86th YEAR Standard No. 187 July 18 57 TELEPHONE MEET MISS U.S.A. - Tall, shapely Leona Gage, who entered as Miss Maryland, was named Miss U.S.A. last night and will compete with foreign beauties for the world crown. - (AP Wirephoto) TWO GIRLS WITH COURAGE Go-for-Broke Gamble Pays Off for Beauty LONG BEACH, Calif, (AP)—A "go-for-broke" gamble in which two beautiful girls pooled their money to back one of them in the Miss Universe contest paid off today for lovely Leona Gage, 21, the new Miss United States of America, The tall, raven-haired beauty from Glen Burnie, Md., who came west with her 24-year-old cousin, a $45 gown and high hopes, won the coveted crown last night and will now compete in the international phase of the contest. The gamble that led to the thrill-packed climax was taken two months ago when Leona and her cousin, Barbara Gage, who make their home together, scraped together $45 and went shopping for a gown so Leona could enter the Miss Maryland contest. "I had $35 and she had $10," said Barbara, breathless with excitement and she watched the pearl-studded Miss U.SA. crown being placed on the dark locks of her cousin. She added: "We had made the money modeling and it was all we had. We found a dress marked down from $90 to $45, so we bought it. And she won! USED BOTH WAYS "But we still didn't have any money. They gave Leona a two- way ticket to Long Beach so we used both ways so I could come out, too . . . and now she's won again!" Barbara, who is pretty enough to be a Miss Universe contestant herself, said Leona came to live with her two years ago after her widowed mother had remsr-rjed. Glen Burnie is a suburb of Baltimore. "We both modeled and we made enough to get along," Barbara said. "But I only had $20 when we got here. WTe figured if Leona didn't win anything we'd work—as waitresses, anything— Schneiter Jr. Loses DAYTON, Ohio (AP)—Ernest Schneiter Jr., of Twin Falls, Idaho, formerly of Ogden, Utah, lost out in the second round of the PGA tournament today. Ewing Pomeroy of Atlanta beat him, 3 and 1. and make enough money to g§t home. "Now I guess we'll get home," she beamed. Barbara said while Leona, as a contestant, has been living like a princess, she's been staying "in a tiny place down the street" and "living on fruit." Leona wore her $45 Miss Maryland dress as her formal gown on the first night of the contest, but blossomed out last night in a dazzling white dress loaned' to her for the occasion by a Long Beach dress shop. "They had confidence in her and so did I," said Barbara. The new Miss U.S.A., one of the tallest girls in the contest at 5 feet 9 ½ inches, weighs 118 pounds tastefully distributed on a 36-23-36 basis. She said she had to quit high school in the 10th grade and go to work when her father, a Dallas, Tex., aircraft worker, died. Her first job was a clerk in a department store in Wichita Falls, Tex. Other jobs followed before she moved in with her cousin and became a model. WANTS WORLD FAME She would like to become a "world-famous model," she said, and is also interested in an acting career. Something she is not interested in right now is boys. "I haven't had time," she said, "and I don't want to get interested in boys now. I'm too young. Maybe when I'm about 26." Leona won out in the final balloting over four other lovely representatives of American beauty, the final survivors of the 44 U.S. girls who originally entered the contest. Placing behind her in order, were: Charlotte Sheffield, 20, Salt Lake City, Utah; Ruth Marie Parr, 18, St. Albans, W. Va.; Joan Adams, 23, Las Vegas, Nev.; and Carolyn McGirr, 18, Sidney, Neb. As Miss U.S.A., Leona goes up against 32 foreign beauties tonight when eliminations begin to pick Miss Universe. Fifteen semi- finalists will be selected tonight with Miss Universe being chosen tomorrow night. The competition looks tough but Miss Maryland has been up against pretty tough odds before.