Evelyn Margaret Sempier (née Ay; March 8, 1933 – October 18, 2008) was winner of the 1954
Miss America beauty pageant.
Early life
Ay was born the daughter of
German
German(s) may refer to:
* Germany (of or related to)
** Germania (historical use)
* Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language
** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law
**Ge ...
immigrants
Immigration is the international movement of people to a destination country of which they are not natives or where they do not possess citizenship in order to settle as permanent residents or naturalized citizens. Commuters, tourists, a ...
in
Ephrata, Pennsylvania
Ephrata ( ; Pennsylvania Dutch: ''Effridaa'') is a borough in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, United States. It is located east of Harrisburg and about west-northwest of Philadelphia and is named after Ephrath, an ancient Israelite town, Bethl ...
.
Pageantry
She had a short but successful career in smaller
beauty contest
A beauty pageant is a competition that has traditionally focused on judging and ranking the physical attributes of the contestants. Pageants have now evolved to include inner beauty, with criteria covering judging of personality, intelligence, ...
s. As Miss Ephrata Fair and Tobacco Queen of
Lancaster County in 1950, she wore a crown that looked like tobacco leaves. After graduating from
Ephrata High School in 1951, she won the titles of Miss Pennsylvania
AMVET and the Miss National AMVET in 1952, as well as the
Miss Pennsylvania
The Miss Pennsylvania competition is the pageant that selects the representative for the state of Pennsylvania in the Miss America pageant. Pennsylvania, including early years' city representatives, has won the Miss America crown on five occasi ...
title in 1953. She was selected Miss America at the last year before the pageant was televised.
In a 1993 interview, "Evvy" said she was surprised at her victories. "That was the ultimate role model, like being
Doris Day in real life." She embarked on her career as a favor to a friend who was trying to promote a pageant for the
Junior Chamber International (JayCees). She traveled during her yearlong reign, and remained active with the pageant for many years, judging many local pageants and the national Miss America contest in 1981.
Career
Sempier officially introduced the
Nash Metropolitan
The Nash Metropolitan is an American automobile that was assembled in England and marketed from 1953 until 1961.
It conforms to two classes of vehicle: economy car and subcompact car. In today's US terminology the Metropolitan is a “subcompac ...
at the 1954
Chicago Auto Show
The Chicago Auto Show is held annually in February at Chicago's McCormick Place
convention center. It is the largest auto show in North America.
History
Samuel Miles, formerly a promoter of bicycle shows, produced the first "official" Chic ...
.
["RIP: Evelyn Ay Sempier (1933-2008)"]
Torqo.com; retrieved 2009-12-19. She was a spokesperson for
Nash Motors
Nash Motors Company was an American automobile manufacturer based in Kenosha, Wisconsin from 1916 to 1937. From 1937 to 1954, Nash Motors was the automotive division of the Nash-Kelvinator Corporation. Nash production continued from 1954 to 195 ...
in promoting the first American car that was marketed specifically to women. She described her marketing for Nash as the finest among her 40-years of commercial relationships, and the company was "most generous in sponsoring Miss America in many parts of America."
Between the 1960s and 1990s, she made frequent appearances as a motivational speaker to women's and business groups.
Personal life
Shortly after passing on the Miss America crown, she married Carl G. Sempier, a Navy veteran and corporate executive on November 13, 1954, and had two children.
Carl Sempier died in 2007. Sempier died on October 18, 2008 of
colorectal cancer.
Evelyn Ay Sempier Quality of Life Award
The Evelyn Ay Sempier Quality of Life Award was established to honor the 1954 pageant winner. The award was introduced in 1988, and is given to select Miss America contestants involved with the
Children's Miracle Network
Children's Miracle Network Hospitals (CMN Hospitals) (French: Réseau Enfants-Santé (RES)) is a nonprofit organization that raises funds for children's hospitals in the U.S. and Canada. Donations support the health of 10 million children each ...
, as well as to "recognize contestants who excel in their commitment to community service".
"2009 Evelyn Ay Sempier Quality of Life Award winners announced"
fourpointsmagazine.com, 2009-01-22; retrieved 2009-12-19.
References
External links
* https://web.archive.org/web/20060108200614/http://www.missamerica.com/our-miss-americas/1950/1954.asp Miss America profile
*https://web.archive.org/web/20111002232616/http://www.lehighvalleylive.com/newsflash/index.ssf?%2Fbase%2Fnews-68%2F1224715458172590.xml&storylist=penn Evelyn Ay Sempier, Miss America 1954, dead at 75 (not valid)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Sempier, Evelyn Ay
1933 births
2008 deaths
American people of German descent
Miss America 1950s delegates
Miss America winners
Miss America Preliminary Swimsuit winners
Nash Motors people
Pennsylvania Dutch people
People from Ephrata, Pennsylvania
Place of death missing
20th-century American people