By Kathy Bohannon
For Coastal Senior

Savannahian Marcie Cherau was crowned Ms. Senior Savannah 2003 on Jan. 25.

SAVANNAH

When the stage lights come up on this month's Ms. Senior Georgia pageant, Savannah's own Marcie Cherau will be competing for the 2003 title.

The pageant will be held March 22 and 23 at the Roswell cultural art center near Atlanta. Cherau will represent Savannah in the pageant, having been crowned Ms. Senior Savannah 2003 on Jan. 25, at Armstrong Atlantic State University.

Cherau is a member of the Classics Club, a group of senior women who share their talents with civic groups, community organizations, and residents of nursing homes. The variety "Showcase" features singing, dancing, music, humor and more.

Classics Club members Lois Smith and Shirley Turner organized the local pageant this year. Requirements for participating in the pageant are typical; there is the interview with judges, an evening gown competition and talent exhibition. Talent includes a variety of dancing, singing, playing a musical instrument and many others. A 30-second taped philosophy of life is also required. The minimum age of participants is 60 years old. Each of the women belongs to the Classics Club, and take part in the activities of the organization.



From left, Doris Springer, fourth runner-up; Joyce Georges, second runner-up; Cherau; Sandra Wells, first runner-up; and Beverly Zipperer, third runner-up.

Being part of a group that is proactive toward the community is nothing new for Cherau, who has spent most of her adult life serving in an assortment of organizations including the current Phi Delta Kappa local area president, area coordinator 7-H Delta Kappa Gamma, the International Reading Association, Tybee Island garden club, Tybee Island book club, the Tybee Supper Club, and president-elect of the Episcopal Church Women of Diocese of Georgia.

Cherau and her husband, Christian, are retired educators who moved to Savannah in 1997. While living in Virginia, Cherau served terms as president in the Richmond Area Reading Council, the Virginia State Reading Association, and the National Association of Federal Education Program Administration.

Today, she also works with special projects at Tybee City Hall, is a member of All Saints Episcopal Church, and assists the elderly at Oceanside Nursing Home on Tybee Island.

That's quite a busy list for anyone, but Cherau attributes her energy to staying active. One of the questions she was asked on the application for Ms. Georgia Senior was, "What is the best advice you can give someone approaching seniorhood?" Cherau responded, "To keep active, interested in life, and involved and you will add years to your life and life to your years."

It is a philosophy she has embraced all of her life.

Cherau began her professional career as a music major at East Carolina University, and played the clarinet. She first taught instrumental music in Loudon County, N.C., and eventually went on to earn her masters in guidance, administration and supervision, and a minor in psychology. She began working in guidance after a year as a fifth grade classroom teacher.

While taking leadership courses, Cherau was asked to be a supervisor of Title I, a federal education program focused on reading and comprehension. "I took the job and ended up staying in that for the rest of my career," Cherau explained. She worked as a supervisor and coordinator of Title I and director of federal programs where she wrote grants for her county school system, all the while, continuing her education.

"During the time I was taking these classes, they offered a CAD (Certificate of Advanced Degree) program, and I started taking those," she said. "The next thing I knew, I was almost with my doctorate, so I went ahead to Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University and did my residency there." At that time, Cherau had left Loudon County to began working with Title I in Henrico County, and continued to serve in professional and community organizations.

When Cherau retired to Savannah, she became more involved in Phi Delta Kappa. She currently serves as Area Coordinator for the area of Augusta, Statesboro, Valdosta, Brunswick, Albany and Savannah, and serves as the local president in Savannah.

It was this educator's desire to learn even more that led her to the Ms. Senior Savannah pageant. Tap dancing was on her list of "things to do," just above learning to play golf and joining a garden club.

Finding Doris Martin's tap class nearby, Cherau attended for a year and a half, at the beginner level. When she joined the advanced class, she met former Ms. Senior Savannah pageant winners Lois Smith, Anita Stanford and Shirley Turner. The women encouraged her to join their Classics Club and enter the Ms. Senior Savannah pageant for 2003.

Cherau had been a contestant in only one pageant as a high school student in New Bern, N.C., but participating in the Classics Club was just what it took for her to commit to become a contestant for Ms. Senior Savannah.

In her 2003 reign as Ms. Senior Savannah, Cherau will participate in the Classic Club Showcases, providing variety group entertainment for nursing homes and civic clubs.

It is a busy agenda that Cherau looks forward to, since sitting still isn't an option for this senior, who loves water sports and decorating her homes in Ardsley Park and Tybee.

"I walk on the beach, and I enjoy being active," she said. Learning to play golf is next on her agenda, a promise she has made to son, Phillip. Besides her regular schedules of activities, Marcie and Christian also enjoy traveling to visit family in Paris, France, each year.

Cherau's life accomplishments include her two children Phillip and Terri, and her scholastic achievements include the title of Outstanding Area Coordinator for the Phi Delta Kappa professional organization dedicated to public school education, Reed scholarship winner, and the recipient of prestigious Ralph Steffeck award from NAFEPA (National Association of Federal Education Program Administrators).