A healthy crowd of family, friends, media and other onlookers gathered at the Pasadena Tournament of Roses House Monday morning to witness the announcement of the 2008 Rose Court by Tournament president C.L. Keedy.
“If we could have chosen all of you, we would have,” Keedy told the group of 33 anxious finalists as they waited for the unveiling of the court.
As the Pasadena City College band played, seven young ladies were called forward to accept their role of Rose Princess.
Out of 15 finalists from La Cañada Flintridge schools, only one advanced to the court: 17-year-old Kelsey MacDougall, a senior at La Cañada High School. The court also includes Dusty Gibbs, Arcadia High School; Gaelen Stanford-Moore, South Pasadena High School; Chloe Ghoogassian and Katie Merril, Pasadena High School; Courtney Rubin, San Marino High School; and Zena Brown, Alverno High School.
“It’s such an honor to be here right now,” MacDougall said, as she clutched a huge bouquet of red roses presented to her by last year’s court. “I love going to public places and making speeches and being in the media eye ... I’m looking forward to it all.”
MacDougall is a member of the National Charity League of Glendale and the La Cañada High School pep squad. She hopes to attend Fordham University to study media communications.
When Yvonne Navarro, owner of La Cañada’s Angel’s Nest stationery store on Foothill, heard the announcement Monday morning that MacDougall was a princess, she said her “heart stopped.” She was thrilled for MacDougall, who has been best friends with Navarro’s granddaughter, Dusty Gibbs, since Dusty’s mom, Cindy Roberts and MacDougall’s mom, Teryl MacDougall, began taking their then-18-month-old daughters to Kindergym at the Crescenta-Cañada Family YMCA.
The two girls later attended pre-school together at St. George’s Episcopal Pre-School and have stayed close through the years.
“Then when they announced Dusty’s name [as a princess also] I was shocked, and so happy for both of the girls,” Navarro said.
As the other 26 finalists turned to file into the Tournament House after the announcements, the seven princesses were swarmed by newspaper and radio reporters, as well as live television broadcasters — thus beginning their reign as representatives of Pasadena and the Tournament of Roses.
