Armi Kuusela
| Beauty pageant titleholder | |
 |
|
| Born |
Armi Helena Kuusela 20 August 1934 Muhos, Finland |
|---|---|
| Height | 5 ft 5 in (1.65 m) |
| Weight | 49.0 kg (108.0 lb) |
| Title(s) |
Suomen Neito 1952 Miss Universe 1952 |
| Major competition(s) |
Miss Universe 1952 (Winner) |
Armi Helena Kuusela (born 20 August 1934 in Muhos) is a Finnish charity worker, model and beauty queen. In 1952 she won the national beauty contest Suomen Neito and was presented with a trip to the USA to participate in the first-ever Miss Universe pageant, becoming its first titleholder in history.
Kuusela's parents, Aarne Aleksander Kuusela (12 September 1902, Uusikaupunki - 7 December 1969, Muhos) and Martta Elisabeth Kyrö (3 April 1903, Kestilä - 21 November 1963, Muhos) met each other in Ontario, Canada and later married there. Their first baby was born in Canada. After several years in Canada, they returned to Finland to settle in Muhos. Martta gave birth to five girls and one boy; one of the girls died when only two-and-a-half years old. Kuusela was born on August 20, 1934, she was the fourth oldest of the children.
She went to middle school in Muhos, and in 1951 she started attending the women's college in Porvoo. Kuusela liked swimming, skiing, gymnastics and after successfully completing her Abitur, she intended to apply to the University of Helsinki Gymnastics Institute.
When Kuusela won Finland's national pageant, Suomen Neito, on May 24, 1952, she was awarded a box of chocolates, a gold bangle, and a return ticket sponsored by Pan American Airways to the United States.
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Wikipedia