Left to right: Dan Willingham (husband), Elaine Willingham, Jason Willingham (son), Anna Lanier (daughter), Clara Lanier (granddaughter), David Lanier (son-in-law), Violet Lanier (granddaughter)
Not pictured: grandson Liam Lanier, granddaughter Esther Lanier and son Daniel Willingham
CULLMAN – For someone who never, ever considered being in a pageant, Elaine Willingham has gone far. She recently won the state title Ms. Senior Alabama, and is currently preparing to fly to Atlantic City to compete in the national pageant which is held on Oct. 18-20.
A nonprofit organization, Ms. Senior Alabama, Inc. is a part of the Ms. Senior America program, designed to enrich the lives of senior women by giving them the opportunity to share their experiences, wisdom and interests with others.
According to their mission statement, “Ms. Senior Alabama is a preliminary to the Ms. Senior America Pageant, and is the world's first and foremost pageant to emphasize and give honor to women who have reached the ‘Age of Elegance.’ It is a search for the gracious lady who best exemplifies the dignity, maturity and inner beauty of all senior Americans. The Ms. Senior America philosophy is based upon the belief that seniors are the foundation of America, and our most valuable treasure. It is upon their knowledge, experience and resources that the younger generation has the opportunity to build a better society.”
Willingham is excited, and admits to having a case of nerves, which is unusual for the veteran stage performer, but she says the only thing she is really worried about is an injury to a healing ankle for which she has been in physical therapy for months.
“But it’s done so well that I’ve actually added a couple of jumps to my choreography,” she said. She chose an older piece of classical music, called “Gymnopedia,” for which she did her own choreography. The “Gymnopédies,” published in Paris starting in 1888, are three piano compositions written by French composer and pianist Erik Satie.
“I thought this would be a one-time deal,” she laughed. “Now here I am going to Atlantic City!”
Willingham ‘s career began at the age of 11, with training under the tutelage of Anita Burbage.
She attended the Birmingham Civic Ballet School, the Alabama Ballet Company and the Alabama School of Fine Arts.
She studied with well-known and highly respected instructors in the States and in Europe. Later, she taught ballet at Athens College, Huntsville Ballet School, Snead Junior College (Snead State Community College), Auburn University and in Paris, France.
Willingham left the stage at the age of 51, but was encouraged to come out of retirement to enter the Ms. Senior Cullman County pageant held at Wallace State Community College (WSCC) in February. As the winner of the local event, she was eligible to compete in the state pageant in August, also held at WSCC. As the state winner, she will compete for the national title of Ms. Senior America, with 46 other state winners from across the nation.
At the age of 62, Willingham is the second state winner from Alabama to compete in the national pageant. The first state winner, Betty Leeth Haynes, took third place in the national competition in 1996.
During her tenure as local winner, Willingham has spoken to the Cullman County Republican Women group, who awarded her for her achievements. She was also in the recent Cullman County Fair Parade and will be a central figure in the upcoming Veterans Day Parade in Birmingham. Later in the year she will speak at the Folsom Center.
Willingham, who owns the Cullman Ballet Theatre School, has taught ballet classes four days per week for the past 44 years, so her routine didn’t change much, but she does work on her own performance piece for 2-4 hours per week. “I’ve always been very active,” she explained. “So this just required a little extra time, and of course, extra care with my ankle.”
The judges at the state pageant level have been very helpful, she says, cautioning her that the national pageant is all about the bling, so she has bought new outfits for both the stage and interview portions of the event. The judges also set up a mock interview to give her an idea of what to expect. However, anyone who has met Willingham knows that she is a natural at both of these requirements and that she has the poise, confidence and ability to compete with the best of the best.
The three-day event will be streamed live on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/SeniorAmericaInc/ from 1-4 p.m. EST on the last day of the pageant. See the page for more details, or visit the following sites for more information on the following organizations.
Cullman Ballet Theatre School – https://www.facebook.com/cullmanballettheatre
Ms. Senior America – http://senioramerica.org
Ms. Senior Alabama – http://www.mssralabama.com
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