Today in Wheeling History: June 24--Bishop John J. Swint of the Wheeling Diocese threatened to excommunicate any Catholic woman participating in beauty contests, sparking a national controversy and causing several contestants to withdraw from local and state pageants in West Virginia (1948).
Bishop John J. Swint of the Wheeling Diocese took a strong stance against Catholic women participating in beauty contests in 1948-1949, threatening excommunication for those who entered. This controversy had its roots in events from previous years.
In 1946, Norma Lee Salisbury of Parkersburg, West Virginia, won the state "Miss West Virginia" contest. In 1947, Joan Estep of Wheeling won the same title. Both women were Catholic, which appears to have prompted Bishop Swint's strong reaction the following year.
The controversy intensified in June 1948 when Bishop Swint's edict forced the withdrawal of at least two Catholic contestants from a preliminary "Miss America" contest in Wheeling, West Virginia. Gertrude Steele, a 20-year-old from Wheeling and recent graduate of the New England Conservatory of Music in Boston, was one of those who withdrew. Helen Masnick was another who withdrew. However, Mariruth Ford, 20, also from Wheeling, defiantly participated and won the "Miss Wheeling" title, despite the threat of excommunication.
The issue continued into 1949. On June 24, 18-year-old Mary Jane Gallagher from Weirton, West Virginia, withdrew from the "Miss North Panhandle" pageant after being warned by Rev. F. Edmund Weinheimer of St. Paul's Catholic Church in Weirton about the excommunication threat. Gallagher was replaced by Zanevia Gryskevich, a Protestant from Weirton, who went on to win the contest on June 26 at the Spurr Memorial Amphitheatre in Moundsville, West Virginia.
The controversy gained national attention, with William F. B. Miller, the public relations manager for the West Virginia pageant, sending a cablegram to Pope Pius XII on June 25, 1948, seeking the Pope's position on Bishop Swint's ruling. In his appeal to the Pope, Miller highlighted the recent success of Catholic participants, emphasized the contests' focus on talent and modesty, and stressed their value in providing scholarships and supporting charities. He framed the issue as a "worthy cause" of national significance, requesting the Pope's opinion on the matter.
Bishop Swint, whose diocese was based in Wheeling, described these contests as "absolutely immoral" and "totally pagan." However, pageant officials, including Lenora S. Slaughter, executive director of the Miss America Pageant in Atlantic City, New Jersey, defended the events as focusing on talent, intelligence, and character rather than just physical appearance.
The controversy affected contestants from various West Virginia towns, including Wheeling, Weirton, Moundsville, and Parkersburg. It impacted not only the contestants but also their families, as evidenced by Harold Ford, Mariruth Ford's father in Wheeling, who reported that his daughter had joined the Episcopal church by June 1949.
To learn more: (https://tinyurl.com/ycxfwbmy) (https://tinyurl.com/2s3esbt7) (https://tinyurl.com/2mjmhme6) (https://tinyurl.com/mu4k83ze) (https://tinyurl.com/yc25kxpd) (https://tinyurl.com/yc25kxpd) (https://tinyurl.com/db6pcxne) (https://tinyurl.com/5fs8vxr7) (https://tinyurl.com/db6pcxne) (https://tinyurl.com/ycxfwbmy)
Photo credits: The Pittsburgh Press, The Miami News, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, Star Tribune, St. Louis Post-Dispatch
Bishop John J. Swint of the Wheeling Diocese took a strong stance against Catholic women participating in beauty contests in 1948-1949, threatening excommunication for those who entered. This controversy had its roots in events from previous years.
In 1946, Norma Lee Salisbury of Parkersburg, West Virginia, won the state "Miss West Virginia" contest. In 1947, Joan Estep of Wheeling won the same title. Both women were Catholic, which appears to have prompted Bishop Swint's strong reaction the following year.
The controversy intensified in June 1948 when Bishop Swint's edict forced the withdrawal of at least two Catholic contestants from a preliminary "Miss America" contest in Wheeling, West Virginia. Gertrude Steele, a 20-year-old from Wheeling and recent graduate of the New England Conservatory of Music in Boston, was one of those who withdrew. Helen Masnick was another who withdrew. However, Mariruth Ford, 20, also from Wheeling, defiantly participated and won the "Miss Wheeling" title, despite the threat of excommunication.
The issue continued into 1949. On June 24, 18-year-old Mary Jane Gallagher from Weirton, West Virginia, withdrew from the "Miss North Panhandle" pageant after being warned by Rev. F. Edmund Weinheimer of St. Paul's Catholic Church in Weirton about the excommunication threat. Gallagher was replaced by Zanevia Gryskevich, a Protestant from Weirton, who went on to win the contest on June 26 at the Spurr Memorial Amphitheatre in Moundsville, West Virginia.
The controversy gained national attention, with William F. B. Miller, the public relations manager for the West Virginia pageant, sending a cablegram to Pope Pius XII on June 25, 1948, seeking the Pope's position on Bishop Swint's ruling. In his appeal to the Pope, Miller highlighted the recent success of Catholic participants, emphasized the contests' focus on talent and modesty, and stressed their value in providing scholarships and supporting charities. He framed the issue as a "worthy cause" of national significance, requesting the Pope's opinion on the matter.
Bishop Swint, whose diocese was based in Wheeling, described these contests as "absolutely immoral" and "totally pagan." However, pageant officials, including Lenora S. Slaughter, executive director of the Miss America Pageant in Atlantic City, New Jersey, defended the events as focusing on talent, intelligence, and character rather than just physical appearance.
The controversy affected contestants from various West Virginia towns, including Wheeling, Weirton, Moundsville, and Parkersburg. It impacted not only the contestants but also their families, as evidenced by Harold Ford, Mariruth Ford's father in Wheeling, who reported that his daughter had joined the Episcopal church by June 1949.
To learn more: (https://tinyurl.com/ycxfwbmy) (https://tinyurl.com/2s3esbt7) (https://tinyurl.com/2mjmhme6) (https://tinyurl.com/mu4k83ze) (https://tinyurl.com/yc25kxpd) (https://tinyurl.com/yc25kxpd) (https://tinyurl.com/db6pcxne) (https://tinyurl.com/5fs8vxr7) (https://tinyurl.com/db6pcxne) (https://tinyurl.com/ycxfwbmy)
Photo credits: The Pittsburgh Press, The Miami News, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, Star Tribune, St. Louis Post-Dispatch
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