Miss USA 2026 Justus Kelley Honors 1957 Winner Mary Leona Gage Before Nov. 24 Miss Universe
Updated
Updated · Fox News · Nov 15
Miss USA 2026 Justus Kelley Honors 1957 Winner Mary Leona Gage Before Nov. 24 Miss Universe
2 articles · Updated · Fox News · Nov 15
Summary
Justus Kelley wore a custom black-and-white coat bearing Mary Leona Gage’s image as she traveled to Puerto Rico for the Nov. 24 Miss Universe pageant.
Kelley said she wanted to recognize Gage, who lost her 1957 Miss USA crown about 24 hours after winning when officials learned she was married and had two children.
The tribute carries extra weight because Kelley, 31, became the first married woman and mother to win Miss USA in August, three years after the pageant opened competition to married women and mothers.
Kelley has framed her reign around the idea that women do not have to choose between family and ambition, drawing on her own experience as a wife, foster mother and founder of foster-care nonprofit Foster Footprints.