The Durant news. (Durant, Miss.) 1882-1985, 1951-09-27
Durant Girl Crowned
District Forest Queen
Burboru Ann Gibson
C1ntures Title At
Greenville Fair 10th

1IeeHNIIle FOIt> ZUtn
Before very enthusiastic
crowd of approximately 1900 per-
sons seated in the grand stand
of the Tri-State Fair in Green
vile, Thursday night, September
90, Miss Barbar Ann Gibson OF
Durant, daughter of Mrs. E. r.
Gibson, was crowned Queen OF
the Forest of the Delta District
over IL other contestants ana
will represent this district in the
State Contest to be held on
October IL, at the State Fair in
Jackson. She is being sponsored
by the Durant Rotary Club.
Only seconds before her coro-
nation Miss Gibson stepped up to
the microphone, flashing her
winning smile and with hazel
eyes aglow with excitement
breathlessly stated, Il don't
know what to say-it's a sur
prise"
The pretty, l6-year-old bru-
nette, upon being asked by
Monty Payne, Master of Cere-
monies, if they grow any pines
in Holmes County answered,
Lots of them"
Miss Gibson is a junior at Du-
rant High School and is a men,
Der of the basketball team, play
ing guard position. She is al
SO a member of the Y-Teen Club
and the Music Club. and was a
| cheerleader for two years.
The girls rode into the grand
stand perched atop the rear seats
Of four shiny convertibles, led
by police motorcycle escort with
sirens wailing, while the specta-
tors gazed with awe at the beau
tiful spectacle before them.
The judges, Mrs. Fred O.Ban:
non OF Greenville, County
Superintendent of Education in
Washington County; Sam Smith
OF Greenville, Manager of the
U. S. Gypsum Company in
Greenville; and Joe Pritchard OF
Inverness, president of the Sun
flower County Farm Bureau,
were not to be envied for the
capacity il, which they served;
however, in naming Miss Gibson
as winner and Miss Lilly Ann
Ingram of Benton and Miss Pa
tricia Poe. representing Sun
flower County as runners-up
they could not be criticized too
severely because someone had to
! win.
The remaining beautiful con-
testants were: Misses Dottie Nit
chell of Duncan. representing
Bolivar County; Mary Winnie
Bankston of Carrollton, repre-
senting Carroll County; Donnis
Brldger of Belzoni, representing
Humphreys County; Johnnie. Cor
! dell of Glen Allen, Issaquena
County; Ann Shropshire of Roll
ing Fork. Sharkey County; jean
cite Moseley of Hollandale.
washington County; Virginia
Terry of Schlater, Leflore Coun-
ty; Dorothy Smith of Tutwiler,
Tallahatchie County; and Jean
Hall of Marks, Quitman County.
All contestants will reign for
one year, 1951-1952 as County
Queens of the Forest
All flowers for the occasion
including Miss Gibson's orchid
bouquet and chrysanthemum
bouquets for each of the other
contestants, were presented by
Sewers Floral Company of Green
vile.
Each contestant also received
prizes. To Miss Gibson, the
Queen went fifty dollar War
Savings Bond, and in addition a
piece of costume jewelry was
presented to all contestants.
Donations for purchase of gifts
were made by the u. S. Gypsum
Company Of Greenville, Chicago
Mill and Lumber Company OF
Gre envi le, Anderson Tulley
Lumber Company of Vicksburg,
and Delta Council of Stoneville.
Sponsoring agencies for the
event, which was arranged by
c. A. Bozeman. District Forester
for the Mississippi Forestry Ser
vice were: Mississippi Forestry
Service. Mississippi Extension
C0rVyinn fl1s~0.c