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Meet Miss Subways
Meet Miss Subways
Meet Miss Subways Book
MARCIA KILPATRICK HOCKER on the street in Midtown Manhattan, New York 2010.
My mother and father were in Harlem when Harlem was the entertainment capital of the world. Their Saturday nights were dancing live to Count Basie and Duke Ellington at the Y, and later on, as they got older, at the Savoy. So I heard jazz from my mother's womb. I've been singing since I was three years old. When I was going into the ninth grade my family moved to St. Albans, Queens. We were three blocks up from Count Basie. Right across the street was Mercer Ellington, Duke Ellington's son. In the other direction was Illinois Jacquet, the saxophonist who plaved with Lionel Hampton. Next to him was Wild Bill Davis, an outstanding jazz organist. Even James Brown lived out there for a little while. It was just amazing. I wanted to be Miss Subways because I wanted to be discovered. I wanted to do commercials and be an actress ...
... and sing and dance and all of that. The contest was like a campaign you have to run. You had to get people to vote, make it easy for them. You can't expect the people to go and get the postcard from the post office, address it to the New York City Subways Advertising, flip the thing over and say, "I vote for Marcia Kilpatrick," and then sign it and write their name and address. They're not going to do it. So I had them stacked where I worked, at Off Track Betting headquarters, 1501 Broadway, I'd have Isadore Herman on the executive floor help make the stack. All they had to do was flip it over and sign their names. People told me they signed the dog's name, the parrot, the cat and their grand-mother. My mother worked for the second largest textile house in the garment district.My dad was with NYPD at the 109 Precinct, My sister worked at a law firm, my brother worked at a bank They all handed out postcards. My mother, sister, and I had a business where we taught grooming: the Kilpatrick Charm and Modeling School. We had 156 parlors at the time in the metropolitan area. They all had the postcards.
Bernard Spaulding from New York City Subways Advertising had me come down to his office to see my poster before it went up. I said, "Oh my, it's so light. Nobody is going to know it's me. Black folks won't know that one of their own won." My last name is Kilpatrick, which could confuse people. I said, It's a great shot, but I have no color.Can you darken it up a little?" He said, "Oh sure, we can do that." So they really darkened it. It's much darker than I am. I look like deep chocolate. That's okay. I'd rather that than for it to be with no color. I was representing myself, my family, and my people. We were told when we became of age that we were born with a strike against us,
When I became Miss Subways I moved to Manhattan, I got proposals. I had a column called "You're Looking Good about good grooming in the Community Views newspaper, which was the official publication of block associations throughout New York, covering all five boroughs. I got a radio show that aired in Pleasantville and Atlantic City, New Jersey called "The Best of Everything." I also got to audition for the Negro Ensemble Company, which is the largest black repertory theater in the country.
Bernard Spaulding from New York City Subways Advertising had me come down to his office to see my poster before it went up. I said, "Oh my, it's so light. Nobody is going to know it's me. Black folks won't know that one of their own won." My last name is Kilpatrick, which could confuse people. I said, It's a great shot, but I have no color.Can you darken it up a little?" He said, "Oh sure, we can do that." So they really darkened it. It's much darker than I am. I look like deep chocolate. That's okay. I'd rather that than for it to be with no color. I was representing myself, my family, and my people. We were told when we became of age that we were born with a strike against us,
When I became Miss Subways I moved to Manhattan, I got proposals. I had a column called "You're Looking Good about good grooming in the Community Views newspaper, which was the official publication of block associations throughout New York, covering all five boroughs. I got a radio show that aired in Pleasantville and Atlantic City, New Jersey called "The Best of Everything." I also got to audition for the Negro Ensemble Company, which is the largest black repertory theater in the country.
(photo caption) CUTTING RIBBONS Marcia represents Miss Subways at the grand opening of the East River Savings Bank branch in Midtown Manhattan, 1974. Two bank officers assist.
(photo left caption) RADIO WAVES A radio show host herself, here Marcia joins, from left, legendary soul singer Donny Hathaway, prominent DJ and community activist, Eddie O'Jay and Atlantic Record's Barbara Harris at a promotion reception for Hathaway.
(photo right caption) ON BROADWAY Marcia celebrates the 100th performance of the 1975 Tony-nominated musical Dance with Me, which is set in a New York City subway station.
I worked with James Moody, who is the teacher in the original "Fame" movie. I studied there for two-plus years. It was really an inside look at myself and being able to find out who I am and where my limits were and maybe drawing some new limits.
I left New York in 1981 when I got married. My husband was quite the diplomat. We moved to Maryland for about a year where he was first secretary in the political section of the state Department. We lived in Bogota, Colombia, then off to New Zealand. We then came home to Maryland for about 10 years. When my husband got a calling to the ministry we were off to Portland, Oregon. I had no idea what to expect. It was quite nice to be surprised by the wonderful jazz that's out there, the theater, the fabulous restaurants. It's like New York. We were always doing things for my husband's career, but I've got my own things. I got to do a great deal of singing as a soloist in the church. I have a radio show in Portland called "A Mellow Groove." I am not one to play avant garde or abstract jazz, music to have a headache by. Everything that I play is melodious, engaging.I ended up doing a lot of counseling, too, conflict resolution and crisis management.
When we were hit on 9/11, I was here in New York. When I got back home a month later, totally wiped out from this whole experience, my church put me on a speaking circuit. My husband said, "Well honey, you're their connection to New York, they want to know what it was like." I spoke in my church. Next thing I know, I'm speaking at the high school, then at somebody else's church. I've always found a way to share. I think that we are supposed to help each other grow.
I left New York in 1981 when I got married. My husband was quite the diplomat. We moved to Maryland for about a year where he was first secretary in the political section of the state Department. We lived in Bogota, Colombia, then off to New Zealand. We then came home to Maryland for about 10 years. When my husband got a calling to the ministry we were off to Portland, Oregon. I had no idea what to expect. It was quite nice to be surprised by the wonderful jazz that's out there, the theater, the fabulous restaurants. It's like New York. We were always doing things for my husband's career, but I've got my own things. I got to do a great deal of singing as a soloist in the church. I have a radio show in Portland called "A Mellow Groove." I am not one to play avant garde or abstract jazz, music to have a headache by. Everything that I play is melodious, engaging.I ended up doing a lot of counseling, too, conflict resolution and crisis management.
When we were hit on 9/11, I was here in New York. When I got back home a month later, totally wiped out from this whole experience, my church put me on a speaking circuit. My husband said, "Well honey, you're their connection to New York, they want to know what it was like." I spoke in my church. Next thing I know, I'm speaking at the high school, then at somebody else's church. I've always found a way to share. I think that we are supposed to help each other grow.
Meet Miss Subway (Oregonian newspaper)
Meet Miss Subway (video)
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