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June 17, 1957 Mr. Ray Mackland Photo Editor LIFE MAGAZINE Tim?? & Life Building 9 Rockefeller Plaza New York, New York Degr Mr. Mackland: I am addressing this letter to you personally at the suggestion of Mall Dodson. Last year LIFE covered the Pageant and used a full page of heads of our Miss America contestants in color. Obviously all of us in Atlantic City were thrilled with the picture and we received innumerable letters of praise from over the country, including many of the Directors of our local as well as state contests. Obviously we feel very indebted to LIFE Magazine for conceiving the idea of such a picture and executing same so beautifully. For the first time in twenty-three years of association with the Pageant, I am going to tip off a national magazine about one particular contest# leading up to the Miss America Pageant. This is a local contest and not a State contest. But, from all indications it?╟╓s going to be very very fabulous. Houston, Texas, captured the Miss Texas Title with their Miss Houston last year. Therefore, the Houston Jaycees have made up their minds to run the finest local contest in the United States and to make it equally as glamorous and thrilling as the National Finals in Atlantic City. We bring Bert Parks into Atlantic City to Emcee our show, wo not to be outshown, they engaged Jerry Lewis. They are offering their winner a $1,000.00 scholarship and a two weeks vacation in Holland, along with other fabulous prizes. They do not have to worry about finances, for an automabile company has underwritten their contest for $20,000.00. Obviously with a fabulous program staged in their terrific Coliseum, they are attracting every girl in Houston to try to win the Miss Houston Title. The thought occured to me that in covering the Pageant in September-- if you do cover same?╟÷you might want to get down to the grass roots of a state by covering a local contest. If so, Houston certainly could give you a lot of interesting material to work with. It?╟╓s the old Texas spirit to try to outshine every- body else and certainly Houston looks like they are going to produce a pretty terrific Pageant. We have always contended that Miss America does not come