The Way We Were: In 1964 Miss Augusta became Miss Georgia and competed for Miss America

Sept. 13, 1964 might have been one of the more newsworthy front pages in The Augusta's Chronicle's long history.

That Sunday morning reported Hurricane Dora slamming the Georgia coast, visits by both The Beatles and President Lyndon Johnson to Jacksonville, a political surge by Johnson's presidential opponent Barry Goldwater, a successful military coup in Vietnam and even an alert to the upcoming college football season, featuring a new UGA coach named Vince Dooley.

Most local readers probably ignored all that to focus on the photo and story about Augustan Vivian Davis and how she fared in the Miss America Pageant in Atlantic City.

If they had watched the Saturday night telecast on WRDW Channel 12, they would have known that Vivian, the pride of Richmond Academy and the reigning Miss Georgia, had lost out to Miss Arizona.

Still, she maintained her poise and represented the state and community well, graciously praising other contestants and thanking the pageant for the experience of lifetime.

It was an experience well-documented almost 60 years ago as she claimed Miss Augusta and Miss Georgia titles, then proceeded to Atlantic City and nationwide competition.

Her success began in August 1963 when Vivian, then 18, was crowned Miss Augusta at Bell Auditorium. The following June she claimed the Miss Georgia title at the state pageant in Columbus, assuring a place on the Miss America runway in Atlantic City, N.J.

"I'll be doing my best to make Georgia proud of me," she said.

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Many stories followed.

There were stories about her parents, E.R. Davis and wife, Vida, who saw British military service in World War II. There was a feature photo of her pet dog, Tico, and how her younger brother, Johnny, would be making his first plane ride to attend her big event.

Once the pageant began there would be daily photos and reports from Atlantic City correspondents.

Readers learned that she had arrived in New York but missed the first bus to the Jersey shore because she could not get her luggage loaded. They also learned that she and chaperone Jackie Rawls went shopping for earrings along the Boardwalk.

Every outfit she wore -- even for pageant registration -- was described in detail, down to the color of the buttons.

Rehearsals filled the week.

"It's a long, long way down that runway and across that wide, wide stage,"  Vivian said. "One person feels awfully small and alone."

Vivian's talent was a musical skit, not described in as much detail as her clothing selections, but the unnamed Chronicle correspondent said the audience clapped loudly, and veteran pageant reporters gave it high marks.

This was important because talent points considered by the 11 pageant judges counted more than evening gown and swimsuit displays. Perhaps it should be noted eventual winner Kay Van Dyke of Arizona performed a comedy sketch with a ventriloquist dummy named "Kurley Q".

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While Augusta's entrant fell short that Saturday night in 1964, she didn't let it bother her.

"No one loses in the Miss America Pageant," she told The Chronicle.

"When you watch the pageant on television, it looks easy. You think all a girl has to do is walk out there.

"It's not as dreamy a set-up as it looks. On stage people are walking all over wires, cueing the orchestra, checking times and placing people in their correct positions. The people who sponsor the pageant work the hardest of all."

When she returned home, The Chronicle celebrated her achievements.

"We are proud of Vivian," proclaimed the newspaper's opinion page.

"Victory isn't always a measure of worth," its editorial said, "Augustans are just as proud of their Vivian Davis as if she had been crowned."

Bill Kirby has reported, photographed and commented on life in Augusta and Georgia for 45 years.

This article originally appeared on Augusta Chronicle: Vivian Davis: Miss Augusta to Miss Georgia to the Miss America stage