Patricia Donnelly

Patricia Donnelly Harris (October 30, 1919 – October 25, 2009) was Miss America in 1939.

Biography

Donnelly, from Detroit, Michigan, was the last to be crowned at the Steel Pier.^[1] After winning the Miss America title, Pat crisscrossed the country alone on a personal appearance tour and was lovingly nicknamed "The Long-Stemmed American Beauty". After holding the title she went on to sing in New York at the famous Stork Club, on Broadway and in several "showgirl" roles in Hollywood films. She was signed by the John Robert Powers modeling agency. En route to Chicago on the famous "Super Chief" of railways, she was introduced to Jack Warner of Warner Brothers Studio. He recognized her strong resemblance to Hollywood beauty, Ann Sheridan. Soon a Hollywood contract was offered, but Pat turned it down. "I realized by that time I didn't want my face known," she said. "In other words, I wanted the freedom of movement, to go where I pleased without people knowing who I was." Donnelly married Robin Harris in 1948 and had two children named Amanda and Stephen. For years she and Robin worked together as traveling editors of the Hearst Newspapers. She died on October 25, 2009 at the age of 89.^[2]

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