Carrying on tradition, preserving history
Emma Miller's reign as Oregon Dairy Princess Ambassador is about to go down in history, and some of her most memorable moments have come in classrooms and gymnasiums.
Miller has visited 81 elementary schools, including the two she attended in Monmouth as a young girl, and made presentations to more than 15,000 children about the importance of dairy nutrition and the rigors of dairy farm life. After each 30-minute spiel, she usually fielded questions and comments, some of them priceless.
“Where’s the dairy prince?” is one of her all-time favorites. (There isn’t one.)
"Your hair is so pretty, it’s just like my golden retriever” is another. (She took that as a compliment.)
Interactions like those are what Miller will miss most as she prepares to crown her successor in January.
“It’s been a lot of fun,” said Miller, a senior at Oregon State University who is majoring in agriculture sciences and plans to become a high school Ag teacher and FAA adviser. “I’ve gotten to meet people all over state of Oregon and been able to travel. It’s been a very valuable experience.”
She is the latest in a long line of state and county princesses representing the Oregon Dairy Women, a nonprofit organization that promotes the dairy industry through educational programs but is best known for serving ice cream at the Oregon State Fair.
The dairy princess tradition dates back to when Nancy Garner was crowned as the first state princess in 1959. Garner’s crown, dress and sash will be on display at Willamette Heritage Center in early January leading up to the state contest Saturday, Jan. 23, which will be held at Salem Convention Center.
The history of the program is sacred to the Oregon Dairy Women, more than 150 strong and on a mission to reconnect with past princesses to develop an alumni network. Recent mentions in our newspaper have helped them make headway.
“I’m assuming we’ll keep getting more people coming out of the woodwork,” said Jessica Kliewer, state director for the princess ambassador program. “But we’re still missing a lot.”
Mary Swearingen, Marion County princess and state alternate in 2007, is the group’s official historian. While scouring the internet for clues to past princesses, she came across a dozen or so photographs on ebay.
“I didn’t asked permission, I just purchased them. I figured I’d ask for forgiveness later,” Swearingen said. “It’s important for us to have them.”
Members of the organization were delighted with what she found, and she did get reimbursed.
“They were actually really surprised there were photos out there circulating that they didn’t know about or hadn't seen,” Swearingen said. “A lot of these dairy women have been doing program since early '80s. If you hand them a photo and they don’t know the girls, it’s pretty shocking.”
Marion County, which has had four state winners, has kept relatively good records but doesn't have current contact information for many of its princesses, mostly from the 1970s, 1980s and 1990s.
Records for Polk County, which has never had a state winner, are spotty. Although Miller is from Polk County, she represented Linn-Benton when she was crowned. She lives in Corvallis, which is in Benton County and where Oregon State is located.
Past information is needed for other counties as well, including Columbia, Clackamas, Coos, Lane, Linn and Benton, Malheur, Multnomah, Rogue, Washington, Tillamook, Yamhill, Union, Central Oregon (Deschutes, Crook and Jefferson), Clatsop, Jackson, Douglas, Klamath and Josephine.
“Our biggest challenge right now is identifying past county princesses from counties that don’t participate anymore,” Kliewer said.
A past princess from Union County came forward during a reunion at the Oregon State Fair and shared a program from 1962. Inside is a group photo with 21 princesses. Only six counties — Columbia, Linn-Benton, Marion, Polk, Washington and Yamhill — will be represented in the upcoming state contest.
“Forward This” appears Wednesdays and Sundays and highlights the people, places and organizations of the Mid-Willamette Valley. Contact Capi Lynn at clynn@StatesmanJournal.com or (503) 399-6710, or follow her the rest of the week on Twitter @CapiLynn and Facebook @CapiLynnSJ.
How to help
The Oregon Dairy Women, a nonprofit organization dedicated to promoting the dairy industry, is developing an alumni network and compiling contact information for past dairy princesses. If you were a past Oregon Dairy Princess or know someone who was, please contact Mary Swearingen at swearingenmary@gmail.com or (503) 602-3830.