The Annual Miss Universe title was won by Trinidad-Tobagos national candidate Janelle Penny Commissiong at Santo Domingos National Theater on July 16, 1977, making history by becoming the first black woman to win the event and putting her island on world map. Without a doubt, Miss Universe 1977 influenced a generation of black women on the Planet. When she and Eva Maria Duringer, Austrias Farrah Fawcett-Majors, were called as the two finalists, the crowd began chanting the name of Miss TT as the new universal queen. Few minutes later, Janelle was crowned by last years winner Rina Messinger of Israel, Miss Universe 1976, as host Bob Barker announced the eleven-member panels decision, led by the up-and-coming fashion designer Oscar de la Renta of the Dominican Republic. The gala evening was attended by many special guests from politics, diplomacy, culture, and entertainment: Latin Americas greatest comic actor Mario Moreno (best known as Cantinflas), Argentinas diplomat Alejandro Orfila (then Secretary of the Organization of American States), and Mexicos Minister of Tourism, Guillermo Rossell, among others. In fact, the islander woman, a Trinidadian-born fashion-design student of Venezuelan descent, stunned tournament favorite Miss Austria. But that wasnt all.To the surprise of many critics, she, who professed to be an admirer of Anwar Sadat (The 1978 Nobel Peace Prize winner from Egypt) also was elected the Most Photogenic (it was her first win over Miss Duringer). Commisiongs win was one of the greatest feats in Miss Universe history, generating special interest worldwide-it was a spectacle that would have been unthinkable two decades earlier! Following a champagne breakfast at a world-class hotel at Santo Domingo, Miss Commissiong, accompanied by Messinger, met with the legendary Dominican statesman Joaquin Balaguer while the famous photographer Gordon Parks praised her beauty. She has the classical beauty of black women around the world, said Mr. Parks, one of the judges in the oldest capital of Santo Domingo. She also received considerable support her fellow candidates. Decades later, Beatriz Lacayo Obregon, ex Miss Nicaragua 1977, said, She was very beautiful and a good person. During her own term as the 26th MU, Janelle was considered as one of the most outstanding beauty queens in the 20th Century, gaining a host of admirers around the globe, from Iceland and Hong Kong to Saint Maarten and the Kingdom of Lesotho. On returning home, the young inspirational Trinidadian was declared national hero alongside sprinter Hasely Crawford, first place in the mens 100 metres final at the 1976 Montreal Summer Olympics. At that time, she was awarded the Trinity Cross, Trinidad-Tobagos highest civilian honor. Ironically, the following year, Miss Commissiong crowned Margaret Gardiner of White South Africa Miss Universe 1978 in the finals which were held in Acapulco, on Mexicos southern coast, where the African-American entertainer Melba Moore was one of the celebrity judges. Miss Gardiner was a candidate from the former apartheid regime of South Africa, among the most isolated states during Cold War. Janelle commissiong
Posted on: Tue, 04 Feb 2014 22:30:49 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015