Celebrating the
Age of
Elegance Leta Sproule finds Ms. Senior Arizona prize inspiring BY CHRISTINA FUOCO-KARASINSKI Photos by Kimberly Carrillo
Leta Sproule was at peace as she awaited her turn to compete in the 2017 Ms. Senior Arizona Pageant. Usually, before she sits down at her piano, her hands get cold, forcing her to wear gloves to literally warm up for her performance. Butterflies fill her body. None of that happened this time. Her cool yet playful demeanor and artistic talents led to her coronation. “They had told us that we would have a few nerves,” says Sproule, who lives in Sun City West with her husband of 21 years, John. “A few jitters are good, I guess. But I truly understood for the first time that true peace surpasses understanding.” Sproule will spend the next year promoting Ms. Senior Arizona’s mission of giving women 60 and older – otherwise known as “the age of elegance” – the opportunity to display their inner beauty, talents, charm and elegance. She’ll attend parades, benefits and special events geared toward seniors, as well as support the Cameo Foundation, which provides resources to domestic violence survivors. Sproule, 67, learned about the Ms. Senior Arizona Pageant through a friend. Sproule Googled the event, looked at photographs of previous winners and
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read the mission statement. “At first, I said, ‘No, no, no,’” Sproule says with her slight Southern accent. “Then I prayed. I said, ‘God, if you can be glorified in this, I will do it.’” She thought that no amount of prayers would lead to a victory at the pageant, run by former winner Herme Sherry and her husband, Ken. Sproule’s performance belied that at the Saturday, March 18 event in Surprise. She confidently moved from her piano to the stage for a flamenco dance to original music. For her efforts, she not only won Ms. Senior Arizona, but Most Photogenic, Most Elegant and tied for Best Philosophy with 63-year-old Mesa resident Shirlene Rutledge. More importantly, she earned a group of lifelong friends, including fellow contestant Bonnie Sisson, 72, of Scottsdale. “When I received the preliminary trophies, I was like, ‘Woah, this is cool.’ I was so excited to have Bonnie standing next to me,” she says. “All of the ladies – and Herme and Ken – kept telling us during the rehearsals that we were a great group of women. We all got along. We were very supportive of each other. They’re all special ladies.” Sproule was born in Tennessee and
Lovin’Life after 50 | MAY 2017
spent her formative years in Nashville. She attended Peabody College, which was absorbed into Vanderbilt University, and earned bachelor’s and master’s degrees in music and human resources, respectively. After graduation, she worked as a financial planner for nonprofits and schools. “I loved helping people in the not-forprofit community,” Sproule says. “I always loved numbers and I put on my Ms. Senior Arizona Pageant bio that I have an interest in macroeconomics. There probably wasn’t anybody else who said that. “When I was growing up, and other kids were learning nursery rhymes, I was learning to never purchase a depreciating asset on credit. It took me a long time to learn what a depreciating asset was. I also learned very early on that if you save by the 10th, you can earn interest from the 1st. There’s 10 extra days of interest earned. It was natural for me to help teachers and not-for-profits.” Sproule was slow to appreciate Nashville’s vibrant country music scene. She loved Elvis Presley and eventually grew to enjoy singers like Carrie Underwood. “It was Roy Acuff or Elvis,” she says. “Well, duh. I loved Elvis Presley. I would see Minnie Pearl out and about shopping. That
wasn’t uncommon to see.” Music, as a whole, inspired her, though. Sproule first sat down to the piano at age 8 and it came easy to her. “When it came time for college, of course I was going to major in music,” she says with a smile. “Peabody was right there. I went there and got my degree. I had a couple kids along the way. “When I was in college, I switched to organ instead of piano. When I graduated, I was playing in a lot of churches around town. Instead of playing every Sunday, I would substitute so I could be with my family.” The Sproules – who have three children, four grandchildren and two greatgrandchildren – moved to Anthem in 2001. They lived there for eight years, until John’s corporate investments and pension sales job took them back to Nashville. With each move, her piano came along. “John retired three years ago and it was just an obvious choice to move back to Arizona,” Sproule says. “It wasn’t until I moved here that I picked up the piano again. It was God’s timing. I truly had not played the piano in 20 years.” Her church, Palm West Community Church in Sun City West, asked her to play piano as well. “I never played piano in church when they asked me to do that,” she says. “I had to start practicing again. John was grateful. He had not heard me practice. “I’m not sure I would have had the nerve to do the pageant if I hadn’t started playing piano again. I want to encourage other women to participate. It truly is a lifechanging experience, win or not.”
Show Off Your Talents The search is on for the Cameo Foundation’s 29th annual Ms. Senior Arizona 2018 contestants. Open to women ages 60 and older, the pageant is set for 6 p.m. Saturday, March 17 at Valley Vista Performing Arts Center, 15550 N. Parkview Place, Surprise. Radio personality Danny Davis will once again emcee. For contestant or pageant information, call 602-788-9556, email msseniorarizona2004@ cox.net, or visit cameofoundation.org or msseniorarizona.com. The event is sponsored by Times Media Group and Lovin’ Life After 50, John Wallick Jewelers, Rose Tuxedo, Applause Productions, Cummins Photography, Sierra Winds Senior Living, Freedom Inn at Scottsdale, Gartman Technical Services, Moore Graphics and Heritage Tradition.
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