I would consider the beginning of my professional career to be my participation in three beauty pageants, which surprises me and those who know me now, that I would even have thought to enter a beauty contest! In 1959, I was a a senior majoring in Piano at Mississippi College in Clinton, Mississippi. When my sorority, the Kissimees Social Tribe, entered me in the Miss Clinton contest I surprised myself by deciding to sing, for the first time in public, while accompanying myself on the piano as my talent portion. I’d always dreamed of being a singer but was always too shy about my voice.
MISS CLINTON 1960 – Miss Virginia Faye Wing, a senior at Mississippi College was crowned Miss Clinton 1960 by Miss Sue Bell, last year’s runnerup. The pageant, sponsored by the Clinton Jaycees, was held at the Clinton High school auditorium – Photo by Sutherland.
After being crowned Miss Clinton 1960, I was automatically entered into the Miss Mississippi contest, as the first ethnic, or non-Caucasian, ever to compete.
Virginia Faye Wing competes in the evening gown competition in the Miss Mississippi Pageant in the Vicksburg Municipal Auditorium in Vicksburg, Mississippi on August 1, 1959.
I was told, after the contest was over, that I had been disqualified because I was too short to be considered Miss Mississippi. One can only guess the real reason for disqualification. The mere fact that a Chinese girl competed in the Miss Mississippi contest in 1959 was a minor miracle. But this led to my being asked to enter the Miss Chinatown USA contest in San Francisco.
January 30, 1960 – Miss Chinatown USA and her Court. From Left to right, JoAn Lai, Amy Tong-Lao, Carole Ng, Shirley Wong and Virginia Faye Wing at the “1960” Miss Chinatown, USA Pageant at the Masonic Memorial Auditorium in San Francisco, CA. Photo: Kem Lee
(The Clarion-Ledger, January 31, 1960) Virginia Wing heads to the “1960” Miss Chinatown USA Contest after participating in the Miss Mississippi Contest as Miss Clinton.
Travel to the Miss Chinatown contest was my first cross-country flight and the sunrise over the Golden Gate bridge was my first view of San Francisco. Breathtaking. My first impression was: Wow! Look at all those Chinese people! I’d never been around so many Chinese strangers and I felt like I’d stepped into another country. Backstage at the contest, my Uncle Shaw who lived in San Francisco and who was responsible for this country girl in the big city, asked me if he should hold my purse for safekeeping. I replied that I had given it to some man. He was apoplectic and said, “You gave your purse to a total stranger?” And I said, Well, he was Chinese. I thought no one Chinese could possibly be a crook! Straight out of the Mississippi cotton fields was I!!! P.S., the man holding my purse was totally fine and returned it when I needed it.
After singing in the contest I received a letter from Eddie Blum, the casting director for Rodgers and Hammerstein, asking me to audition for him for FLOWER DRUM SONG if I ever came to New York. This gave me the courage to pursue my dream.
