In 2014, Donna Axum Whitworth will celebrate her fiftieth anniversary of being crowned Miss America 1964. But she never strayed far away from the crown. In fact, she is more involved than ever, especially as of 2004, when she was voted onto the Miss America Organization board of directors—the first former titleholder to hold the post.
As first vice chairman of the board and a member of the state license committee and judges committee, Donna is responsible for overseeing just about every aspect of the comings and goings of local, state, and national competitions. Most recently, at the 2013 Miss America pageant, Donna coordinated the judges panel that chose Mallory Hagan as the current titleholder. On the state licensing committee, Donna works to ensure that every pageant, no matter how small, is in line with the rules and regulations set forth by the organization. Above all, Donna ensures that the educational component of MAO is carried through from coast to coast. “The educational component is really what drives us,” she said. “The future of our country is dependent upon the excellence we can create in these women.”
When she is not dedicating her time to work with MAO, Donna is working to enhance art appreciation. She serves on six boards related to performing arts and arts education, including the Texas Women for the Arts, an organization Donna established and founded. The organization provides grants for various art institutions, to further their endeavors. The concept is simple, Donna said: With each $1,000 membership fee, members are given one vote, and during an annual meeting, they are presented with grant proposals completed by various arts organizations located across the country. From these proposals, members vote, and grants are bestowed. “We’ve been in existence for five years, and we are nearing the $800,000 mark in grants awarded to the arts.”
Donna also helps to coordinate annual ladies’ trips throughout the United States, to visit museums, orchestras, symphonies, and performances. Most recently during a trip to El Paso, Donna’s group watched a children’s performance that brought tears to her eyes. “It’s the most fascinating thing I’ve seen,” she said. The performance was a combination of song and dance, and included four hundred students displaying “all positive things kids need to learn.” After the show, Donna asked organizers how the students were able to work together and transition through the performance so flawlessly. The secret, they said, was using sign language to cue the students. “It was a beautiful example of the impact the arts have on not only the education of the individual,” Donna, “but self-confidence kids have in themselves from belonging to that group.”
Art is extremely important to Donna, who could hardly fathom a world without it. “Can you imagine any national ceremony without musical instrumentation?” asks Donna, who has been singing her entire life. (She began in the church choir and performed her talent on the Miss America stage.) “Every aspect of our lives is impacted by and represented through music and the arts. It’s the expression of our human existence. It’s how history was recorded on the cave walls.”
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Written by: Erika Fifelski, fourpoints staff writer