This Kentucky Native Was Crowned Miss America But She Was Not Miss Kentucky

At an early 2000s Barbecue Festival in Owensboro, when I met former Miss America Heather French Henry, so far the only Kentucky representative to take the crown, I had no idea she actually wasn't the first Kentuckian to win the title.

A Miss America from Kentucky Who Didn't REPRESENT Kentucky

Venus Ramey was born in Somerset, Kentucky, in 1924 and would later be crowned Miss America 1944. She passed away in 2017 and is buried in Pulaski County.

But Venus Ramey was never Miss Kentucky, and that's because of World War II.

Miss America 1944 Venus Ramey's Service to America

When she was just a teen, Ramey moved to Washington DC to contribute to the war effort. As part of the Library of Congress' Veterans History Project, she was profiled by the project's senior reference specialist.

A pin-up girl after winning the Miss America crown while representing the District of Columbia, Venus was immortalized on a B-17 bomber. In fact, the entire crew's survival was credited to her "presence."

But there were more headlines to come.

A Former Miss America Foils a Burglary

After unsuccessful political runs in the early 1950s and the 1970s, Ramey was back in the news in 2007 for a most unlikely reason.

I would have loved to have met Venus Ramey; she seemed like a real pistol...pun intended and kind of unavoidable.

Venus Ramey's Appearance for the Veterans History Project

Apparently not one to let grass grow under her feet, Ramey spoke on behalf of the Veterans History Project several years ago. It's a lengthy interview which really gets going at the 3:48 mark:

Venus Ramey's was truly a life well-lived, filled with service, fun, excitement, humor, and one unforgettable day in 2007.