Independent LivingBrightmore Resident Spotlight: Miss Raleigh 1948!
June 21, 2018
Bettie Hamilton Shearin has lived at Brightmore for a little over a year, and we just found out a really neat fact about her…she was Miss Raleigh in 1948! Bettie grew up in Raleigh, NC, and after high school she modeled for Lewis Sporting Goods. The owner convinced Bettie to enter the Miss Raleigh Pageant. She did, but never imagined she would actually win! Bettie was always involved in drama classes in school and the community while growing up, so for her talent portion she recited a monologue from the Andy Griffith Show and then sang “Embraceable You.” Her evening gown was red and white, and she wore a white one-piece for the bathing suit portion of the contest! After winning Miss Raleigh, she went on to the “Miss North Carolina” Pageant that was being held at Wrightsville Beach. She did not win, but did come in 3rd Place, and it was during that pageant that she met her husband. He was a life guard at Carolina Beach and all the guards came up to check out the beautiful contestants and it was love at first sight! Bettie smiles from ear to ear sharing this story and says if it had not been for her boss telling her she should enter a beauty pageant, she would never have met her husband and had her six daughters and one son! Entering Miss Raleigh was just meant to be!