Ex-Mrs. California, of Laguna Hills, Keeps on Smiling

Before she captured last year’s Mrs. California crown, Pamela Walker, 32, had never won in the three other pageants she entered.

The Mrs. California Pageant was also the first beauty contest she had entered in 14 years. “I would always make it to the top 10 or better,” said the Laguna Hills resident of her earlier competitions. “They were all positive experiences.”

Even though she was named third runner-up in the recent Mrs. America contest in Las Vegas, Walker called it a “win-win” situation.

“I didn’t get the crown, but I walked away with additional confidence, experience and new friends,” she said. “I was excited just to be in the top five.”

The one-time Miss Georgia Teenager contestant said she believes that married women “have more to offer in this type of pageant. They have more experience and maturity since they usually have an education, two careers and one or two children.”

Walker, the oldest of the four Mrs. America finalists, said not having children might have hurt her chances for the national crown. “Having children seems to fit with the title,” she said.

However, she feels that winner Jennifer Johnson, 28, of Oklahoma, the mother of two, was a “wonderful choice.”

It was at the urging of her husband, Monte Walker, a Coca-Cola Co. executive, that Pamela decided to enter the Mrs. California contest last year.

“Most pageants are done in good taste, and I thought this would even be better because of the maturity of the contestants,” she said.

While Walker doesn’t consider herself a feminist, “I believe in many of the things they support, such as equal pay for equal work,” said the one-time flight attendant.

Walker said she has received more positive that negative reactions to her pageant participation. “People who feel negative are in the minority,” she stated.

However, she added, “beauty contests are not for everyone. But they are good . . . for me.”

And that goes for the rigors of competition, too.

“Preparing for the (Mrs. America) competition, I worked out every other day for eight weeks with my health and fitness trainer to get my shape and tone in order,” said Walker, who is an aerobics instructor. “Even if I’m not competing, I work hard on my physique.”

Keeping in shape helped her, she said, during her reign as Mrs. California, a title now held by Martha Glaves of Gold River, a town near Sacramento.

During her reign, Walker made 52 personal appearances that included speaking engagements, celebrity fashion shows and judging other beauty pageants.

“I had a great year and helped raise $300,000” for charity, she said.

After Concordia Elementary School in San Clemente adopted an injured sea lion from the Laguna Beach-based Friends of the Sea Lion, students were faced with giving it a name.

So the PTA sponsored a naming contest, which drew 200 student entries.

“Mr. Whiskers” was the winning name. It was submitted by fifth-grader Melanie Lee Hitchcock, who received a sea lion patch and a book about sea lions for her effort.

Kindergartner Jarek Hawksley and sixth-grader Nicole Alilouthe came close.

They both suggested “Whiskers.”

Acknowledgements--Competing against 21 of the best teams in the country at the National Drill Team Competition at Santa Monica City College, the Huntington Beach High School Drill Team took first place overall in the Large Drill category and won the right to represent the United States in an international competition in Japan in August.