kingston woman recalls her mother's beauty pageant win
shirley tripp's mother veronica was named "kingston's most popular girl" in 1943.
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shirley tripp holds a photo of her mother veronica mcname who won a beauty pageant in 1943 in kingston, ont. on thursday, may 8, 2025.
(elliot ferguson/the whig-standard/postmedia network)
elliot ferguson
/
the whig-standard
kingston — sitting in the kitchen of her west end home, shirley tripp holds a cardboard cutout of a young woman.
“it was like a little doll, i used to play with it,” tripp said. “the legs broke and i tried to fix it, but i didn’t do a very good job.”
the cutout was part of a display from a department store window, and the woman was tripp’s mother, veronica taggart.
the cutout was made from a photograph of taggart that was taken as part of the advertising for a beauty pageant she won in 1943, the year before she married her husband, al mcnamee, and they welcomed their daughter shirley.
tripp’s mother died in 2003, but since reading about efforts to revive the long-dormant miss kingston pageant, tripp said she was reminded of the stories she heard about that time her mom was named “kingston’s most popular girl.”
“mom didn’t really talk about it a lot,” tripp admitted.
“when she passed away, i just said to her, ‘mom, let me know how you’re doing, let me know you’re okay up there. let me know how you’re doing and i’ll never forget you.
“my mother’s bothering me,” she said. “i think she wants to be remembered. i don’t want her to be forgotten, i guess that’s it.”
tripp’s mother worked at a couple of grocery stores, and later as a hostess at a hotel near highway 401.
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in 1943, tripp’s mother entered the competition that she ended up winning. it was called a popularity contest and was organized by the ckws radio station. votes were cast by members of the public, who could earn 100 votes for every dollar they spent at stores that sponsored the contest.
the results of the month-long contest were announced at the kinsmen club’s “milk for britain” dance, according to an article in the whig-standard.
in addition to being named kingston’s most popular girl, taggart won $25, a trip to montreal and the laurentians with other contest winners, a bouquet of flowers and a new dress.
pageants like these faded away in the 1980s, but organizers are trying to bring back a modernized version of the miss kingston pageant that places less emphasis on physical appearance and more on skills and abilities.
the pageant is to include categories for different ages and while she said she is proud of her mom’s pageant title and her outgoing personality, tripp said she she won’t be signing up.
“i’m quite a shy and nervous person,” she said.
elferguson@postmedia.com
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