Former Virginia Tech Miss America donates pageant gown to historical costume collection

A photo on social media convinced the first Miss Virginia to be crowned Miss America, 1978 Virginia Tech alum Kylene Barker McNeill, to donate her crown and the gown that she was wearing on stage to her alma mater.

“Camille Schrier became Miss Virginia and posted a photo in front of my Miss America display in the Holtzman Alumni Center,” McNeill said. “I stopped in my tracks and said, ‘That’s where my crown belongs.’”

Schrier, a 2018 Virginia Tech graduate with degrees in biochemistry and systems biology, was named Miss America 2019.

Together, she and McNeill served as grand marshals of Virginia Tech’s Homecoming parade in 2021.

Schrier’s run at the Miss America title was inspiring to McNeill, a fashion major as an undergrad who is retired in Muskoka, Ontario, and Naples, Fla.

McNeill enrolled at Tech in 1974 thinking she wanted to major in physical education, but when she learned that the school offered a major in clothing, textiles, and related arts — the fashion merchandising and design major today — she switched disciplines.

“I loved fashion and actually made my first garment when I was in the sixth grade,” McNeill said. “After that, my mother never had to sew for me again.”

McNeill was also a cheerleader at Virginia Tech, which played into her Miss America experience when she performed a gymnastics routine for the judges.

She was named Miss America 1979, and after completing her one-year reign, she opened her own dress shop, which she ran for 13 years. She went on to co-author a book, serve as a corporate spokesperson, and produce fashion shows.

It was while McNeill was in the clothing and textiles program that the Oris Glisson Historic Costume and Textile Collection was named in honor of its founder, who taught fashion at Virginia Tech for three decades.

Glisson donated many of the collection’s original items, including designer dresses from the 1950s-1970s.

The collection — which now contains more than 5,000 pieces of clothing, accessories, and textiles, some dating to the 19th century — serves as a key teaching and research resource for students and faculty.

“I am excited for this gift,” said Dina Smith-Glaviana, director of the collection and an assistant professor of fashion merchandising and design in the Department of Apparel, Housing, and Resource Management. “To me, the gown is significant because it’s tied to the history of Virginia Tech and our program.”

McNeill’s gown was designed by Stephen Yearick, a celebrated designer of couture gowns for pageants, weddings, and events for many celebrities. It is a slim, white dress with beaded detailing.

McNeill originally donated the gown to the Jeff Matthews Memorial Museum in her hometown of Galax. A large photo of McNeill wearing the gown now stands in the museum’s Miss America exhibit.