When Stefanie Wittler returned to her hotel room in Jackson on Saturday night to answer several of the 75 texts and e-mails congratulating her on becoming Miss Tennessee 2009 just hours earlier, none of them were from her fiancé nor was he in the Carl Perkins Civic Center audience to witness her crowning. As a matter of fact, he won’t know about her accomplishment until he receives some mail later this week at his temporary home in Fort Benning, Georgia.

In an age where social networking is instantaneous, Twitter and Facebook are not included in the Army Ranger School training curriculum. Instead, Second Lieutenant Kevin Beavers will receive the Sunday edition of the Jackson Sun with the headline blaring ‘Stefanie Wittler takes the crown’.

“It’ll be a nice surprise”, the Soddy-Daisy resident and the new recipient of a $10,000 scholarship said. “He’ll be excited and very supportive.”

While the first Miss Hamilton County to win the Miss Tennessee title in 27 years will be traveling across the state speaking to thousands of students about living in “A Safe and Drug Free Tennessee” as well as Character Education, not to mention preparing for January’s Miss America Pageant, Second Lieutenant Beavers is in training for his August deployment to Fort Lewis, Wash., where the 2008 West Point graduate and Air Defense Artillery officer will be stationed until March when he is scheduled to be sent to Iraq. Miss Wittler is supportive of her fiancé, whom she has dated since the two were sophomores at Soddy-Daisy High School, but she is also glad that her new job will keep her occupied.

“He is doing what he loves, and it’s the same for me doing what I love,” the UT-Chattanooga Senior majoring in Communications responded. “It’s actually at a good time because I am going to be very busy, and he is very supportive.”

“He’s a great man, and I am very fortunate to have him in my life,” the winner of Wednesday’s swimsuit preliminary added. “He has worked just as hard towards his goals as I have mine. He knows what dedication and hard work is all about and God will take care of him.”

Second Lieutenant Beavers will be in the audience when Miss Wittler participates in the Miss America Pageant finals on Jan. 30 in Las Vegas. When Miss Wittler steps on the Planet Hollywood Performing Arts Center stage representing Tennessee, it will be the culmination of three years of preparation not only for the state title but for the opportunity to become the first Miss Tennessee in 24 years to wear the Miss America tiara.

While she has a state committee who will be helping her get ready for her trip to Las Vegas, Miss Wittler, who won the Tennessee crown on her third attempt after finishing as 3rd runner-up in 2006 and as a non-finalist in 2007, said that she cannot depend on her preparation team alone.

“I am going to have to be motivated myself,” the daughter of Steven and Kim Wittler said. “I’m going to have a busy schedule so it is really going to be up to me to make sure that I am as prepared as possible for Miss America.”

Desiree Daniels, who was the first Miss Hamilton County to become Miss Tennessee in 1982, was first runner-up to Miss America 1983 Debbie Maffett.

Miss Wittler has watched the Miss America Pageant since she was a child and her mother, who is a floral arranger, would make a plastic crown for her to wear during the telecast while holding leftover flowers.
“Words can’t describe how incredible it is going to be to actually live out that dream,” she said. “It still hasn’t sunk in yet, but I want to start preparing for Miss America as soon as possible and be the best Miss Tennessee that I can be.”

Miss Wittler lavished praise for her predecessor Ellen Carrington of Jackson, who placed in the top seven at Miss America this year.

“I have such huge shoes to fill because Ellen was incredible at Miss America,” she said. “I don’t know if I can live up to that, but I am definitely going to try.”

Regardless of how Miss Wittler fares at Miss America, she is thrilled about the opportunity to not only be the spokesperson for the state’s five Children’s Miracle Network hospitals which is the pageant’s official philanthropy, but also the Ronald McDonald House Charities since she and her parents have been volunteers at the Chattanooga location since its 1990 opening.

Miss Wittler has already raised thousands of dollars for the Chattanooga house as the now former Sports Barn instructor organized two cheerleading competitions with the proceeds benefiting the facility.
“The two (CMN and RMH) have a great partnership and I can’t wait to start working with them.”

As for her parents, Miss Wittler said that her victory was their's as well during a Father’s Day weekend that will be among the most memorable celebrating their only child’s achievement.

“We’re very very close, and we have all so worked so hard for this,” she said. “They wanted it just as badly for me as I wanted it so it’s like they’ve been crowned too. I’m so fortunate to have their support, love and guidance.”

Since Miss Wittler has a new job for the next year, she will have to defer WRCB-TV’s offer of an on-camera internship.

She also said that taking a year off from competition benefited her after failing to reach the top 10 in 2007.
“It’s a world of difference how much you change in your early 20s,” the 22-year-old replied. “I experienced life. There was nothing tragic that happened that I had to deal with – it was just life.”

“I’m still the same person, but I’ve grown so much, and I know this next year that I’m going to grow even more,” she added. “Ellen (Carrington) said she grew so much as a person (last year) becoming more loving and compassionate, and I’m looking forward to being able to experience everything and seeing the difference from sitting here today until a year from now when I give up my title.”

Miss Wittler celebrated becoming Miss Tennessee by treating herself to a sackful of Krystals. She was featured in a regionally televised Krystal commercial last year stating that even though she was preparing for the swimsuit competition, she wasn’t eliminating the company’s hamburgers from her diet.

In a year in which the Soddy-Daisy community is awaiting the high school band’s New Year’s Day participation in the Tournament of Roses parade to Miss Wittler becoming the second resident in six years to become Miss Tennessee following in the footsteps of 2003 winner Jamie Watkins Davenport, the town is the embodiment of the parade’s 2010 theme of “A Cut Above the Rest."