Near Miss America

"Who celebrates being first runner-up?" you might ask. I did. So much so that I even ended the book with a rap song about it—Southern, beauty queen rap, that is.

Runner-up Rap
I'm not Miss America
But I'm still pumped
'Cause I love being
The first runner-up

It's a lifetime job
Being Miss America
But we runners-up
Can hang up our tiaras

And no one remembers
Who came in second
So I don't have to fret
When the media beckons

Former Miss Americas
Gotta look swell
But first runners-up
Can just be ourselves

began as a jock. Almost every waking moment was spent playing basketball in the winter and tennis in the summer. While injuries ultimately sidelined me, those two sports were my favorite activities. I have raised two amazing children, had a career in cosmetics that spanned 25 years, and weathered the ebb and flow of life with a big smile and a big heart. Then someone suggested I write a book about it. So I did.
Howard Elgison began his professional career as a nuclear engineer designing uranium-fueled reactors for U.S. Navy warships. He finished it by co-writing a book about the life and times of an American beauty queen. A lot of stuff happened in between, but those are the high points.