Miss Nebraska is holding a lofty new title today: Miss America. Seventeen-year-old Teresa Scanlan outshone 52 other contestants in Las Vegas Saturday night to win the title on the 90th anniversary of the time-honored pageant. Scanlan, who plans to attend law school and become a judge and politician, played the piano during the talent portion of the competition. She succeeds 2010 Miss America Caressa Cameron of Virginia. Miss Arkansas, Alyse Eady, was this year’s runnerup. Celebrating 90 years of Miss America, the event also paid tribute to a number of the pageant’s past winners, some of whom graced the stage at Saturday night’s event.
Actress Lee Meriwether who won the Miss America title in 1955, was among the notable honorees in the gathering of former Miss America winners. Actress and recording artist Vanessa Williams was not. Williams, who became the first African-American woman to win the title, infamously surrendered her crown in 1984 after a nude photo scandal. She currently co-stars on ABC’s “Desperate Housewives.”
