Miss Universe – The Pride of Iowa
So, Ottumwa, Iowa is not exactly a household name to most people and were it not for Radar O’Reilly on Mash, whose fictional hometown was Ottumwa, Iowa, or Tom Arnold who married Roseanne Barr for a time and starred in movies like True Lies with Arnold Schwarzenegger, one might not know it exists.
Could you ever imagine this small town in Southeastern Iowa was also the home of someone who earned the title of the most beautiful woman in the world?
I know, it is truly a stretch but truth often involves some rather strange situations. This is one.
You see, once upon a time back in the Golden Age of the 1950’s for a brief moment of time Ottumwa could brag about being home to the most beautiful woman in the world.
Not only was she beautiful but smart, athletic, played violin, sang in the choir, and was a preacher’s daughter.
Let me introduce you to Carol Ann Laverne Morris, perhaps the most famous person to ever grow up in Ottumwa, Iowa.
Born April 8, 1936, in Omaha, Nebraska Carol Morris lived for a time in Scott City, Kansas before moving to Ottumwa, Iowa where she spent most of her early life and attended Ottumwa High School.
The only child of Minister Laverne Morris and his wife, Carol became a lifeguard at the public swimming pool, taught swimming, and was an exceptional swim team member.
She was also smart, for in high school Carol finished 4th in her class of 300 students. At the same time Carol was a violin virtuoso and a member of the church choir.
Attending college at Drake University in Des Moines where she studied elementary education, she became a swimming star and in 1954 she broke the national junior Olympics backstroke record.
This intellectual, athletic, musically inspired and beautiful young woman was invited to join the prestigious Kappa Alpha Theta international sorority, the oldest Greek sorority in America for women.
Also during three years at Drake she played viola with the Des Moines Symphony Orchestra.
That was when Carol developed into a stunning 5-foot 7-inch beauty weighing 131 pounds with blue eyes and nearly dark brown hair.
Perhaps she was destined to be a beauty queen when, during high school, she won the Miss Ottumwa competition. She was sponsored by the South Ottumwa Boosters Club.
While at Drake University she entered and won the Miss Iowa beauty pageant of 1954 and in 1955 represented Iowa in the Miss America competition. In the talent portion she played the song Stardust on her violin.
The next year, 1956, she represented Iowa in the Miss USA beauty pageant which she won in Long Beach, California.
Her final competition was the 1956 Miss Universe contest where she beat out 83 worldwide competitors to become only the second American and the first Iowan to win the international honor.
In fact, no other Iowan has ever won the Miss USA or Miss Universe competitions.
Miss Universe Competition
During her year reigning as Miss Universe she toured with Bob Hope and got to meet Presidents Harry Truman and Herbert Hoover.
Miss Universe 1956 Carol Morris, was a Guest on 'What's My Line' Show (Aired August 5, 1956). Carol also was “mystery” guest on two of the most popular game shows of the 1950’s What’s My Line and To Tell the Truth (Aired April 23, 1957). She was on the same What’s My Line episode as Mayor Richard Daley of Chicago.
She did manage to return home during the year to Ottumwa where over 2,000 people made the 12-mile trip to greet her at the airport while thousands swarmed the parade downtown including me, to see the stunning beauty and her four-foot tall Miss Universe trophy.
Joining the festivities was Iowa Governor Leo Hoegh.
One of the prizes from the competition was an acting contract for a year at Universal Studios after her year as Queen and she co-starred with actor Jeff Chandler in her debut movie, Crazy Love.
A movie and television career followed and she acted in many productions such as the movie Born to be Loved and a TV episode of Ozzie and Harriet but performed in her last movie, Paradise Valley, released in 1962.
In June of 1959 at age 23 Carol married a 45-year old Texas oil tycoon from Houston, Ed “Buzz” Burke. In April 1960 they had their first child, a boy, and then two more children.
Her husband died and Carol remarried and had one further child.
In 2007 she resurfaced in the Hollywood scene as Executive Producer of the motion picture The Cake Eaters, with Mary Stuart Masterson producing and directing and Kristen Stewart, Elizabeth Ashley, and Bruce Dern starring.
According to friends, Carol still lives in Texas and is doing well, happy, and content with life. From an old Ottumwa friend and classmate I got the following update on Carol.
"Carol lives in Houston, Texas and is as lovely and sweet as ever. Carol is very family oriented and does not live in the past that much. She never attends any of her OHS class reunions either! She loves her life in Texas, but does respond to her Ottumwa friends when notified!"
"Carol lives in Houston, Texas and is as lovely and sweet as ever. Carol is very family oriented and does not live in the past that much. She never attends any of her OHS class reunions either! She loves her life in Texas, but does respond to her Ottumwa friends when notified!"
