Miss Syracuse 1955 reflects on pageant culture 60 years after winning the crown
Miss Syracuse 1955 Nancy Bishop Brennan Billings, at her home in Fayetteville, N.Y. Dec. 16, 2015.
FAYETTEVILLE, N.Y. — Nancy Bishop Brennan Billings is a portrait of elegance. She sits on her couch with perfect posture, a byproduct from her decades of modeling.
Her pink-polished fingers sparkle with rings as she flips through a yellowed album, full of photos from her reign as Miss Syracuse 1955.
That year, Eisenhower was president, Disneyland had just opened and Rosa Parks refused to give up her bus seat.
The 1955 Miss Syracuse pageant drew 259 young women to compete. Compare that to 2015, when 19 women competed.
Today, Miss Syracuse wins a $500 scholarship and a shot at the Miss New York title. Miss New York goes on to compete for Miss America. The Miss America organization brands its winners as representatives of the ideal young woman.
However, an ideal young woman 60 years ago is different from one today.
Billings started modeling at age 14, and her friends talked her into competing in beauty pageants. Today, Miss Syracuse isn't even called a beauty pageant, but rather a scholarship competition.
In 1955, there was no mistaking the emphasis on beauty.
After her win, the Syracuse Herald-American reported: "For those interested in her vital statistics, Nancy is 5'5, weighs 127 pounds and measures 34 inches, 25 inches and 35 inches around the bust, waist and hips respectively."
Nancy Bishop rides in the New York State Fair parade in 1955.
Winning the crown
Today's Miss Syracuse is judged on her interview, talent, swimwear, evening wear and onstage question. Every woman chooses a social issue or cause for which to raise awareness.
In 1955, judgments were based on poise, beauty and personality. There were no causes or scholarships.
"I didn't have to have a talent," said Billings, now 80. "If I had one, I might have sung. I'm not sure. I think my modeling helped me with poise."
Billings won the crown at age 20. She was Nancy Bishop back then, a blond waitress at the Skaneateles Country Club. Her mother, Genevieve, made the dress she wore to compete. Her family lived on a 101-acre farm in Marcellus, where they milked Holsteins.
"Those were the black-and-white cows for you city slickers who don't know anything about that," she said.
Judges narrowed down the pool of 259 to 50 young women, who were judged in the Grand Ballroom of Hotel Syracuse.
"I was so surprised," Billings said, blushing. "I sound like I'm bragging; oh gosh ... I had good genes. My mother was a beautiful woman."
After winning Miss Syracuse, she beat 13 women from across the state for the title of Miss New York State Fair Queen 1955, her highest title.
Actor (and Syracuse native) William Lundigan crowned Nancy and kissed her onstage at the September ceremony, attended by thousands.
"He wouldn't let me go," she said, laughing.
The Marcellus Observer weekly newspaper ran Nancy's photo on the front page, writing: "The most stupendous thing to ever bless Marcellus is that of having a local girl chosen as State Fair Queen and it is almost impossible to put the feelings of the community into words."
Marcellus Mayor Lester Norris named Sept. 13 as "Nancy Bishop Day" and gave her a gold "Key to the City."
Nancy Bishop Brennan Billings shows a photo of herself boarding a plane to Bermuda with her parents, Horace and Genevieve Bishop. A trip to Bermuda was part of her prize for winning the 1955 New York State Fair Queen title.
As part of winning New York State Fair Queen, Billings won a trip to Bermuda. She took her parents along, who had never traveled outside the United States before. She cherishes one photo of them all boarding the plane, dressed to the nines.
"Look how we dressed back then: hats, heels, gloves — isn't that incredible?" she said. "What do you wear now, to travel? Flip-flops?"
Billings continued to model through the 1970s, and then worked in sales and design at Stickley Furniture. She also ran a charm school in Oswego called Deb School, short for debutante. There, she taught "the ancient art of femininity" to girls ages 8 to 18.
According to the Syracuse Herald-Journal archives, the Deb School offered lessons on "how to pick up an object gracefully,'' "how to air an opinion," table manners, good posture, personal hygiene, modeling and how to shake hands ("Firm, always").
"Even the mothers wanted lessons," Billings said. "Table manners are important. You can be highly educated, but if you don't know how to cut a piece of meat gracefully, that's horrible."
Though pageant interest surged after Miss Syracuse Nina Davuluri went on to win Miss America in 2013, overall participation has been dwindling.
"Honestly, it's hard to get girls involved in this system," said Miss Syracuse executive director Linda Dracker-Hochenberger last year. "I would love to see more local girls."
Billings said she doesn't know why the Miss Syracuse pageant attendance is down.
Look how we dressed back then: hats, heels, gloves — isn't that incredible?
"Maybe they should advertise more, statewide." she said.
Miss Syracuse then
The Miss America pageant dates back to 1921, just one year after American women won the right to vote. Titles were bestowed upon young women believed to be role models to the young and old alike. Miss America is branded as "a type which the American Girl might well emulate."
The first Miss Syracuse crown went to Rosamond Fahey in 1922.
Rosamond Fahey was the first ever Miss Syracuse, crowned in 1922.
In 2015, Billings believes the most important issues women need to speak to each other about are birth control (she opposes abortion) and closing the gender pay gap.
"I think women should be paid equally if they're doing their work just as much as a man," she said. "They're still looked down on, a little bit, because they're the 'weaker sex.' I'm sorry, but we are the stronger sex. We multitask."
Billings has watched how the competition eased off its focus on "beauty" and started branding itself as a scholarship organization.
"I think it's wonderful that young women are recognized for their strength in their beliefs," she said. "I think we need more people like that. The characters of the girls, as far as I know, come from being brought up nicely by their families."
Miss Syracuse now
Syracuse University junior Meghan Sinisi of Altoona, Pa., now wears the Miss Syracuse crown.
Sinisi was crowned in 2015, but technically she is Miss Syracuse 2016, as she will compete for the Miss New York title this summer.
Meghan Sinisi, Syracuse University's Orange Girl, is crowned Miss Syracuse 2016 by Anneliese Trust during the crowning ceremony of the Miss Syracuse 2016 Triple Crown Celebration at the Mohegan Manor in Baldwinsville, N.Y. on Sunday, Nov. 8, 2015. Photo by Sam Maller | smaller@syracuse.com.
"It's been a dream come true," Sinisi, 20, said about winning. "I've been on Cloud Nine."
She studies communication science and disorders at SU. She's the Orange Girlwho twirls batons during football games.
Sinisi did have some reservations about competing.
"I was very wary because everyone has this stereotype of how pageants are," Sinisi said.
It's a fair hesitation. Modern-day beauty pageant videos go viral online when contestants stumble on answers. Just last month, Miss Universe 2015 made international headlines when Steve Harvey accidentally crowned the wrong winner. "Saturday Night Live" and "Last Week Tonight with John Oliver" regularly poke fun at pageants for being stilted and antiquated.
Sinisi decided to go for it after seeing Davuluri go on to win Miss America.
"(Pageants) encompass everything I enjoy doing," Sinisi said. "I get to twirl and promote autism awareness and acceptance."
Sinisi had her eye on the Miss Syracuse crown since her first year at SU. She did her first pageant when she was 3.
"I think Miss Syracuse is one of the greatest titles in New York," she said. "I want to send a message of how great Syracuse is. I would want to know I made the title a little more prestigious than the year before."
Sinisi believes the most important thing women can do is empower each other.
"We've come a long way but we don't always have men on our side, even now," she said. "It's easy to be catty to each other, but it's better to stand together."
Nancy Bishop Brennan Billings holds up the blue gown she wore as 1955 New York State Fair Queen.
Nancy Billings, next top model?
Four years ago, Billings moved from Manlius to Fayetteville. While packing up her belongings, she came across her 1955 crown.
"I was hauling out everything, so I threw the crown on my head, just to put it someplace," she said. "Someone came to the door and said, 'What is that?' Oh my gosh, it was so embarrassing."
Billings also kept her old cornflower blue gown from the competition.
"My granddaughter can fit into it," she said. "She could be a Victoria's Secret model."
Billings misses modeling. In fact, she hopes to pick it back up this year with AMS Models and Talent Inc.
"I can make weird faces, and they love old ladies who can make weird faces," she said, before addressing a photographer in the room. "You have to get my better side, Jon, it's over here."
Katrina Tulloch writes life and culture stories for Syracuse.com and The Post-Standard. Contact her: Email | Twitter | Facebook
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