After a night of formal wear, talent and competition, Jack Orem, a member of Pi Kappa Alpha Fraternity, was crowned Mr. MSU 2012.
The sisters of Alpha Omicron Pi held their annual Mr. MSU pageant, themed The Lucky King of Hearts, Friday night at Lovett Auditorium.
The pageant is meant to entertain the audience while showcasing the talents of some of Murray State’s leading men.
“It’s just a male pageant that consists of dance, talent and formal wear,” Emily Belt, the philanthropic chair of AOPi and coordinator of Mr. MSU, said.
This year’s contestants included Michael Brehl, Adam David, Michael Dobbs, Dylan Gerlach, Matt Griffith, Erick Holt, Michael Martin, Ian Mathes, Daniel Milam, Darrin Neat, Orem, Dillion Tarrants, Cody Waggoner, Zac Willis and Jamie Wilson.
Holt received the Crowd Appeal award. Martin was honored to have the Best Legs. Neat was awarded Mr. Congeniality. Griffith, Wilson, Martin and Milam were the fourth, third, second and first Mr. MSU runners up. The sisters of AOPi were pleased with the men’s performances and say they all enjoyed working with the contestants and believe they truly have made this year a success.
“We were so excited to have the opportunity to work with these amazing men from different organizations who are so talented,” Jacqlyn Murdock, senior from Murray and member of AOPi, said. “The time and effort they put in to helping us make Mr. MSU a success, and to help us raise money for arthritis research, was appreciated. We are so blessed to have this opportunity to help people with our philanthropy, and it is something that all the sisters of AOPi hold close to our hearts. It was a success not only in that we had a wonderful and entertaining evening, but that we were able to give back to a greater cause.”
The sisters of AOPi host their annual Mr. MSU pageant each year to raise money for their philanthropy project, the Arthritis Foundation.
“This is the 31st annual Mr. MSU (pageant). Last year we raised over $8,000 that all went to the Arthritis Foundation,” Belt said.
This year’s pageant also generated a sizeable donation for the foundation as it raised $5,500 for arthritis research, Emily Belt announced Friday night prior to the announcing of the winners.
The theme of the pageant, The Lucky King of Hearts in Las Vegas, played a role in the program as well as the AOPi sisters accompanied the contestants in the opening number as hearts from a deck of cards. Next in the performance, all contestants took a shot at stunning both the audience and judges – Carmen Garland, Kirby Green and Morris White – with their formal wear. All contestants were escorted by the senior class of AOPi.
To conclude the program, the men showcased their talents, serious or comical.
Prior to the actual pageant was the best legs contest. All contestants had anonymous pictures of their legs taken and showcased in the Curris Center last week. Students and staff voted on the legs they thought looked best by putting money in the contestant’s jar.
The winner of the best legs contest, Martin, was awarded bonus points in his pageant score.
Story by Shannon MacAllister, Staff writer.