Deanna Lea Gillett,
20, of LaHarpe, will compete for the title of Miss Illinois USA 2003 on November
22nd, 23rd, and 24th, 2002, at the Hyatt Regency McCormick Place in Chicago.
The Hancock-Henderson Quill, Inc.
Deanna Lea Gillett,
20, of LaHarpe, will compete for the title of Miss Illinois USA 2003 on November
22nd, 23rd, and 24th, 2002, at the Hyatt Regency McCormick Place in Chicago.
The approximately 100 contestants were chosen from a pool of almost 1000, based on their application, picture, and a brief interview. The pageant consists of three stages of competition: personal interview, evening gown, and swimsuit.
Miss Gillett is the daughter of Dan and Martha Gillett. Deanna is a junior Accounting major at Western Illinois University in Macomb.
Her sponsors for the pageant include The Enchanted Florist, Heritage Farm Equipment, Gentry Motor Company, Keister's, and Purdum-Epperson, all of Macomb, as well as R&D Foods of LaHarpe.
The Miss Illinois USA Pageant is the Official Preliminary to the Miss USA and Miss Universe Pageants, jointly owned by NBC and Trump Productions.
The young woman chosen as Miss Illinois USA 2003 will go on to represent the state of Illinois in the 2003 Miss USA competition to be broadcast live on NBC television, one of the most anticipated television events of the year.