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New Mrs. N. C. talks about losses, wins By Bobbi Martin SPECIAL TO THE ENTERPRISE Donna Hoogland could not believe her ears when the emcee said she was the new Mrs. North Carolina.
"I have been entering beauty pageants for the past 10 years, and I'm used to hearing 'and the runner-up is,'" she said Thursday in an interview at the Radisson Hotel. She won the state title earlier this year.
Then, in June, she heard the familiar words again in Las Vegas, Nev., when she was crowned second runner up in the Mrs. United Stated competition.
The 25-year-old Union County resident is in High Point to attend the annual conference of the North Carolina Ssociation of Assistant Clerks and Deputy Clerks. She works full time as a deputy superior court clerk.
"I started competing in beauty pageants when I was 15 years old," she said. "My mother encouraged me, but never pushed me. She impressed upon me that winning isn't everything. Learning to compete and get along with others, not to mention learning how to lose graciously, were all valuable lessons."
However, Donna admits that some of those lessons were hard to learn. She remembers those times just before final competition when her shoes were stolen, her clothes torn and cigarette burns made on her gowns.
'I never understood why it happened," she said. "But it helped give me the confidence I needed to meet other goals in my life."
The 5-foot-5 inch blue-eyed brunette lives with her husband Peter, a Charlotte stockbrocker, in Monroe, near Marshfield, where Donna was born. They have two small children, Peter Andrew, 2, and Lauren Ashley, 3. Lauren recently claimed her first beauty title in the N.C. Little Cinderella Pageant.
The title of Mrs. America doesn't represent what it used to, Donna says. There is less emphasis on homemaking and more attention given to educational
[(Staff photo by Don Davis Jr.)
Donna Hoogland receives plaque from Estie Bennington]
goals and family skills. "The pressures of daily living can easily limit the family's time together," she said. "Without realizing it, we can grow apart, and stop learnng from one another."
Even though she is seldom asked her personal views on today's issues, Donna doesn't hesitate to speak out She believes that drugs and adolescent sex are prolems in even the small towns. She blames thaat, in part, on the failure of parents to recognize or face their children's problems of peer pressure to experiment.
Donna doesn't approve of abortion, except in cases of rape or incest, where, she says, the victim should have the option of abortion. If the woman cannot afford it, the state should provide the necessary funds.
The former fashion model and flight attendant manages to balance her full-time deputy clerk job with
"My mother encouraged me, but never pushed me. She impressed upon me that winning isn't everything. Learning to compete and get along with others, not to mention learning how to lose graciously, were all valuable lessons." - Donna Hoogland
her ribbon cuttings, holiday parades, and grand openings.
In Thursday's opening session of the conference, Estie Bennington of High Point, the group's state president, recognized Donna as a a credit to all women in the state who daily handle the rigors of a family and a career.
When asked if she has ever considered being a full-time wife and mother, Donna replied, "I would not give up my job. I like what I do and I feel good about myself. My children are well taken care of and we have a good time together."
And on the subject of divorce, she said, "Children need both parents. Divorce is the saddest thing families face today. Peter and I are going to work very hard to see that doesn't happen. I like the Mrs part of this title."