Selected By Service Men
This find is from a World War II scrapbook of contestants for the Sturgis Victory Queen contest.
Victory Queen contests were held all over the nation to promote the sale of Victory War Bonds. However, the Sturgis contest had nothing to do with War Bonds.
In 1944, the Sturgis Retail Merchants wanted to boost morale for the 1,500 war-weary Sturgis servicemen. The Victory Queen was, in a sense, their hometown pin-up girl minus the typical Hollywood slant.
The contest was open to all women ages 17 to 23, married or single, within the Sturgis trade area which included all of St. Joseph County, Bronson, Howe and LaGrange, Ind.
For a month, an entry form was printed in the Sturgis Journal. Each contestant was contacted by Tri-State Litho Art Company to arrange a photo session free of charge.
The winner’s prize was a trip to visit her husband, sweetheart, father or brother who was stationed in the continental United States or she could travel to Hollywood or New York. Harold Harvey of the Harvey Paper Company, sponsored the prize. The contest drew more than 150 girls.
All entries were taken to Percy Jones Hospital in Battle Creek where wounded servicemen selected the top 12 girls. Next, photos of the 12 finalists were taken to the Kalamazoo Servicemen’s Center, where three servicemen, a soldier, a sailor and a marine selected the winner.
June Rigby was the winner. She was from Stone Lake, south of White Pigeon. Nine other finalists were chosen as her court. Each Sturgis serviceman received a photo of June via mail after she was crowned Feb. 22, 1945.
June chose a trip to Missouri where her sweetheart, Robert Leister, was stationed. They were married March 15, 1945.
