Norma Nolan, 1938 – 2025

Argentinian beauty queen Norma Nolan, 87, died on Aug. 20. Born in Venado Tuerto to Irish and Italian parents, Nolan moved to Buenos Aires at 19 and worked as a model and secretary, also appearing in TV commercials (hey—I did all that myself, to much less success, though not in Buenos Aires). In 1962, she won the Miss Argentina pageant (her prize was $15,000 prize and a trip around the world). That same year, she became the first Argentinian to win Miss Universe. After the flurry of fame died down, Nolan married and had a daughter; she moved to Miami and opened a bookstore, saying, “my universe is now books.”