Heather Whitestone McCallum, Miss America 1995, made sure to congratulate Birmingham’s Abbie Stockard this week after her win as Miss America 2025.
Both women are Alabama natives, and both competed in the national pageant as Miss Alabama. Whitestone McCallum, a Dothan native, also served as one of the judges for the Jan. 5 finals of Miss America 2025, evaluating all the contestants in evening gown, talent, fitness and on-stage question segments. She also returned to the Miss America stage that evening — about 30 years after her own crowning — in a “Forever Miss America” segment that featured previous winners.
“There she is … your new Miss America 2025 Abbie Stockard,” Whitestone McCallum said in a Tuesday post on Instagram. “She represented my home state Alabama at the competition. Still that was not the reason why she got my attention. When I listened to her private interview competition with the preliminary judges on the film, I found her as a humble, thoughtful, loving and sharp woman. She was more than ready to serve America. Congratulations to Abbie.”
Whitestone McCallum, 51, is pictured in a photo with Stockard at the Miss America competition, and both women are wearing big smiles.
“Mrs. Heather, you are amazing!! Thank you,” Stockard said in a comment on the Instagram post. “You are forever an inspiration to me.”
Whitestone McCallum 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 regained her hearing in 2002 through a cochlear implant. She lives in Georgia with her husband and four sons.
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)
Stockard is the fourth Miss Alabama to earn the national title, following in the footsteps of Whitestone and two more previous winners: Deidre Downs, Miss America 2005, and Yolande Betbeze, Miss America 1951.
Stockard, 22, is a student at Auburn University, where she majors in nursing. Her goal is to earn an advanced degree, a doctorate of nurse anesthesia practice, and specialize in pediatrics. The title of Miss America comes with $50,000 in scholarship money and a yearlong reign.
Along with her win as Miss America, Stockard was one of six women who earned the AHA Go Red for Women Leadership Award at the pageant, in affiliation with the American Heart Association. These awards go to contestants who promote women’s heart health in their communities.
“I truly believe that I am equipped with the skills to be an effective Miss America.,” Stockard said in an interview with AL.com before the Miss America finals. “That would be absolutely incredible. I have a plan as Miss America, and I know that I would be an effective brand ambassador. I would help to increase their visibility. And the way I think of myself is, I’m very joyful. I’m very compassionate. I love to serve, and that would be the forefront of my reign.”
READ: Miss Alabama thanks her home state before Miss America finals: ‘Your support means the world’
She’s received plenty of congratulations since the confetti flew on Sunday night, including kudos from Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey and a shout-out from her boyfriend, former Auburn basketball star Walker Kessler, who now plays center for the Utah Jazz.
READ: Gov. Kay Ivey salutes new Miss America from Alabama: ‘Incredibly deserving of this honor’
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Publish date : 2025-01-08 08:57:00
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