There'll be no Miss Texas in next year's Miss America Pageant unless the state pageant severs all ties to its former chairman, accused of making lewd comments to contestants, the national pageant says.
B. Don Magness, voluntary chairman of the Texas pageant for 20 years, resigned in August, just before this year's national contest. But he stayed on the pageant's board of directors, saying news reports depicted him unfairly.After a two-month investigation, national pageant director Leonard Horn said Tuesday he will strip the Texas contest of its franchise - barring its winner from the Miss America competition - unless Magness stays off the state board for at least three years.
"The fundamental requirement imposed by all of the volunteers running local and state pageants across this country is to conduct themselves with dignity and professionalism," Horn said in a statement.
A Life magazine article in August quoted Magness as yelling, "Come on in, sluts!" to a group of Miss Texas contestants. He was quoted as making other sexually explicit remarks as well.