Having arrived in Honolulu a few days earlier and adhering to a busy beauty-pageant schedule, Springfield resident Laurett Ellsworth Arenz was roused from bed on Sept. 11 with news of the terrorist attacks. That morning she chose not to go down to breakfast with the other Mrs. America contestants.
"They came rushing in the room, 'Turn on the television.' I was sobbing in my room, my family was near the Pentagon," she said, although none of her family was involved.
It was that moment and then walking away with a crown a few days later that made the pageant an experience of a lifetime for 40-year-old Arenz.
"I'm really honored to represent America right now," she said.
Arenz noted how the terrorist attacks affected the pageant contestants as well, creating an atmosphere where they focused on other things besides themselves.
"As contestants, we were less focused on ourselves. We decided to continue on [with the pageant] because of what President Bush said to continue normal lives," she said.
The crown did fulfill a childhood dream for her, though.
"I've always wanted to be in a pageant since I was a little girl," she said.
Her dream came true threefold when she was crowned Mrs. Virginia, Mrs. USA and Mrs. America. She will travel to the Mrs. World competition in November 2002.
<mh>Other Life
<bt>Arenz does have other duties in her life besides whisking away to appearances and pageants. Her position as a program director of an ABC news program "Business Now" and being a mother of five children — plus two stepchildren — keep her busy.
"I was the only one in the top five that had children," she said. The No. 1 requirement for contestants was to be married, but being a mother too was an added facet.
Arenz is the third in a family of 11 children from Salt Lake City, Utah. She studied dance and psychology at Brigham Young University and taught school while overseas. She has lived in the United Arab Emirates, Israel and Mexico.
A cause the Mrs. America Foundation is working toward this year is osteoporosis. Last year the cause was the City of Hope, a medical facility in southern California.
Arenz will use her location in the Washington D.C. suburbs as well as traveling to help promote programs to curb osteoporosis. So far in January, she has made appearances in New York, Jamaica, Atlanta and Orlando.
"She's on the road quite often. By addressing them [issues, it] sort of improves the conditions of womankind, if not humankind," said David Marmel, president of Marmel Entertainment, which sponsors the pageant.
"I'm going all over the country to speak about preventing this disease," Arenz said.
In addition to holding the title of Mrs. America at age 40 after having five children, she is also the only contestant to hold a previous Mrs. USA title as well. They are two separate pageants.
<mh>Community Involvement
<bt>She is also president of the Burke Toastmasters speaking group, which builds self-esteem as well as giving her a sense of community.
"We have a terrific club. I think it has helped me in pageants," she said.
Burke resident Daria Akers is in Toastmasters as well. She noted how the group took the news of Arenz’ title.
"It's kind of surprising because none of us knew it [Mrs. America] existed, she's perfect for it. She's an incredible speaker," Akers said.
Her stage presence was something the judges noticed too, according to Marmel.
"She's very articulate, makes very compelling appearances. She's terrific," he said.