Here's to you, Ms. Washington Senior
Here's to you, Ms. Washington Senior
Moses Lake woman first to bear crown
MOSES LAKE — Lorna Bolyard got one heck of a birthday surprise when she turned 86.
It's when Moses Lake Mayor Ron Covey gave her the crown of Ms. Washington Senior.
Bolyard was actually crowned in 2005, but an accidental fall left her unable to perform her duties, so her reign was extended.
Bolyard will be attending several events as a representative for the state's senior citizens in September.
"I was so shocked," she said of her reaction when she was given the title.
Mrs. Washington State Director Pam Curnel said Ms. Washington Senior is the new state program she created to provide more beauty pageants. Women eligible for the title can be married, widowed, divorced and over the age of the 65.
"You can be a queen at any age," Curnel said, calling Bolyard, whom she handpicked to bear the crown, the perfect person to be the first Ms. Washington Senior. "She's very sharp, articulate, a talkaholic like me … she deserves it. She'd win it anyway."
Bolyard has a long history with pageants, harkening back to her youth in Australia.
"My father was very active with the hospitals, and the fund-raisers were queen contests," she said. "So I kind of grew up around them."
She met her late husband of 53 years, Buster, and was drafted into creating a rodeo queen contest for Coulee City in 1945. It was the first place they lived in the United States until moving to Moses Lake in 1953. She also served on the first committee of the first Miss Moses Lake contest and community float.
She has a daughter, three grandchildren, two foster grandchildren and three great-grandchildren.
"To make a long story short, I've been with Miss Moses Lake pageant ever since," she said, noting she received a diamond and gold pin from the Miss America pageant for 40 years of service.
The appeal of the pageants is the opportunity to help young women, Bolyard said.
"I have coached young women in our surrounding area for over 40 years and I have judged many pageants on both sides of the mountains," she said, noting she still serves, but in an advisory capacity. "When it was the Little League and all the boys' activities, there wasn't very much for young women at the time."
That includes scholarships for young women, another reason she stresses the importance of the program.
"I remember the time when we didn't have any trouble getting young ladies to compete for Miss Moses Lake, because there weren't the activities they have now," she continued.
Bolyard feels she received a lot of affection from the young women she coached, and is still part of some of their lives, including Curnel's.
"I feel that I have received more than I have given," she said. "I'm proud to be in the pageant world. I've been proud of all my time, all the many years I've been a part of it."
Bolyard cedes the crown next year at the Mrs. Washington pageant in Walla Walla. She advises potential Ms. Washington Seniors to take the opportunity to try out.
"It's a new thing," she said. "I'm very proud that I am the first one chosen, and I hope that I can in some way set an example to the following people who participate in this program."
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