Published: April 10, 2008 01:57 pm            

Kemp resident takes Cardinal crown in first-ever pageant

Special to the Cedar Creek Pilot



Tuesday night was the first time Jennifer Cooper had ever taken to the pageant stage, but that didn’t stop her from taking the title of Cardinal Beauty.

“There’s a first time for everything,” said a surprised Cooper after the pageant. “At first I thought, ‘Is this a joke or an April Fools?’”

However, this has been a year of firsts for the Kemp freshman. She decided late last year to give swimsuit modeling a shot and answered a casting call for ReignSuit Swimwear. She walked away with a modeling contract.



Cooper was chosen from 24 other contestants Tuesday night to wear the Cardinal Beauty crown. The 17-year-old represented the faculty in the event.

She is the daughter of Walter and Tanya Cooper. Cooper attended Kemp High School and after graduating from TVCC plans to pursue a PhD in psychology and an MBA in marketing. She eventually would like to open a children’s bookstore.

The 2008 Cardinal Beauty was crowned by 2007 Cardinal Beauty Brittany Ferguson (formerly Morrison).

This year, the pageant was emceed by Molly Reuter, the weekend news anchor for Channel 7 in Tyler.



In addition to the Cardinal Beauty title, four runners-up were named Tuesday night.

• Nicole Demontigny is the 19-year-old daughter of Dale and Susie Demontigny of Houston. She represented the TVCC Cheerleaders. The liberal arts major is in her sophomore year and plans to be an elementary school teacher for deaf students. She is a member of the Cardinal Cheerleaders, Phi Theta Kappa and the TVCC Student Senate.

• Rebecca McCreary of Hallsville is the 18-year-old daughter of Marty and Cynthia Daniels and William McCreary. The freshman liberal arts major is representing the faculty. She is a member of the Cardettes and the TVCC Student Senate. McCreary plans to attend the University of Texas at Dallas after leaving TVCC to major in speech pathology.

• Demi Roberson of Denton is the 20-year-old daughter of Loretta Roberson. She attended Billy Ryan High School. She is representing the TVCC Student Senate. The sophomore is a member of the Cardinal Cheerleaders and the TVCC Student Senate. Roberson is majoring in fashion merchandising and plans to work for a major fashion magazine or public relations firm.

• Danielle Veeder of Red Oak is the 18-year-old daughter of Tom and Michelle Veeder. She is a member of the Cardinal Cheerleaders and TVCC Student Senate. She is representing the Cardinal basketball team in the pageant. The freshman attended Ferris High School and is majoring in liberal arts. After graduating from TVCC, she plans to earn her bachelor’s degree in fashion merchandising.

Judges for the competition were: Bob Geatches — ETMC; Garland Pool — Pools by Pool; Robert Reeve — Eustace ISD; Sheila Lee — Embarq; Paula Kimball — TVCC board trustee; Ginger Morton — local volunteer; and Jayson Larson, editor — Athens Daily Review.

        

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