Day Deborah Rica Lipford, now known as Dr. Day Gardner, is a former Miss Atlantic City, (1974) who served as

Miss Delaware The Miss Delaware competition is the pageant that selects the representative of Delaware in the Miss America pageant. The event takes place annually in the month of June and has previously been held in Rehoboth Beach, Delaware at Convention ...

1976 and made history by becoming the first

African American African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American" generally denotes descendants of ens ...

contestant to place as a top ten semi-finalist at the

Miss America 1977 Miss America 1977, the 50th Miss America pageant, was held at the Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City, New Jersey on September 11, 1976 on NBC Network. Pageant winner Dorothy Benham became a singer, appearing often on the Crystal Cathedral religio ...

pageant. Raised in the Elwood section of

Mullica Township, New Jersey Mullica Township is a township in Atlantic County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. As of the 2020 United States census, the township's population was 5,816, a decrease of 331 (−5.4%) from the 2010 census count of 6,147, which in turn reflect ...

, graduated from

Oakcrest High School Oakcrest High School is a comprehensive four-year public high school located in Hamilton Township, in Atlantic County, New Jersey, United States. The school is part of the Greater Egg Harbor Regional High School District, which includes three ...

Hamilton Township, Atlantic County, New Jersey Hamilton Township is a township in Atlantic County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. As of the 2010 U.S. census, the township's population was 26,503, reflecting an increase of 6,004 (+29.3%) from the 20,499 counted in the 2000 census. The T ...

in 1973. She was President and Director of Lipford Corporation. Her main achievement was the thematic and interior design the SandCastle Entertainment Complex, a $40 million dinner theater and nightclub facility located in the center of

Guam Guam (; ch, Guåhan ) is an organized, unincorporated territory of the United States in the Micronesia subregion of the western Pacific Ocean. It is the westernmost point and territory of the United States (reckoned from the geographic cent ...

's thriving tourist district. Gardner worked as a media consultant KUAM Broadcasting in Ordot, Guam and upon returning to the U.S. Mainland was an on-air personality and producer with African Broadcasting at the

World Trade Center World Trade Centers are sites recognized by the World Trade Centers Association. World Trade Center may refer to: Buildings * List of World Trade Centers * World Trade Center (2001–present), a building complex that includes five skyscrapers, a ...

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...

. She is the former National Director of Black Americans for Life, in

Washington, D.C. ) , image_skyline = , image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, ...

, (an outreach of

National Right to Life Committee The National Right to Life Committee (NRLC) is the oldest and largest national anti-abortion organization in the United States with affiliates in all 50 states and more than 3,000 local chapters nationwide. Since the 1980s, NRLC has influen ...

). In 2017, she was nominated by

Maryland Governor The Governor of the State of Maryland is the head of government of Maryland, and is the commander-in-chief of the state's National Guard units. The Governor is the highest-ranking official in the state and has a broad range of appointive powers ...

Larry Hogan Lawrence Joseph Hogan Jr. (born May 25, 1956) is an American politician and businessman serving as the 62nd governor of Maryland since 2015. A moderate member of the Republican Party, he was secretary of appointments under Maryland governor Bo ...

to be a consumer member of the Maryland Board of Physicians. On March 15, 2017, she was pressured by the

Maryland Senate The Maryland Senate, sometimes referred to as the Maryland State Senate, is the upper house of the General Assembly, the state legislature of the U.S. state of Maryland. Composed of 47 senators elected from an equal number of constituent single- ...

over her

pro-life Anti-abortion movements, also self-styled as pro-life or abolitionist movements, are involved in the abortion debate advocating against the practice of abortion and its legality. Many anti-abortion movements began as countermovements in respons ...

views. The governor's office withdrew the nomination due to criticism from Democrats the Governor received regarding Gardner's pro life stance and how doctors should face the issue. Presently, Gardner is the founder and President of The National Black Pro Life Union and Associate Director of National Pro-Life Center on

Capitol Hill Capitol Hill, in addition to being a metonym for the United States Congress, is the largest historic residential neighborhood in Washington, D.C., stretching easterly in front of the United States Capitol along wide avenues. It is one of the ...

. She was also the anchor for the 'Daily Life News with Day Gardner' program for NPLR.net online and later host of 'The Day Report' for American Family Radio. In January 2011, Day Gardner received a Doctorate Degree from the Faith Evangelical College and Seminary in Tacoma, Washington. Dr. Gardner's first novel, ''If Not For Grace'' was published in the spring of 2011 and is available in book stores and online. The 60s Soul singer Hoagy Lands was her uncle, and her first cousin is the mother of singer Jaheim.

References

External links

Official website

National Pro-Life Action Center on Capitol Hill
{{DEFAULTSORT:Gardner, Dr. Day Living people American anti-abortion activists Miss America 1977 delegates Oakcrest High School alumni People from Mullica Township, New Jersey University of Delaware alumni Year of birth missing (living people) 20th-century American people Female models from New Jersey African-American female models 20th-century African-American women 20th-century African-American people 21st-century African-American people 21st-century African-American women