Johnson, Charly 2025-06-29

This interview features Charly Johnson—a prominent figure in the debutant and beauty pageant sphere around Texas. Johnson describes her early involvement with beauty pageants alongside Guy and Rex in El Paso, who mentored her into her adult life as a beauty pageant director. She explains the history behind debutantes, specifically Lubbock and Texas debutantes, and her family’s involvement in the Lubbock Symphony Guild’s debutante program.

General Interview Information

Interviewee Name: Charly Johnson

Additional Parties Recorded:

Date: June 29, 2025

Location: Lubbock, Texas

Interviewer: Kylie Kincaid

Length: 01:55:26 (1 hour 55 minutes)

Abstract

Introduction and background information; College experience; Working pageants; The El Paso pageant; Running pageants and training girls for pageants; talent; Judging and voting in pageants; how the pageant experience shaped her; What a pageant day looks like; how pageantry has changed; Misconceptions about pageantry; Debutantes; Jewel Debutante; Volunteer work through debutantes; being on the board; Closing statements

Access Information

Original Recording Format: born digital

Recording Format Notes: patrons may listen to audio in our reading room

Transcript: transcript available on dspace

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