To the editor:

As directors of the Miss Dowagiac Scholarship Pageant and on behalf of its Executive Committee, we would like to extend our heartfelt appreciation to the Greater Dowagiac Chamber of Commerce, which sponsors the pageant, and to The Pokagon Fund for helping to underwrite the 74th event on Feb. 9.
We would also like to thank the 15 corporate advertisers and the 26 contributing gift sponsors which contributed to the pageant, as well as Brian DeLong, of The Business Center of Southwestern Michigan, which provides in-kind float storage.
As a long-standing event in our community, pageant officials in 2000 were pleased to take our program to new heights, as scholarships were awarded for the first time to that year’s queen, and to the first and second runners-up.
During the past 13 years, $32,650 in scholarships were awarded.
The 53 recipients represent 19 colleges, with 46 percent of the scholarships having been used right here at Southwestern Michigan College.
Fifty individuals, organizations and businesses contributed to this year’s Scholarship Fund, which enabled the pageant to award $4,550 in educational scholarships to our Miss Dowagiac Court of Honor. A special thanks to Deb Cuthbert, a long-time Executive Committee member and a past pageant chairman from the 1980s, and her daughter, Abby Cuthbert Johnson, Miss Dowagiac 1998, who oversee the annual scholarship fundraising campaign.
The teamwork of 45 volunteers produced this year’s event, “Once Upon a Time.” We would like to extend our appreciation to you: Abby Johnson, Joe Jason, Brett Scanlon, Jeremy Collins, Kyle Dufour, Shannon Keene, Keera Morton, Carlee Sharma, Gary Booth, Trish Brazo, Phyllis Sarabyn, Karen Dorman, Seth Livingston, Dave Livingston, Ann Velthouse, Jessica Cuthbert, Amy Schmidt, Lori Key, Marti Key, Katie Haneberg, Beth Klug, Cindy Underwood, Eileen Springsteen, Kim Greenwood, Scott Rose, John Eby, the DUHS National Honor Society and Zeta Chi sorority.
We would also like to thank the businesses which volunteered with the pageant: Booth’s Country Florist, Imperial Furniture, Dowagiac Police Department, Studio 690, Dowagiac Cleaners, Wolverine Mutual Insurance Co., Preferred Printing, Dowagiac City Hall, Manor Mini-Mart and St. Paul’s Episcopal Church.
A special thank you goes to the pageant’s Executive Committee: Vickie Phillipson, Nancy Vylonis, Tracy Urbanski, Patty Booth, Deb Cuthbert, Gayle Tidey, Ashley Franklin and Audrey Maxey. All of your hard work and dedication are essential to the pageant’s success. Thank you so much!
To all of the contestants who participated in the pageant this year, we would like to say thank you for making this experience so special for us. All of you did such an awesome job! It was so amazing so see you improve with every practice. We are so grateful for the opportunity to have worked with such a poised group of young ladies.
The 2012 Miss Dowagiac court did a wonderful job representing this community throughout their reign. We are so proud of them and would like to wish them the best of luck with all of their future endeavors.
To Amanda Hassle, Miss Dowagiac 2013, Gabrielle Leonard, 1st Runner-up, Katelyn Lee, 2nd Runner-up and Brittany Smith, Miss Congeniality: We are so pleased to have you on the court this year. We are confident you will represent Dowagiac with pride and elegance. All of you worked so hard and deserve the titles you have earned. We look forward to spending this year with you!

Courtney Livingston
Gabbi Dorman
Miss Dowagiac Scholarship Pageant Directors