A glittering tiara. A bouquet of roses. Thunderous applause. Flashing lights from cameras taking photos.

These are the things most of us think about, when we imagine what it’s like to be crowned as Miss America. But what’s it really like to hear your name called as the winner and take that first walk down the runway?

Alabama’s Heather Whitestone McCallum certainly can answer that question, as the 1995 winner of Miss America.

Whitestone McCallum, a Dothan native, made history in 1994, becoming the first deaf woman to win Miss America. She competed in the national pageant in September 1994, after winning the title of Miss Alabama earlier that year. Whitestone McCallum lost her hearing in early childhood due to a severe ear infection. She became a strong advocate for people with disabilities, and now lives in Georgia with her husband and four sons.

Whitestone McCallum recently returned to her home state to celebrate another Alabama native, Abbie Stockard, who earned the title of Miss America 2025. Stockard, 22, from Birmingham, was feted by her hometown on Saturday, Feb. 22, 2025, with several events, including an autograph party, a gala dinner and a showcase concert.

Whitestone McCallum, who attended Saturday’s dinner and show, reflected on her crowning moment as Miss America during an interview with AL.com. Although it happened about 30 years ago, Whitestone McCallum had no trouble remembering how she felt when her name was called at the pageant’s finale in Atlantic City.

Heather Whitestone, an Alabama native, was named Miss America 1995. Whitestone lost her hearing at age 18 months, due to a severe ear infection. (Photo courtesy of Miss America Organization)

“Actually, when they first announced who won the crown, I didn’t know because I could not read lips when they announced who won,” Whitestone McCallum said. “So the first runner-up to me, Miss Virginia, she turned to me, and she pointed at me and said, ‘You won.’

“My first reaction was shock, because usually, in the past 10 years before I won, whoever won like, the talent competition and the swimsuit competition, often become first runner-up.

“So I was expecting to be first runner-up, not to win, and so that’s why I was shocked,” Whitestone McCallum continued. “I felt overwhelmed when I walked down the runway, waving, you know, to people. I was looking for my family so I could say ‘I love you.’ Everybody in the audience was waving, ‘I love you.’ I cannot find my family. So I found them finally, and I wave, and I say ‘I love you.’

“I remember feeling scared at first, because I understood that when you become the first of something, which means like when I became the first woman (to win Miss America) with a disability, that’s a lot of responsibility as a role model. And you have the whole world watching you very closely. So it’s scary at first, but then, of course, my family and my faith in God, it helped me to get through,” Whitestone McCallum said. “That’s how I survived as Miss America.”

Whitestone McCallum, who turned 52 on Monday, also celebrated her birthday in advance over the weekend, with relatives who attended the Birmingham events in Stockard’s honor. Whitestone McCallum’s mother, Daphne Gray; her aunt, Stephanie Ward; and her sister, Melissa GoMillion, were all smiles at the dinner on Saturday — and all three said they knew Heather could accomplish anything she set out to do, including win Miss America.

Alabama's Miss Americas

Alabama’s 2nd Miss America, Heather Whitestone McCallum, left, and her mom Daphne Gray, Aunt Stephanie Ward, and sister Melissa GoMillion, at Miss America 2025 Abbie Stockard’s homecoming celebration dinner, in Vestavia Hills, Alabama, Saturday, February 22, 2025. (Tamika Moore/Al.com) Al.com

Along with Whitestone McCallum and Stockard, two other women from Alabama have won the title of Miss America: Deidre Downs, Miss America 2005, and Yolande Betbeze, Miss America 1951.

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