Our Little Miss was founded by Marge Hannaman. As a professional basketball player and model she realized the importance of physical fitness and beauty for women. While judging a small hometown festival queen pageant she saw the hundreds of people watching their little onesas they walked across the stage with little or no poise but each had a huge smile and wave for their family members. The girls were awarded a paper crown and rose and every single contestant walked away a winner just by participating.
Mrs. Hannaman set out to bring this joy and family honor one step further by transforming the paper crown and rose into a lifetime of memories as Our Little Miss became the first children’s pageant of its kind to be presented on a major level. Although stricken with Parkinson’s, Mrs. Hannaman was a vital adviser and supporter of the company and scholarship competitions until her death in May of 2006. In honor of her life her family has formed the “Marge Hannaman Scholarship Foundation” a not-for-profit corporation to assist in the continued education to deserving recipients. The foundation will also give back to her beloved Our Little Miss participants and families who may fall on hard times through illness or natural disasters.
Most people have dreams. In fact, life is probably a series of dreams. Once a dream is realized, new goals are set and off we go reaching for another. The dream of being “Our Little Miss” has become a reality to thousands of little girls since the year 1962. Continuing the legacy of her mother, Our Little Miss President, Teri Chandler, still holds strong to the values, lessons, and morals that Our Little Miss was founded on and the coveted title is still a dream come true for so many.
Now, celebrating our 62nd Anniversary, the child personified by the
perky little silhouette with the flipped-up hair has developed a personality of her own. Not a fairy tale character or a myth, “Our Little Miss” is more a symbol of hope for the future of children everywhere. As Morley Safer said on CBS-60 Minutes, “The parents consider Universal Pageant System, Our Little Miss to be the most prestigious of all children’s pageants.”
Our girls and young women have excelled to the highest levels of their professions and many attribute their success to the memorable experiences gained at an “Our Little Miss” pageant. We are very proud to have been a part of their development. Our Little Miss’s philosophy is that by giving children an outlet to express themselves and their talents, they are presented with growth and development aspects for personality, communication, discipline, memory training and good grooming habits. Because parents play an important role when a child is in any competition, the family relationship is enhanced, especially that of the mother and daughter.
