The Tampa Times from Tampa, Florida • 17

BayLire The Tampa Times Thursday, June 30, 1977 Section IN LEAGUE WITH THE ERA League of Women Voters plans million-dollar 'down to the wire' fight on Equal Rights Amendment: dorse candidates, hopes by a major lobbying effort to stir support for ERA and either see opponents of ERA won over or new legislators elected in 1978. Ms. Lampl said the league did not expect to see the amendment ratified this year, and perhaps not next year, because the makeup of the legislatures will not change until the fall, 1978, elections. The league is counting on possible successes next year and a big push early in 1979 to put across the ERA. "It won't be easy," Ms.

Lampl said. The projected size of the league's planned campaign can be gauged by comparing it to recent league efforts. Ms. Lampl said the league spent $300,000 nationally over the past three years for ERA. The league decided at a May national council meeting to seek pledges for a possible ERA campaign and determined at a national board meeting last week to target the four states and seek up to $1.5 million.

Ms. Lampl said $825,000 has been pledged so far by local leagues. In addition, she said, the national league will contribute some $200,000 to the campaign, and another to $500,000 will be sought in a national fund raising campaign conducted over the next six months. and Oklahoma. ERA has failed in all these states.

The ERA must be ratified by 38 states by March 1979, if it is to become part of the U.S. Constitution. So far, 35 states have approved the amendment, but efforts to add to that total have met stiff resistance. In Illinois, where ERA previously has been approved in the house but bottled up in the senate, proponents of the amendment could muster only 101 of a needed 107 votes in the house earlier this month. Illinois requires a three-fifths majority for approval of U.S.

constitutional amendments. The national league, which does not en By JEROME WATSON Chicago Sun-Times Service WASHINGTON The League of Women Voters of the United States plans to raise up to $1.5 million for major campaigns in Florida and three other states to seek ratification of the Equal Rights Amendment Peggy Lampl, executive director of the national league, confirmed the plans, which she said also call for major field organizations in the four states and use of polls and media consultants. Targeted by the league in a campaign that Ms. Lampl estimated could "go down to the wire" are Florida, Illinois, North Carolina Tampa girl lost a boyfriend but won Miss Florida title cellent committee helping me get ready," she said. have an edge considering my pageant was so early (before the Miss America finals).

They will groom me from head to toe. I'll buy an entire new word wardrobe. "I want to make myself as graceful, intelligent and attractive as I possibly can." For those nostalgia buffs who may want to know if any other Miss Tampa went on to big' ger and better pageants, there was a winner in 1930. Miss Margaret Eckdahl became Miss Tampa, Miss Florida and Miss America. Two other Miss Tampa winners became Miss Florida Shirley Ann Rhodes in 1949 and Marjo-rie Simmons in 1953.

he didn't realize was that the Miss America pageant is poise and charm not flashy. My image was the kind you might put into a nightclub. 'This year I'm doing things my way." Miss LaBelle even changed her tune for this year's pageant. She performed the song "He Touched Me." A lot of activities have been forsaken for her pageant activities, including a boyfriend. "I had a boyfriend, but he couldn't put up with my rough schedule, so I couldn't put up with him." And she feels like she has a good head start toward the Miss America title.

"I have an ex Her this year, Miss LaBelle has been working hard on her vocal abilities. She has even been jogging to improve breath control. The Miss Tampa pageant wasn't her first victory. In 1976 Miss LaBelle captured the Miss Hillsborough pageant, which gave her an introduction to the Miss Florida contest. She didn't win last year she candidly admits she didn't even number among the finalists.

What made the difference between this year and last? "Well, I had a theatrical agent helping me last year. My entire act was gimmicky. It was very showy with magic acts and dazzle. What By CINDY LICHT Times Staff Writer The new Miss Florida, Cathy LaBelle, had to be awakened by her chaperon to answer the telephone. It was 7:30 a.m.

From somewhere inside, Miss LaBelle found the energy to answer with a clear, direct speaking voice. There was no sleepy slurring of her words. It was almost as if someone had turned her on, like a tape recorded message. "Hello," she said enthusiastically. "This is Cathy LaBelle." And so it began for the new Miss Florida: endless interviews with reporters, luncheons, public appearances, dress fittings and lots of paperwork before her trip to the Miss America pageant in September.

She waited for the usual questions and answered amiably about her interests, personal life and hopes for making it to the top Miss America. Concerning her family: "They are very excited for me." (She's the daughter of Mr. and Mrs. James LaBelle of Tampa.) Concerning her education: "I'll use the scholarship money (from the Miss Florida pageant) to finish my degree in drama." And concerning her hobbies: "I don't have any. I spend a lot of time in the theater department." Miss LaBelle is a theater major at the University of South Florida.

She is also the first Miss Tampa to capture the Miss Florida crown since 1953. The 20-year-old Miss LaBelle is adamant in her feelings that the pageant is for scholarships, not beauty. And she is aggressive in her promotion of the pageant's ideals. 'The swimsuit competition is a disarming situation for some girls. You have to remain poised, and some people use clothes for cover to hide insecurities or whatever they might have.

"After an appearance at Sea World (in Orlando) today, I will never again appear in a bathing suit, never. It bothers a lot of girls. They think they are judged harshly. But it's a very small part of the competition. You are judged mostly on talent and interview." It's important, according to Miss LaBelle, for Miss Florida to meet the challenges of handling tough work schedules, personal appearances and aggressive reporters.

"You have to know how to talk with reporters. Sometimes they don't know what they are talking about, like when they ask if the pageant isn't just a meat rack." Miss LaBelle is a champion of the Miss America pageant after all, it has been her goal for quite some time. "My family is extremely excited. We've been planning for it a long time." Since she won the Miss Tampa pageant ear- jm, its-- fa lA' -J' 1 Cathy LaBelle of Tampa, the new Miss Florida, feels she has a good head start toward winning the Miss America title this year. Newspaper subscribers may soon have a chance to make a bundle dinner but only after you've digested the contents, of course.

Some friends of mine have suggested that this idea is impractical, because they just can't swallow everything in the newspaper. My wife, however, sounded enthused about the plan. Actually, her exact words were, "Cooking your column will give me a chance to use my new Crock Pot." Personally, I think it's feasible. In this business, we frequently have to eat our words, so I don't see why others couldn't make a meal out of them. Another promising solution is to.

make kites out of old newspapers. When I was a kid, we often used old newspapers for this purpose, and they worked quite well. Yesterday's edition of The Times, for example, contained 36 pages, enough to make eight large kites and two small kites. ing this burden on our subscribers, and would like to do something about it. Consequently, I have undertaken an extensive research project to find a better way to get rid of today's news when it becomes tomorrow's trash.

The work would progress much faster, of course, if I could obtain a modest government grant say a few hundred thousand dollars to support my research, but even in my present unfunded condition I feel that I'm on to several promising solutions. For one thing, I think we should consider the possibility, of making newspapers edible, by adding artificial flavor. Subscribers would, dispose of their morning paper by having it for breakfast or brunch, if your carrier is having a bad day. The afternoon paper would make an excellent To dispose of old newspapers, you would simply need a few strips of wood, a little paste, and enough string to get them off the ground and out of the city limits, where they would no longer be your problem. I mentioned this plan to our executives, and received their formal approval to start a test program.

They told me to go fly a kite. My final plan is not quite as ambitious as the two previous proposals I've outlined, but the genius of this solution lies in its simplicity. Tve proposed that our carriers deliver a free puppy to every subscriber, to encourage them not to throw away their old newspapers at all. I thought it was a doggone good idea, but I think our executives liked my other plan better. They told me to go fly a kite.

1 The city is thinking about requiring residents to separate old newspapers from other garbage and bundle them for pickup. The move reportedly will make garbage and trash collection easier, and the sale of the papers to a recycling firm will enable the city to hold trash collection fees down. It sounds like a reasonable idea, but I'm sure many residents will complain about the extra work involved. For some reason, people always seem to resent having to gift wrap their garbage. As an employe of a newspaper, I feel a certain responsibility for impos-t Charlie Robins.