Wednesday, Jan. 31, 2007 | 7:03 a.m.
Oklahoma now leads the nation in the number of Miss America titlists, at least based on population density.
When Miss Oklahoma Lauren Nelson began her reign Monday night at the Aladdin, replacing 2006 Miss America Jennifer Berry (also from Oklahoma), her home state joined California and Ohio atop the Miss America leaderboard, each with six titlists.
lllinois and Pennsylvania are next with five each. Only 29 states and the District of Columbia have been represented by a Miss America, which means 21 states have never experienced the honor.
Follow the math: California is the most populous state with almost 34 million people - 10 times that of Oklahoma - and has a population density of 217.2 per square mile. Ohio ranks No. 7 with slightly more than 11 million residents and a density of 277.3 residents per square mile. Oklahoma is No. 27 with a population of 3.4 million and 50.3 people per square mile.
Ergo, Oklahoma is No. 1 in Miss Americas.
What does that mean?
Nothing, unless you place a value on bragging rights, which Oklahomans do.
Oklahoma, given a black eye during the era of the Dust Bowl and Great Depression in the '30s, has a lot of pride and flaunts it at any opportunity. (When OU football teams are in the hunt for No. 1, the state can be hard to live with.)
There was an Oklahoma Brunch at the Aladdin the Sunday prior to the Big Day (Monday).
Diners knew it was an Oklahoma Brunch by the country biscuits and gravy, scrambled eggs, sausage, bacon and potatoes. The croissants were for any non-Oklahomans who wandered into the room.
Almost 300 Oklahomans came to Las Vegas to show support for Nelson (a native of Lawton) and Berry (Tulsa). Those who attended the pep rally must have been elated when the 5-foot-6 Nelson actually won - giving Oklahoma back-to-back winners and even more bragging rights.
Skeptics might say she won because a former Miss America from Oklahoma (Susan Powell) was among the judges.
Highly unlikely. There were several judges, and some played hardball during questioning (such as Chris Matthews, host of MSNBC's "Hardball").
Nelson won because she was the most deserving.
There have been other deserving contestants from Oklahoma since the contest began as a beauty pageant (emphasis on swimsuits) in Atlantic City in 1921.
The first was 1926's winner Norma Smallwood, a Cherokee from Tulsa who also was the first Native American titlist. Smallwood married Tulsa oilman and art collector Thomas Gilcrease in 1928. After the marriage broke up in 1933, she married George H. Bruce, president of Aladdin Petroleum Corp. in Kansas. (Aladdin oil has nothing to do with the Aladdin hotel, soon to be Planet Hollywood.) Smallwood died in Wichita, Kan., in 1966.
Jane Jayroe of Laverne was Miss America in 1967, followed by Powell of Elk City in '81, Shawntel Smith of Muldrow in '96 and Berry in '06.
Former Miss Americas from Oklahoma tend to remain friends over the years and help one another out.
For example, when Smith was Miss America, one of her escorts was Nathan Gooden, a student at Oral Roberts University in Tulsa. They became close friends.
Smith married Ryan Wuerch, founder of the mobile phone content company Motricity in Raleigh, N.C. Gooden now works for the company.
In 2005 Smith introduced Berry (then Miss Oklahoma) to Gooden and they began dating. The couple will be married in the spring and live in Raleigh.
Based upon staff size, Motricity will have the highest number of employees married to Miss Americas in the nation.
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