Gaspee Days Committee History Files |
| The Miss Gaspee Contest |
 1979 was the last year for the fabled Miss
Gaspee Contest. Never intended to be a beauty
contest per se,
local high school girls were invited to write an essay on
a patriotic American theme in competition for up to a $500
cash prize. The winner was ceremoniously crowned
with a tiara and draped with a 'Miss Gaspee' banner at a
photo-op for local media. Miss Gaspee and her court
of runners-up were fȇted in a convertible
before the crowds attending the Gaspee Days Parade.Right: Miss Gaspee, 1979, Cathy Duquette. Photo by Hap Matthews. But in 1980, we are told, one enterprising young man decided that such a contest restricted to females was patently unfair to males, and threatened suit against the Gaspee Days Committee. Much consternation ensued, the local populace was aghast, and newspapers carried the courtroom fight on their front pages. Times being what they were, the Gaspee Days Committee canceled the contest rather than acquiesce to such demands. Nowadays such events seem rather quaint. This was the predecessor of today's Gaspee Essay Contest. We no longer offer a tiara or a banner, and it is open to students of both sexes, albeit now at a younger, junior high school level. And the three winners are still celebrated with a convertible ride down Narragansett Parkway in front of cheering crowds at the Gaspee Days Parade. The last Miss Gaspee, Cathy Duquette, grew up on Sea View Avenue, right here in Pawtuxet Village. And our former Miss Gaspee did quite well for herself, thank you. Cathy E. Duquette, RN, DNP went on to become Vice-President for Nursing and Patient Care Services at Lifespan, and a President of the Rhode Island State Nurses Association. We are all certainly proud of Cathy Duquette as a shining example of things that can be accomplished with hard work and diligence, and we want all students, both male and female, to consider following her into a rewarding career as a nurse. |
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