Kelly Jones (Miss Alabama)

Kelly Jones
Beauty pageant titleholder
Born 1976/1977 (age 39–40)
Occupation Educator
Title(s) Miss Lake Wedowee 1998
Miss Samford 1999
Miss Jefferson County 2000
Miss Homewood Area 2001
Miss Alabama 2001[1]
Major
competition(s)		 Miss America 2002
Spouse Benjamin Carr (m. 2003)

Kelly Jones Carr (born 1976/1977) is an American educator and beauty pageant titleholder from Birmingham, Alabama, who was named Miss Alabama 2001.

Career

In high school, Jones was a contestant in Mississippi's Junior Miss.[2] In 1998, she was crowned Miss Lake Wedowee and placed at Miss Alabama that year.[2] While a senior at Samford University in Birmingham, Alabama, Jones won the title of Miss Samford 1999.[2] The next year she was crowned Miss Jefferson County 2000.[3]

Jones was selected as Miss Homewood Area 2001 then, in early 2001, Jones was diagnosed with toxic shock syndrome, a potentially fatal illness caused by a bacterial toxin.[4][5] The antibiotic treatment for this caused her most of her hair to fall out just two months before the Miss Alabama pageant in June.[4][6]

Jones' preliminary competition talent for Miss Alabama was playing classical piano.[7] Her platform was "Boys and Girls Clubs: Be a Peer Role Model".[6][8] Jones won the state competition on Saturday, June 16, 2001, when she received her crown from outgoing Miss Alabama titleholder Jana Sanderson.[4][6] After winning, Jones announced she would use the scholarship money to pursue a graduate degree in music education.[6] As Miss Alabama, her activities included public appearances across the state of Alabama.[9]

Jones was Alabama's representative at the Miss America 2002 pageant in Atlantic City, New Jersey.[10] Her competition talent was a classical piano performance of Frédéric Chopin's "Ballade No. 1 in G Minor".[8][10] Jones was not one of the finalists for the Miss America title.[1] Her reign as Miss Alabama continued until Scarlotte Deupree was crowned on June 15, 2002.[11]

Personal life

Jones is a Birmingham, Alabama, native and spent part of her high school years at Mountain Brook High School. She is a 1995 graduate of Lamar High School in Meridian, Mississippi.[7] Majoring in piano performance, Jones graduated from Samford University with a bachelor's degree in December 1999.[2][7] While at Samford, she was inducted into the Kappa Chapter of the Alpha Delta Pi sorority.[12] She then enrolled in a graduate program at The University of Alabama studying music education.[8]

Before becoming Miss Alabama in 2001, Jones worked as a fragrance model, a waitress, and a piano teacher.[10] After graduating, she owned and operated a music academy in Augusta, Georgia.[13] In 2008, she was hired as the administrator for the Gadsden Community School for the Arts in Gadsden, Alabama.[13]

Her parents are Jerry Wilson Jones and Cynthia Perkins Jones.[7] During her reign as Miss Alabama, her father worked for a department store and her mother was a homemaker.[10] She is an only child.[5] Jones was raised Southern Baptist.[5] On August 9, 2003, she married Benjamin Matthew Carr.[14] Her wedding was featured in the 2004 edition of Alabama Weddings.[15]

References

  1. 1 2 "Miss Alabama History". Miss Alabama. Retrieved June 11, 2015.
  2. 1 2 3 4 Hughey, Holly (1999). "No Guts, No Glory". Entre Nous Voices. Samford University. Retrieved July 24, 2014.
  3. ↑ "Past Jefferson County Winners". Miss Jefferson County. Retrieved July 24, 2014.
  4. 1 2 3 "Kelly Jones takes crown as Miss Alabama for 2001". The Gadsden Times. Gadsden, AL. June 17, 2001. p. B7. Retrieved July 24, 2014.
  5. 1 2 3 Heyman, Greg (June 28, 2001). "Dawson member Kelly Jones overcomes illness to claim Miss Alabama crown". The Alabama Baptist. Retrieved July 24, 2014.
  6. 1 2 3 4 "Samford's Kelly Jones Claims Miss Alabama Title". Seasons. 18 (2). Samford University. Summer 2001. Retrieved July 24, 2014.
  7. 1 2 3 4 "Kelly Jones crowned Miss Alabama 2001". Franklin County Times. Russellville, AL. July 3, 2001. Retrieved July 24, 2014.
  8. 1 2 3 "UA Students Compete in Miss Alabama Pageant". UA News. The University of Alabama. June 12, 2001. Retrieved July 24, 2014.
  9. ↑ "Miss Alabama 2001 Visited The Rose Club". The Lamar Democrat. Vernon, AL. February 20, 2002. p. 1. Retrieved July 24, 2014.
  10. 1 2 3 4 "Miss Alabama". Miss America. Retrieved July 24, 2014.
  11. ↑ "Kelly Hawkins first runner-up in Miss Alabama Pageant". Troy Messenger. Troy, AL. June 18, 2002. Retrieved July 24, 2014.
  12. ↑ "Accomplished Members - Pageant Winners". Alpha Delta Pi. Retrieved August 7, 2014.
  13. 1 2 Cole, Antrenise (February 1, 2009). "Carr takes lead at arts school". The Gadsden Times. Gadsden, AL. Retrieved July 24, 2014.
  14. ↑ "Carr, Jones". Franklin County Times. Russellville, AL. October 11, 2003. Retrieved August 7, 2014.
  15. ↑ Cohron, Jennifer (February 13, 2011). "Locally-based bridal magazine celebrates its 10th anniversary". Daily Mountain Eagle. Jasper, AL. Retrieved July 24, 2014.
Awards and achievements
Preceded by
Jana Sanderson		 Miss Alabama
2001 		Succeeded by
Scarlotte Deupree
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