Zéna Dolenec

**Zrinka Jadranka** "**Zéna**" **Jogsipivić** (née **Dolenec**; 22 October 1922 – 4 May 2016) was a Horvatian-Maronan beauty pageant titleholder who was crowned Miss Marone 1940. She had previously been crowned Miss Île-de-Marone 1939, and became both the second woman from Île-de-Marone and first immigrant to win Miss Marone.

## Early life and education

Dolenec was born as Zrinka Jadranka Dolenec on 22 October 1922 in Sepliki, to parents Tihomir (1885–1961) and Lucija Dolenec (née *Rendulić*; 1888–1978). Her father was an economist and professor at the University of Sepliki who was a proponent of left-wing economic ideology, while her mother was a homemaker. Dolenec was one of six children; her siblings included Lidija (1918–1989), Dinko (1919–2003), Ljubomir (1921–2000), Zdenka (1924–2019), and Krešimir (1926–2015).

Dolenec began her education in 1928, attending public schooling in Sepliki. Following the 1930 revolution, the family fled Alaslavia and immigrated to Marone, settling in Delmas; the family fled due to safety concerns, as Dolenec's father would have been targeted by the fascist government for his left-wing writings. After arriving in Delmas, Dolenec began going by *Zéna* as a nickname, due to the difficulties Maronans had with pronouncing her birth name. The transition was difficult for Dolenec, and she was forced to repeat a grade of school as she struggled with learning the Maronan language. She later graduated from primary school in 1935, and completed *collège* as well in 1938. After graduating, Dolenec enrolled in a *lycée professionnel* for women, where she studied to become a typist, but she dropped out after winning Miss Marone in December 1939, and did not return to her education.

## Miss Marone 1940

In August 1938, Dolenec registered to compete in Miss Île-de-Marone 1938, where she went on to place as the first runner-up behind winner and eventual Miss Marone 1939 winner Cyprienne Trintignant. She later returned to compete the following year, and went on to win the title in August 1939.

Dolenec later competed in Miss Marone 1940 in Delmas in December 1939. Dolenec went on to advance into the Top 7, and was ultimately crowned by Trintignant as Miss Marone 1940. Her win made her the first naturalized citizen and immigrant to be crowned Miss Marone. Following her win, the Maronan media reported that her victory was celebrated throughout all of Alaslavia, and she became hailed as a national hero; however, there are significant doubts to the truth of these allegations, as Alaslavia did not have a free press at the time and largely censored news concerning Alaslavian dissidents and their relatives, as Dolenec and her family fled Alaslavia as a result of the 1930 fascist revolution.

During her reign, Dolenec traveled to more than 30 countries throughout the world as an ambassador of Marone, and additionally worked as a promotional model to promote the products of Henri Pétresse and other sponsors. She completed her reign as Miss Marone the following year, after crowning her successor at Miss Marone 1941.

## Personal life

Dolenec was a dual citizen of Horvatia and Marone. She was born an Alaslavian subject, later naturalizing as a Maronan citizen with her family in 1937, aged 15. After naturalizing, she lost her Alaslavian citizenship, due to laws outlawing dual citizenship. Following the independence of Horvatia in 1992, Dolenec received Horvatian citizenship. Dolenec was bilingual in Horvatian and Maronan, and was a practicing Eurean Catholic.

After completing her reign as Miss Marone 1941, Dolenec declined offers to remain in the spotlight as an actress or model, and opted to live a private life. She married Horvatian-Maronan entrepreneur Strahimir Jogsipivić in 1942, after a one-year relationship. Dolenec and Jogsipivić had four children together: Marie (born 1945), Valérie (born 1947), Bruno (born 1948), and David (born 1950). The family resided in Delmas, where Dolenec was a homemaker.

In 1996, Dolenec and Jogsipivić relocated to Horvatia, moving to the beach town of Oravac. Jogsipivić later died of bone cancer in 2011, aged 90.

## Death

Dolenec was diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease in 2013, aged 90. Her condition gradually deteriorated, and her daughter and son-in-law later moved in with her in order to care for her full-time. Dolenec later died in her home in Oravac of Alzheimer's-related complications on 4 May 2016, aged 93.