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City Native Crowned Ms. Connecticut Senior America

Debra Eccles

Debra Lawergren Eccles has had a foot in pageantry ever since she was the first runner up in the Mrs. Jamestown America pageant in 1970.

Now a resident of Connecticut, Eccles was crowned Ms. Connecticut Senior America in May — something even more special to her because of her relationship with her grandson.

Eccles grew up on Fluvanna Townline Road, and graduated from Maple Grove High School in 1969. Since moving to Connecticut, she has come back to visit family and friends that still live in the area every year, including for her 50 class reunion in 2019.

Eccles ran for Ms. Connecticut Senior America for two main reasons: to prove myths about aging are wrong and because she is a single parent to her 8-year-old grandson.

“My son was a motorcycle professional,” Eccles said. “At around age 21 or 22 he was hurt badly, and in the midst of that long struggle, he was put on oxycontin, and became addicted. His girlfriend at the time was also addicted, and when their son was born it became a question of me taking him or putting him into foster care. I didn’t want him to go into the system, so at 2 weeks old, I brought my grandson home with me.”

Eccles raised her two sons as a single parent for 26 years after her husband died when they were 11 and 13 years old. At 70 years old now, she is once again a single parent, though her grandson’s father is doing much better than before, and the family is optimistic for the future.

Eccles is also focusing on what she referred to as living a “clean life,” focusing on health that includes drinking a lot of water and eating organic food.

“I haven’t had a soda or coffee in 40 years,” Eccles said.

Eccles’s platform for the Ms. Connecticut Senior America pageant, dubbed by its organizers as the “world’s first and foremost pageant to emphasize and give honor to women who have reached the Age of Elegance,” was focused on grandparents who raise their grandchildren because of her personal experience. Eccles also was Top 10 in the nation at the National Ms Senior America pageant in August, and is currently working with other past title holders to plan the pageant in 2022.

For Eccles, the pageant was an opportunity for her to show America that life does not end when you reach 65 years old — which is also the message of the pageant itself.

The Ms. Senior America pageant was started in 1972 with the philosophy that senior citizens are the foundation of America and one of the country’s most valuable treasures. The pageant looks for any woman over 60 who shows the dignity, maturity and interduty of senior Americans.

“It provides an optimistic outlook for seniors to be involved in anything, really,” Eccles said. “Your retirement years are the best opportunity for personal growth. What this pageant does is allow society to recognize that we can dispel the myth of aging. There’s a myth that when you get over 65, you’re no good anymore, and you kind of get put on the backburner. In reality, seniors have the wealth of knowledge and experience that is the foundation of America.”

Anyone interested in learning more about the Ms. Senior America pageant or competing in it can visit the pageant’s website, mssenioramerica.org.

“Your life is not over at 65,” Eccles said. “You can still dream.”

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