Armi Kuusela
Encyclopedia
Armi Helena Kuusela is a Finnish beauty queen
. In 1952 she won the national beauty contest
Suomen Neito
and was presented with a trip to the United States
to participate in the first-ever Miss Universe
pageant, becoming its first titleholder in history.
, Canada
and later married there. Their first baby was born in Canada. After several years in Canada, they returned to Finland to settle in Muhos
. Martta gave birth to five girls and one boy; one of the girls died when only two-and-a-half years old. Kuusela was born on August 20, 1934, she was the fourth oldest of the children.
She went to middle school
in Muhos, and in 1951 she started attending the women's college
in Porvoo
. Kuusela liked swimming
, skiing
, gymnastics
and after successfully completing her Abitur
, she intended to apply to the University of Helsinki
Gymnastics Institute.
's national pageant, Suomen Neito
, on May 24, 1952, she was awarded a box of chocolate
s, a gold
bangle
, and a two-way ticket
sponsored by Pan American Airways to the United States
. On June 17, Kuusela took a flight to Long Beach, California
and the first Miss Universe
contest.
Thirty contestants participated in the first Miss Universe pageant
in 1952. The pageant was held on June 29, 1952, and Kuusela, as Suomen Neito
, captured the crown. At her crowning she was only 17 years old. At the time she weighed 49 kg (108 lb), and her height was 1.65 metre.
Immediately after her winning there was a Finnish movie made of her, called Maailman kaunein tyttö (World's most beautiful girl) where she played herself, and Tauno Palo
acted Jack Coleman (opposite role). It was directed by Veikko Itkonen, with writing credits going to Mika Waltari
.
businessman, Virgilio Hilario. Less than a year later after being crowned, on May 4, 1953 Kuusela chose to give up her Miss Universe crown before her year was finished to marry Hilario in Tokyo. It was a whirlwind courtship. They met in March at a dance in Bagulo, the summer capital of the Phillipines. Miss Universe had gone to the Islands for the International Trade Exposition. They honeymooned in the Hawaiian Islands, toured the United States and then Europe[3], before settling in the the Philippines
where they had five children:
Kuusela briefly managed the Manila
apartment complex where she and Hilario lived before moving to an exclusive community called Forbes Park. Their house was on a road informally known as "Millionaire Street".
She was also in one film in the Philippines around this time.
, Albert Williams, on June 8, 1978. First they moved to Barcelona
, then to İzmir
, Turkey
before settling in La Jolla, a community in San Diego
, California
. As of 2011, she and her husband were still living there. She is still active in her community, participating in charities
and involved in cancer research
at the Sanford-Burnham Medical Research Institute.
Beauty Queen
"Beauty Queen" is the second song from Roxy Music's second album, For Your Pleasure. The lyrics refer to Ferry's girlfriend, Valerie Leon, one-time UK beauty queen, B-movie actress and model working in the Newcastle area, circa 1973.-Musicians:...
. In 1952 she won the national beauty contest
Beauty contest
A beauty pageant or beauty contest, is a competition that mainly focuses on the physical beauty of its contestants, although such contests often incorporate personality, talent, and answers to judges' questions as judged criteria...
Suomen Neito
Suomen Neito
Suomen Neito is a traditional Finnish beauty contest. The most prestigious beauty contest in Finland, however, is Miss Suomi ....
and was presented with a trip to the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
to participate in the first-ever Miss Universe
Miss Universe 1952
Miss Universe 1952, the very first Miss Universe pageant, was held on June 28, 1952 at the Long Beach Municipal Auditorium in Long Beach, California, USA. 30 contestants competed for the crown...
pageant, becoming its first titleholder in history.
Early life
Kuusela's parents, Aarne Kuusela (father) and Martta Kyrö (mother) met each other in OntarioOntario
Ontario is a province of Canada, located in east-central Canada. It is Canada's most populous province and second largest in total area. It is home to the nation's most populous city, Toronto, and the nation's capital, Ottawa....
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
and later married there. Their first baby was born in Canada. After several years in Canada, they returned to Finland to settle in Muhos
Muhos
Muhos is a municipality of Finland.It is located in the province of Oulu half an hour drive on route 22 from the city of Oulu, the capital of Northern Finland and is part of the Northern Ostrobothnia region. The municipality has a population of and covers an area of of which is water...
. Martta gave birth to five girls and one boy; one of the girls died when only two-and-a-half years old. Kuusela was born on August 20, 1934, she was the fourth oldest of the children.
She went to middle school
Middle school
Middle School and Junior High School are levels of schooling between elementary and high schools. Most school systems use one term or the other, not both. The terms are not interchangeable...
in Muhos, and in 1951 she started attending the women's college
Women's college
Women's colleges in higher education are undergraduate, bachelor's degree-granting institutions, often liberal arts colleges, whose student populations are composed exclusively or almost exclusively of women...
in Porvoo
Porvoo
Porvoo is a city and a municipality situated on the southern coast of Finland approximately east of Helsinki. Porvoo is one of the six medieval towns in Finland, first mentioned as a city in texts from 14th century...
. Kuusela liked swimming
Swimming (sport)
Swimming is a sport governed by the Fédération Internationale de Natation .-History: Competitive swimming in Europe began around 1800 BCE, mostly in the form of the freestyle. In 1873 Steve Bowyer introduced the trudgen to Western swimming competitions, after copying the front crawl used by Native...
, skiing
Skiing
Skiing is a recreational activity using skis as equipment for traveling over snow. Skis are used in conjunction with boots that connect to the ski with use of a binding....
, gymnastics
Gymnastics
Gymnastics is a sport involving performance of exercises requiring physical strength, flexibility, agility, coordination, and balance. Internationally, all of the gymnastic sports are governed by the Fédération Internationale de Gymnastique with each country having its own national governing body...
and after successfully completing her Abitur
Abitur
Abitur is a designation used in Germany, Finland and Estonia for final exams that pupils take at the end of their secondary education, usually after 12 or 13 years of schooling, see also for Germany Abitur after twelve years.The Zeugnis der Allgemeinen Hochschulreife, often referred to as...
, she intended to apply to the University of Helsinki
University of Helsinki
The University of Helsinki is a university located in Helsinki, Finland since 1829, but was founded in the city of Turku in 1640 as The Royal Academy of Turku, at that time part of the Swedish Empire. It is the oldest and largest university in Finland with the widest range of disciplines available...
Gymnastics Institute.
Miss Universe
When Kuusela won her countryFinland
Finland , officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country situated in the Fennoscandian region of Northern Europe. It is bordered by Sweden in the west, Norway in the north and Russia in the east, while Estonia lies to its south across the Gulf of Finland.Around 5.4 million people reside...
's national pageant, Suomen Neito
Suomen Neito
Suomen Neito is a traditional Finnish beauty contest. The most prestigious beauty contest in Finland, however, is Miss Suomi ....
, on May 24, 1952, she was awarded a box of chocolate
Chocolate
Chocolate is a raw or processed food produced from the seed of the tropical Theobroma cacao tree. Cacao has been cultivated for at least three millennia in Mexico, Central and South America. Its earliest documented use is around 1100 BC...
s, a gold
Gold
Gold is a chemical element with the symbol Au and an atomic number of 79. Gold is a dense, soft, shiny, malleable and ductile metal. Pure gold has a bright yellow color and luster traditionally considered attractive, which it maintains without oxidizing in air or water. Chemically, gold is a...
bangle
Bangle
Bangles or churi are traditional ornaments worn mostly by South Asian women in India and Bangladesh, especially Hindus. It is tradition that the bride will try to wear as many small glass bangles as possible at her wedding and the honeymoon will end when the last bangle breaks...
, and a two-way ticket
Ticket (admission)
A ticket is a voucher that indicates that one has paid for admission to an event or establishment such as a theatre, movie theater, amusement park, zoo, museum, concert, or other attraction, or permission to travel on a vehicle such as an airliner, train, bus, or boat, typically because one has...
sponsored by Pan American Airways to the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. On June 17, Kuusela took a flight to Long Beach, California
Long Beach, California
Long Beach is a city situated in Los Angeles County in Southern California, on the Pacific coast of the United States. The city is the 36th-largest city in the nation and the seventh-largest in California. As of 2010, its population was 462,257...
and the first Miss Universe
Miss Universe
Miss Universe is an annual international beauty contest that is run by the Miss Universe Organization. The pageant is the most publicized beauty contest in the world with 600 million viewers....
contest.
Thirty contestants participated in the first Miss Universe pageant
Beauty contest
A beauty pageant or beauty contest, is a competition that mainly focuses on the physical beauty of its contestants, although such contests often incorporate personality, talent, and answers to judges' questions as judged criteria...
in 1952. The pageant was held on June 29, 1952, and Kuusela, as Suomen Neito
Suomen Neito
Suomen Neito is a traditional Finnish beauty contest. The most prestigious beauty contest in Finland, however, is Miss Suomi ....
, captured the crown. At her crowning she was only 17 years old. At the time she weighed 49 kg (108 lb), and her height was 1.65 metre.
Immediately after her winning there was a Finnish movie made of her, called Maailman kaunein tyttö (World's most beautiful girl) where she played herself, and Tauno Palo
Tauno Palo
Tauno Valdemar Palo was a Finnish actor and singer in what some consider the golden age of Finnish cinema....
acted Jack Coleman (opposite role). It was directed by Veikko Itkonen, with writing credits going to Mika Waltari
Mika Waltari
Mika Toimi Waltari was a Finnish writer, best known for his best-selling novel The Egyptian .- Early life :...
.
Marriage
On February 22, 1953, Kuusela took a journey round the world, during which time she met a FilipinoFilipino people
The Filipino people or Filipinos are an Austronesian ethnic group native to the islands of the Philippines. There are about 92 million Filipinos in the Philippines, and about 11 million living outside the Philippines ....
businessman, Virgilio Hilario. Less than a year later after being crowned, on May 4, 1953 Kuusela chose to give up her Miss Universe crown before her year was finished to marry Hilario in Tokyo. It was a whirlwind courtship. They met in March at a dance in Bagulo, the summer capital of the Phillipines. Miss Universe had gone to the Islands for the International Trade Exposition. They honeymooned in the Hawaiian Islands, toured the United States and then Europe[3], before settling in the the Philippines
Philippines
The Philippines , officially known as the Republic of the Philippines , is a country in Southeast Asia in the western Pacific Ocean. To its north across the Luzon Strait lies Taiwan. West across the South China Sea sits Vietnam...
where they had five children:
- Arne Hilario, married with 3 children, lives in Chile
- Anna-Lisa De Gari, married with 2 children, lives in Spain
- Jussi Hilario, married, lives in Canada
- Eva-Maria Hess, married with 2 children, lives in United States
- Mikko Hilario, lives in the Philippines
Kuusela briefly managed the Manila
Manila
Manila is the capital of the Philippines. It is one of the sixteen cities forming Metro Manila.Manila is located on the eastern shores of Manila Bay and is bordered by Navotas and Caloocan to the north, Quezon City to the northeast, San Juan and Mandaluyong to the east, Makati on the southeast,...
apartment complex where she and Hilario lived before moving to an exclusive community called Forbes Park. Their house was on a road informally known as "Millionaire Street".
She was also in one film in the Philippines around this time.
Later life
Hilario died of a heart attack on September 7, 1975, and Kuusela married an American diplomatDiplomat
A diplomat is a person appointed by a state to conduct diplomacy with another state or international organization. The main functions of diplomats revolve around the representation and protection of the interests and nationals of the sending state, as well as the promotion of information and...
, Albert Williams, on June 8, 1978. First they moved to Barcelona
Barcelona
Barcelona is the second largest city in Spain after Madrid, and the capital of Catalonia, with a population of 1,621,537 within its administrative limits on a land area of...
, then to İzmir
Izmir
Izmir is a large metropolis in the western extremity of Anatolia. The metropolitan area in the entire Izmir Province had a population of 3.35 million as of 2010, making the city third most populous in Turkey...
, Turkey
Turkey
Turkey , known officially as the Republic of Turkey , is a Eurasian country located in Western Asia and in East Thrace in Southeastern Europe...
before settling in La Jolla, a community in San Diego
San Diego, California
San Diego is the eighth-largest city in the United States and second-largest city in California. The city is located on the coast of the Pacific Ocean in Southern California, immediately adjacent to the Mexican border. The birthplace of California, San Diego is known for its mild year-round...
, California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
. As of 2011, she and her husband were still living there. She is still active in her community, participating in charities
Charitable organization
A charitable organization is a type of non-profit organization . It differs from other types of NPOs in that it centers on philanthropic goals A charitable organization is a type of non-profit organization (NPO). It differs from other types of NPOs in that it centers on philanthropic goals A...
and involved in cancer research
Cancer research
Cancer research is basic research into cancer in order to identify causes and develop strategies for prevention, diagnosis, treatments and cure....
at the Sanford-Burnham Medical Research Institute.