Georgia Carroll Kyser: 1919-2011

Model, actress, muse, and historic preservation pioneer Georgia Carroll Kyser has died at the age of 91.  People in Dallas know her whether they realize it or not. She was the model for the Spirit of the Centennial statute, which is a centerpiece of the amazing collection of art deco art and architecture in Fair Park, home of the Texas State Fair:

 Carroll Kyser was born in Bloomington, Texas and raised in Dallas. When she was 16, she entered the Miss Bluebonnet pageant staged in conjunction with the 1936 Texas Centennial Celebration at Fair Park.  She lost, but one of the judges, artist Raoul Josset, remembered her and asked her to pose for the statute he was creating.  She agreed to pose, not not in the nude, so only the statute's face is hers. 

When she was 17, her mother took her to New York where she signed with a modeling agency.  Her very first job was the cover of Redbook, the first of 9 times she graced it's cover.  She also sat for Edward Steichen and did the covers of Vogue, Cosmopolitan, and Ladies Home Journal.  She was offered a contract with Warner Brothers and went to Hollywood.  She appeared in 14 movies and became the featured singer with Kay Kyser's big band.  She eloped to Vegas with the bandleader in 1944 and stayed married until his death in 1985.  In the early 1950s, the Kysers moved to Chapel Hill, NC, which was Mr. Kyser's home town.  Carroll became active in historic preservation efforts and founded the Chapel Hill Preservation Society in 1972.  She also raised three children and, along the way, earned a degree from the University of North Carolina.  She is survived by 2 children and 5 grandchildren.