Miss Mississippi’s platform recognized at Miss America pageant

Published 7:56 pm Thursday, August 31, 2017

: AWARD FINALIST: Anne Elizabeth Buys, Miss Mississippi 2017, is among the Quality of Life Award finalists for the Miss America Pageant. (Courtland Wells | The Vicksburg Post)

Miss Mississippi Anne Elizabeth Buys was named a Jean Bartel Quality of Life Award finalist during events at the Miss America Pageant Wednesday, Aug. 30, in Atlantic City.

The Quality of Life award was named after 1943 Miss America Jean Bartel, who sold more than $2 million in war bonds during her time as Miss America.

The award is based on a contestant’s platform, and Buys’ platform is Water For Life.

Other finalist included Miss South Carolina Suzi Roberts, Miss North Dakota Cara Mund, Miss Kansas Krystian Fish, Miss Minnesota Brianna Drevlow, Miss District of Columbia Briana Kinsey and Miss Alabama Jessica Procter.

Prior to the finalist being named, Miss America Savvy Shields along with the Miss America Organization welcomed the 51 contestants for this year’s competition during a ceremony at Kennedy Plaza.

During the next week and a half, contestants will travel around the area for events at the Linwood Country Club and service projects at the Atlantic City Rescue Mission, among other locations. They will also rehearse, be interviewed for potential scholarships, compete in three nights of preliminaries and ride in the Sept. 9 Show Us Your Shoes Parade on the Boardwalk.

Preliminary competitions will begin Wednesday, Sept. 6, and continue on Thursday, Sept. 7, and Friday, Sept. 8. Buys is scheduled to have her judge’s interview and will compete in swimsuit and evening wear, Wednesday, during the first round of preliminary competitions. On Thursday, she will compete in talent and Friday, onstage question.

One contestant will be chosen as America’s Choice, which will guarantee her a place in the top 15. Votes can be cast daily until Sept. 5 for Buys at missamerica.org/vote.

The 2018 Miss America Pageant competition and crowning is scheduled to air live on the ABC network beginning at 8 p.m. central time Sept. 10. Television personality Chris Harrison of ABC’s “The Bachelor” and “Who Wants To Be A Millionaire” will serve as the host

For more information on the Miss America Pageant and a complete listing of the preliminary schedule, visit missamerica.org/miss-america-competition/.

About Terri Cowart Frazier

Terri Frazier was born in Cleveland. Shortly afterward, the family moved to Vicksburg. She is a part-time reporter at The Vicksburg Post and is the editor of the Vicksburg Living Magazine, which has been awarded First Place by the Mississippi Press Association. She has also been the recipient of a First Place award in the MPA’s Better Newspaper Contest’s editorial division for the “Best Feature Story.”

Terri graduated from Warren Central High School and Mississippi State University where she received a bachelor’s degree in communications with an emphasis in public relations.

Prior to coming to work at The Post a little more than 10 years ago, she did some freelancing at the Jackson Free Press. But for most of her life, she enjoyed being a full-time stay at home mom.

Terri is a member of the Crawford Street United Methodist Church. She is a lifetime member of the Vicksburg Junior Auxiliary and is a past member of the Sampler Antique Club and Town and Country Garden Club. She is married to Dr. Walter Frazier.

“From staying informed with local governmental issues to hearing the stories of its people, a hometown newspaper is vital to a community. I have felt privileged to be part of a dedicated team at The Post throughout my tenure and hope that with theirs and with local support, I will be able to continue to grow and hone in on my skills as I help share the stories in Vicksburg. When asked what I like most about my job, my answer is always ‘the people.’

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