Face In The Waiting Room
I always say that we all have a story to tell. Our lives, while normal to us, can be very interesting to
others. Over the years I am always amazed at the incredible lives my patients have lead. You never know who
someone might be until you ask. With their permission, some of our patients have agreed to let me tell you
about them. Look closely because the next time you visit our office, you may be sitting next to a celebrity
and not even know it!
Gloria Gruber is now a grandmother of 11, but in her prime,
you would have had to call her “Miss Texas”. She represented Texas in the Miss Universe pageant in 1957, placing in the top 10. Gloria,
or GG as she likes to be called, grew up in Corpus Christi. “As a
child my mom entered me into pageants, but I was always a tomboy at heart.
I would have rather been out playing ball with the boys.” In high school, she and two friends formed a singing trio and called themselves the Lee Sisters. They
gained enough attention to be invited to go to New York to sing on the Arthur Godfrey Radio Program which
led to a recording contract with Palace Records out of California.
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Their single, “On A Wing and A Prayer” made it into the Top 20 on the Texas
Radio charts. They were invited to be a warm up act for none other than the
King, Elvis Pressley. “I remember that they had stretchers available for all
the girls who would pass out when they saw him. It was quite an experience.”
But pageants were never too far away and in 1957 she was selected as Miss
Corpus Christi which led to her victory at the Miss Texas pageant.
“In those days, there were two different pageants. One went toward Miss USA and
Miss Universe which I did, and the other toward Miss America.” After competing
and placing well, scandal broke out when the Miss USA winner was found out to have been married,
which was against the rules. The runner-up was eventually given the crown. After
the pageant days were over, Gloria had three children who now all live in Austin near
her. Her oldest son, Kelly, was drafted out of high school and eventually went on to
play third base for the Toronto Blue Jays when they won the World Series. Her real
joy now is her grandchildren. Her favorite moments are watching them compete, but
no matter how well they do, they’ll have a hard time outshining their grand mom!
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