf of the Miss America Organization promoting her personal platform of "Eat Better, Live Better" and the organization's national platform as ambassador for Children's Miracle Network Hospitals.
The platform isn't about weight loss or weight gain, but quality of life, Shields said.
She visits schools and speaks at health events to promote tangible ways to "Eat Better, Live Better."
"It's the greatest job in the world," Shields told MLive during the March visit.
Shields will crown Miss America 2018 on stage at Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City on Sunday, Sept. 10. The final night of competition will be broadcast live on ABC.
At this point, it's anyone's guess who the next Miss America will be - she could be one of 34 contestants who will compete for the title of Miss Michigan from June 13-17 at the Frauenthal Center in Muskegon.
Miss Michigan 2016 Arianna Quan poses for a portrait at Pere Marquette Park on Sunday, June 19, 2016 in Muskegon, Mich. (Joel Bissell | MLive.com)
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Reigning Miss Michigan Arianna Quan
Although, Miss Michigan 2016 Arianna Quan didn't make the top 15 at Miss America, she did win three awards: preliminary talent winner, non-finalist talent award and the Louanne Gamba Instrumentalist Scholarship. The awards added up to $6,500 in scholarships.
While competing in Miss Michigan, she earned $93,500 in scholarships, including tuition to Baker College and St. Norbert College.
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Reigning Miss Michigan Arianna Quan
Quan competed in the 2016 Miss Michigan pageant as Miss Wayne County. It was her second time on the Frauenthal Center stage. She was fourth runner up at Miss Michigan 2015 when she competed at Miss Lighthouse Coast.
She wowed judges at the local, state and national pageants with her talent of playing the piano.
Her year as Miss Michigan has been spent making appearances and advocating for her personal platform: Being American: Immigration and Citizenship Education.
She was born in Beijing, China, where she lived until she was 6 years old. She then moved to metro Detroit and became a naturalized citizen at 14.
Quan will return to Muskegon and crown Miss Michigan 2017 on the Frauenthal Center stage on Saturday, June 17.
Newly crowned Miss Michigan Kirsten Haglund reacts to a comment about her dress made by Abigail VanWagnen (cq), center, during a meet and greet on June 16, 2007, at the Holiday Inn in downtown Muskegon. VanWagnen was Miss Jackson County in the 2006 Miss Michigan pageant.
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Miss Michigan Scholarship Pageant 2017
Here is everything you need to know about the 67th Annual Miss Michigan Scholarship Pageant:
What: The 2017 Outstanding Teen Competition and 2017 Miss Michigan Scholarship Pageant. Contestants in the Miss Michigan competition will model swimsuits and evening gowns, answer questions on stage and perform a wide variety of talents.
When: The 2017 Most Outstanding Teen competition will begin at 7 p.m. on Tuesday, June 13, with preliminaries. The crowning will take place on Wednesday, June 14 beginning at 7 p.m.
The 2017 Miss Michigan Scholarship Pageant begins with preliminary rounds at 7 p.m. on Thursday, June 15 and Friday, June 16. The finals are scheduled for 7 p.m. on Saturday, June 17.
Where: Both competitions will take place at the Frauenthal Center, 425 W. Western Ave., in downtown Muskegon.
Why: Winners at Miss Michigan receive scholarship money. They include $12,000 to the winner, $5,000 to the runner-up, $4,000 to second runner-up, $3,000 to third runner-up, $2,000 to fourth runner-up, among others. The winner will also earn the chance to compete at the Miss America Pageant in Atlantic City.
The contestants: Thirty-four young women representing communities throughout the state of Michigan will compete in the 2017 Miss Michigan pageant. The contestants range from 19 to 24 years old.
Tickets: Tickets for the Most Outstanding Teen and Miss Michigan pageant are $35. They can be purchased at the Frauenthal Center box office or at www.startickets.com.
Signs as pictured above at north and south entrances of Montague on U.S. 31 let motorists know they were entering the town of America's reigning beauty for 1961. Nancy Anne Fleming, a Montague native was crowned the 1961 Miss America. She competed in Miss Michigan as Miss White Lake. (Photo by Bervin Johnson)
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Related links
The guide to Miss Michigan 2017 featuring the contestants
55 years after Miss America crown, Muskegon County native still taking risks
Where are they now? Tracking former Miss Michigan title holders
9 takeaways from Miss America's visit to Michigan
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