Beauty. Glory. Triumph. These words are often used to define the long-held perception of what began as a swimsuit contest on the Atlantic City beaches in 1921 and blossomed into the Miss America Organization we know today. This visually impactful event became a mirror of the times as it was a venue for young women to feel the majesty of a crown and the untold legacy that followed and that still holds true today.

Miss America 1921, Margaret Gorman of Washington D.C. was one of thousands to have her photo submitted to the Washington Herald for its popularity contest. She won as Miss Washington D.C. and was then sent to Atlantic City to enter the Inter-City Beauty amateur division. There were eight contestants and no one knew, including Margaret Gorman, how big this would be. Today, this great American tradition continues, and to celebrate this milestone in the pageant's history, the legends themselves will gather to proudly celebrate the tradition, values and great American spirit of this institution!

We proudly present our Miss Americas returning for the 90th anniversary of the 2011 Miss America Pageant presented by DSW:

Miss America 1943 Jean Bartel
Miss America 1948 Bebe Shopp
Miss America 1953 Neva Langley
Miss America 1955 Lee Meriwether
Miss America 1957 Marian McKnight
Miss America 1958 Marilyn Van Derbur
Miss America 1960 Lynda Mead
Miss America 1961 Nancy Fleming (50th Anniversary)
Miss America 1962 Maria Fletcher
Miss America 1963 Jacquelyn Mayer
Miss America 1964 Donna Axum
Miss America 1965 Vonda Van Dyke
Miss America 1966 Deborah Bryant
Miss America 1967 Jane Jayroe
Miss America 1968 Debra Barnes
Miss America 1969 Judi Ford
Miss America 1971 Phyllis George
Miss America 1972 Laurel Lea Schaefer
Miss America 1973 Terry Meeuwsen
Miss America 1974 Rebecca King
Miss America 1975 Shirley Cothran
Miss America 1976 Tawny Godin
Miss America 1977 Dorothy Benham
Miss America 1978 Susan Perkins
Miss America 1979 Kylene Barker
Miss America 1981 Susan Powell
Miss America 1983 Debra Maffett
Miss America 1985 Sharlene Wells
Miss America 1987 Kellye Cash
Miss America 1988 Kaye Lani Rae Rafko
Miss America 1989 Gretchen Carlson
Miss America 1990 Debbye Turner (2011 Judge)
Miss America 1993 Leanza Cornett
Miss America 1994 Kimberly Aiken
Miss America 1995 Heather Whitestone
Miss America 1996 Shawntel Smith
Miss America 1997 Tara Holland
Miss America 1999 Nicole Johnson
Miss America 2000 Heather French
Miss America 2001 Angela Baraquio
Miss America 2002 Katie Harman
Miss America 2003 Erika Harold
Miss America 2004 Ericka Dunlap
Miss America 2006 Jennifer Berry
Miss America 2007 Lauren Nelson
Miss America 2008 Kirsten Haglund
Miss America 2009 Katie Stam
And of course, our Miss America 2010, Caressa Cameron!

We proudly salute all of our Miss Americas and we are so very grateful for their dedication and continued commitment to the future of this great American ideal!