Tyler, Texas
Miss Texas, Jo-Carroll won her talent competition dressed in a cowgirl outfit, singing "Deep in the Heart of Texas" and was dubbed �The Texas Tornado.� It was wartime, and the Atlantic City Convention Hall was being occupied by the US Army. To keep the show going, pageant officials moved the show to the Warner Theater, also in Atlantic City. After her year of service, Jo-Carroll journeyed to Hollywood, appearing in movies, radio, and television. While in Hollywood, Jo-Carroll met and was briefly married to comedian, Phil Silvers. In the 1950s, she worked behind the scenes as an assistant casting director for Rodgers and Hammerstein in New York and as an associate producer on several television series. As Jo-Carroll explains it, "Working in television's 'Golden Age' was extremely exciting. We were creating something new each week on live TV." During this period in her life, she married Russell Stoneham. Together they had two sons, Peter and John. She devoted herself to raising her family, became a partner in the Los Angeles Theatre Company, and in the early 1980s began her writing career. For eleven years, from 1987 to 1998, Jo-Carroll was in charge of community relations for Hemet Hospice. Jo-Carroll states, "Hospice changed my way of life. Hospice volunteers are 'spiritually realized' and give of themselves to others. I've never been so connected to what I was doing before the hospice." Jo-Carroll, like so many dedicated volunteers continue the Miss America community service concept by leading others, making significant strides through the encouragement they offer to individuals and the devotion they have to their cause.
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