Background
Ay was born the daughter of German immigrants in Ephrata, Pennsylvania.
Ay was born the daughter of German immigrants in Ephrata, Pennsylvania.
University of Pennsylvania.
She had a short but successful career in smaller beauty contests. As Mission Ephrata Fair and Tobacco Queen of Lancaster County in 1950, she wore a crown that looked like tobacco leaves. In a 1993 interview, "Evvy" said she was surprised at her victories.
"That was the ultimate role model, like being Doris Day in real life." She embarked on her career as a favor to a friend who was trying to promote a pageant for the Junior Chamber International (JayCees).
She traveled 270,000 miles (434,523 km) during her yearlong reign, and remained active with the pageant for many years, judging many local pageants and the national Mission America contest in 1981. Carl Sempier died in 2007.
Sempier officially introduced the Nash Metropolitan at the 1954 Chicago Auto Show. She was a spokesperson for Nash Motors in promoting the first American car that was marketed specifically to women.
Between the 1960s and 1990s, she made frequent appearances as a motivational speaker to women"s and business groups.
Evelyn Ay Sempier died on October 18, 2008 of colorectal cancer.