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Author Jane Little Botkin, will launch her newest book, “The Pink Dress, A Memoir of a Reluctant Beauty Queen,” this Sunday at Patriots’ Hall in Dripping Springs. In it she tells her story of being a beauty queen in El Paso, Texas.
Botkin, was one of the early “GuyRex girls,” products of a juggernaut that changed the way beauty queens were prepared and presented in the world of competitive beauty contests. She became Miss El Paso in 1971.
Her story is a personal memoir of that experience and also a first-hand account of the social and political backdrop of El Paso during the emergence of Guy Rex, the dynamic duo composed of Richard Guy and Rex Holt, who revolutionized the beauty pageant world in the 1970s and 1980s.
Known as the 'Kings of Beauty,' GuyRex were instrumental in transforming pageantry from a relatively straightforward contest into a glamorous, highstakes spectacle. Their innovative approach emphasized not just beauty, but also poise, style, and the ability to project confidence in front of an audience. Together, they elevated the expectations for contestants, introducing a more polished and professional approach to the art of competition.
Richard Guy and Rex Holt were known for their meticulous attention to detail and their personal involvement with their protégées. They worked tirelessly with contestants to perfect every aspect of their presentation, from wardrobe to stage presence. Under their tutelage, beauty queens didn’t just walk across the stage—they performed, exuding a poised sophistication that was previously uncommon in these competitions. This heightened sense of performance dramatically raised the bar for pageants and solidified the importance of preparation and coaching.
Their influence extended beyond their ‘girls’, shaping the industry as a whole. Many of the techniques and strategies they pioneered became standard practice in beauty pageants across the country. As a result, contestants who worked with Guy Rex often dominated the competition, taking more than 30 Miss Texas and 9 Miss USA titles.
Botkin’s story is also a reflection of the relationship between a daughter and her mother who seemed to relish the title of Miss El Paso more than Jane. It is a fascinating story.
The story follows a typical path many beauty queens experience. Controlling mothers who live their dreams through their daughters.
“When my mother passed away in 2018, I finally had the freedom to tell this story. I'm not just telling my story. It's my brother's story. We have a sister who disowned my mother — a sister who doesn't even speak to anybody, this how fractured the family became,” Botkin said.
The scars of that life affected her whole family and is a reality behind the facade of being a perfectly poised and confident beauty pageant contestant and the ambassador of being Miss El Paso.
“I actually had a marriage that lasted just a year, and it was an escape. I didn't realize that what I did was very typical. I tried several things trying to run away from all of this. But when all of that happened, Guy and Rex were there to pick up the pieces. They saved me,” Botkin said.
How 18-year old Jane Little at the time she became Miss El Paso in 1971 is worth the read.
It includes a plot twist, but you’ll have to read the book for that part of the story.
Botkin splits her time now between the Hill Country she called home for 34 years and her writer’s retreat in Ruidoso, New Mexico. She stays in Wimberley when she is not at her home in the White Mountains of New Mexico.
In college she dreamt of being a writer, but was also pragmatic and became an English teacher. She taught English in middle school in El Paso and in Dripping Springs where she had a home for many years. Here she guided her students in researching and writing a series of local histories that are now part of the historical records of Hays county.
Now retired, she can indulge her full attention to writing. The Pink Dress is her third published book.
She is working on completing the story of early Texas pioneer Molly Goodnight, the wife of Charles Goodnight. Goodnight was a pioneering Texas rancher and one of the most famous cattlemen of the American West. Often referred to as the 'Father of the Texas Panhandle,' he played a pivotal role in the development of the cattle industry in Texas and beyond.
Molly Goodnight is a fascinating figure in her own right, who worked to preserve the American bison.
Botkin’s books have won numerous awards in biography, western historical nonfiction, and women’s studies, including two Spur Awards, two Caroline Bancroft History Prizes, the Barbara Sudler Award for best book about the American West by a woman, Women Writing the West’s Willa Literary Award biography finalist, High Plains Nonfiction Book Award Finalist, Foreword Indies Bronze Award in women's studies, Sarton Book Award finalist in women’s studies, and Independent Publisher Book Awards' Bronze Medal for Best Regional Nonfiction.
Botkin published her first nonfiction book, “Frank Little and the IWW: The Blood That Stained an American Family” in 2017. In it she chronicles the story of her great-granduncle Frank H. Little (18781917) and his connection to the history of American labor and the first Red Scare.
In 2022, she published “The Girl Who Dared to Defy : Jane Street and the Rebel Maids of Denver.” Setting Jane Street’s story within the wider context of early twentieth century class struggles and the women’s suffrage movement, The Girl Who Dared to Defy paints a fascinating- and ultimately heartbreaking-portrait of one woman’s courageous fight for equality.
She will be in Dripping Springs Sunday September 15 from 3 - 4:30 to launch the “Pink Dress,” at Patriots' Hall located at 231 Patriots Hall Blvd. On October 25, she will have an author’s presentation and book signing at the Wimberley Village Library at 11 a.m. Botkin also shares other interesting essays on her website janelittlebotkin.com.
