Now, as the Michigan Park resident of Northeast Washington prepares for the Ms. Senior America pageant, Aug. 17-23 in Biloxi, Miss., she asks her family and friends to keep her in their prayers when she competes again.

"Harriet was telling everyone at last year’s contest that she was ‘grooming me’ for 1998," Terry said of her neighbor, Harriet Brockington. "Of course, she must have groomed me well," continued Terry, who won the contest’s $300 prize, the Ms. Senior D.C. Trophy, a necklace and a certificate of recognition.

A resident of Ward 5 for 45 years, Terry competed with women from six of the District’s eight wards in the pageant on June 7th at the University of the District of Columbia. Since 1981 the Ms. Senior D.C. Pageant has honored women 60 or older "who exemplify dignity, maturity and inner beauty of senior Americans," according to the Washington Urban League, one of the pageant’s local sponsors. The D.C. Senior Cameo Club, Family and Child Service of Washing-ton and the D.C. Office of Aging also sponsored the contest.

"It was awesome. When they announced my name, my family and people from the news kept pulling on me," said Terry, who had not previously been a pageant contestant. She said her closest experience came from modeling at her church.

"My family and friends were in the audience ‘ooing’ and ‘aahing’ and clapping," said Terry, who has been married for 48 years and has three children, five grandchildren and two great-grandchildren.

Terry’s iridescent gown and peach cape may have been one of the reasons she received that response. She said she had the gown made like the one shown in an issue of Ebony magazine. "I think the talent and evening gown portions played an important part in the competition," she said.

"Everything I received from the pageant, I worked hard for and earned it," she said.

Contestants are judged on an interview, talent, a 45-second oration on their philosophy in life, and in evening gowns.

The first runner-up for Ms. Senior D.C. 1998 was Pearl Minor Perry from Ward 6

and the second runner-up was Jean Todd Brooks from Ward 1.

Terry, who also sings in the choir at the Faith United Church of Christ in Northeast Washington, showed her love for singing when she sang an upbeat gospel song called "Well Done" in the pageant. Terry said she has also received an outstanding service award for performing in her church choir.

"My accompanist helped me out. It wasn’t just me," said Terry who got the keyboard player and drummer from her church to accompany her. Besides singing, Terry dances and writes skits. In the past few months, people have mentioned a marketing career to Terry because she sold a lot of ads and 100 tickets for this year’s pageant.

"I’ve never taken a class in marketing, but usually if I know about a product well enough and I like it, it’s easy for me to sell," said Terry. Over the years, she has sold Avon, black Christmas cards and dinners for women’s day at her church.

Terry said she is excited about the national competition in Mississippi in August, partially because she has never visited the state.

"They’re already asking for me to send my music down," she said. "I wasn’t finding anything until someone told me to go to the library. I found some things I thought I could never find."

According to the Urban League, Ms. Senior D.C. should have a positive outlook on life and be active in her community. Terry seems to fill the bill.

"My grandmother was my inspiration in everything I do. She raised me and worked as a midwife," said Terry, who is a retired emergency room nurse from Providence Hospital in Northeast Washington. Terry now volunteers with other senior citizens at Washington Hospital Center. She also is working with local senior citizen organizations and D.C. City Council members to help revive some nonprofit programs for seniors that have fallen by the wayside.

"I’m going to use my crown to work for my community. I’m not just going to wear it," she said.

Copyright 1998, The Common Denominator