Editor’s note: This is the first of a two-part series about Mary Jane Jackson Parolini.
Looking back to 1956, Mary Jane Jackson Parolini said it was an incredible year. It was her senior year at Plant City High School, and she was busy that year being a class officer, homeroom officer, a thespian, a Kiwanette, the business manager for the Kanyuksaw, a “notable.” She also had been voted FFA sweetheart, prettiest girl in the senior class and Plant City High School Queen.
Mary Jane Jackson entered the Strawberry Festival Queen Pageant that February and was runner-up to Queen Virginia Young. Then, when Miss Young married, Mary Jane Jackson was asked to handle the duties of representing the Strawberry Festival for the unexpired year-long term. But that is not all.
The city of Glenwood Springs, Colo., had started a celebration called Strawberry Days in 1898, and in 1955, added the National Strawberry Queen Contest to its schedule of events. That year, the first of this new contests, saw five contestants participate. They were girls from throughout the country who had won Strawberry Queen contests in their own states. The 1955 Plant City Strawberry Festival Queen, Betty Clements, was one of the queens in the contest. The judging resulted in a tie vote. Clements was then crowned Strawberry Queen of the Eastern States, and Mary Linda Clapham was crowned Strawberry Queen of the Western States.
Wesley Tenbrook, who owned Tenbrook Garage — Desoto & Plymouth dealership, contacted the Plant City Jaycees (Junior Chamber of Commerce) and invited Plant City to come to the Strawberry Days festivities and participate in the Strawberry Queen Contest. L.M. Buddy Blain, vice president of the Jaycees, jumped at the opportunity and, because contestants had to be single, Mary Jane Jackson was asked to make the trip to Colorado and compete in the contest. With her mother’s consent and encouragement, she agreed.
The Jaycees had attained some help with the expenses, and Blain said the City of Plant City, Hillsborough County, the East Hillsborough Chamber of Commerce, and the Strawberry Festival Association all would help the Jaycees finance the trip for Mary Jane and her mother, Mildred Jackson, who would be the designated chaperone.
The news broke in the local papers July 27 that the Plant City Jaycees were sponsoring Miss Mary Jane Jackson in the second National Strawberry Queen contest Aug. 9 to 11, 1956, in Glenwood Springs, Colo. On Wednesday, Aug. 1, the Tampa Daily Times carried the story and added that Jackson was the guest of Dick Pope (park owner) at Cypress Gardens Monday, July 30, for lunch and a tour, “where publicity shots and TV and film shorts were made.” Accompanying her were Blain and photographer Bill Friend.
The Tampa Morning Tribune ran the full story Thursday, Aug. 2, and included, for the first time, an announcement of a Hollywood trip.
“The winner, to be announced Saturday night as National Strawberry Queen, will receive a trip to Hollywood for TV and personal appearances,” it read.
The Glenwood Post was delighted to cover the story. Eight Strawberry Queens would be competing in this second annual Strawberry Queen contest. The contestants were Patricia Loraine Kelley, of West Virginia; Penny Marrano, of New York; Miriam Brown, of Oregon; Carole Gruetter, of Ohio; Trudie Lou Smith, of Glenwood Springs; Sharon Dearinger, of Washington state; Evelyn Sue Richardson, of Arkansas; and Mary Jane Jackson, of Florida.
The trip began at 6:55 a.m. Aug. 8. Buddy Blain, Mary Jane, and Mildred Jackson headed to Tampa International Airport for an 8:15 a.m. Eastern Airlines flight to Chicago, connecting to a United Airlines flight to Denver. They were met by Tenbrook, chairman of the Strawberry Queen contest, and a delegation from Glenwood Springs and were escorted to dinner and their accommodations.
Thursday morning started with breakfast, followed by publicity photos and the greetings from the Denver officials. Tenbrook, who convinced the Plymouth Motor Company to sponsor the Strawberry Queen contest and the weeklong, all-expenses-paid trip to Hollywood for the queen and her chaperone, led the motorcade to Glenwood Springs in new Plymouth convertibles with the smiling queens and chaperones aboard.
Finally in Glenwood Springs, after the 160-mile trip, the Queens were taken to Hanging Lake for a boat ride and a little rafting on a tributary of the Colorado River.
Watch for the conclusion of this story next month and see how Mary Jane fared in this contest.
Sources include Mary Jane Jackson Parolini, Panky Morgan Snow Papers in the Plant City Photo Archives and History Center Library, Plant City Courier, Tampa Daily Times, Tampa Morning Tribune, Glenwood Post, Glenwood Springs Chamber of Commerce.
Gil Gott is executive director of the Plant City Photo Archives & History Center.