by Jennifer Moore Gaston
Since 1933, only a few Rose Queens have shared the special bond of rose royalty as mother-daughter Rose Queens: Mary John Grelling Spence ’40 and Louise Spence Griffeth ’68; Jill King Ramey ’50 and Claire Ramey Turner ’79; Harriet Caldwell McArthur ’62 and Katie McArthur ’94; and now Anna Clyde Malone ’96 and Claire Malone ’26.
Here’s some insight into the reign of Anna Clyde Malone and Claire Ann Malone, also known as ’96 and ’26 in their family of seven queens.
JMG: Anna, what is your fondest memory of your reign as the 1996 Rose Queen?
ACM: I would say the “ask” to be Rose Queen. My Dad called and said he was coming to Ft. Worth for business and wanted to take me to dinner. I was slightly suspicious of why he would be here for “work” without anyone else (family business always involved lots of family). I was honestly shocked that Jan and Joe Norton just happened to be at the restaurant. It all unfolded very quickly and was an unforgettable time with my parents and the Nortons. My dad and brothers had printed a mock-up of the Tyler Morning Telegraph with the headline: Will Anna Clyde be the next Rose Queen? It was a very special edition!
JMG: “Carnevale de la Rose” was the theme in 1996. Describe the theme and events.
ACM: The theme centered around Carnivals from around the world like Rio and Venice. It was very magical and elegant while still being full of fun, all about celebrations. Our Tyler girls were Mardi Gras themed, representing the different krewes with lots of roses woven into the story. The Queen’s Tea was beautiful with so many colorful roses and a bit of a New Orleans feel. My parents really were proud to share that with the community. It truly was fun to see the little girls in awe of the beautiful costumes. Our parade could not have been better; we had a cold front that week, so it was a perfect and crisp fall morning. It was so fun with my attendants, especially my niece Sarah and nephew Cal on my float.
JMG: “Celebrations through the Seasons” is the theme of this year’s TRF. Please share more details.
CAM: On stage you’ll see different holidays and special occasions represented through the most amazing costumes I’ve ever seen. The costumes will be presented in order from the beginning of the year through the Christmas season. It seems or sounds simple, but it really is one of the best years I’ve ever seen planned. It’s fun, and everyone can relate to each costume, and they will know exactly what they are looking at when they see each one.
JMG: Anna, describe your year as the mother of the Rose Queen.
ACM: It has been much busier than I imagined it would be. The costume took about 6-7 months to complete from design to creation. We had several phone calls and a few trips to Dallas to meet with the designer, Jacob, and the costumer, Nicolas, and their teams. Planning the Queen’s Tea has been filled with lots of details. We are looking forward to showcasing the Rose Garden and the natural beauty of this special part of our community. After visiting frequently this year, I appreciate it so much more. It’s been great to see the Smith County Master Gardeners, City of Tyler gardeners, and other visitors who enjoy the lovely setting devoted to roses. I have reflected a lot on how special Tyler is and how proud we are to represent it this year. For generations, our family business was supported by the subscribers and advertising customers of the local newspaper. We continue to be supported by local employers, teachers, medical professionals, churches, and the community as a whole. I always thought I would move away from Tyler, but having grown up here as a child and as an adult, I’m grateful that this is home. It’s an honor this year to help showcase our great city, not only with our local friends and family, but to others who have not been here before and don’t know about all the great things we have to offer.
JMG: Claire, describe your year of preparation for the 93rd Annual Texas Rose Festival, from the day you were invited until now.
CAM: A few days after I was asked, we visited with the Creative Director/Designer Jacob Climer via Zoom and talked about ideas for the dress and train. In January, we saw his first design, and about once a month we met in Dallas at the costumer’s studio and saw the costume come together more and more each time. The train was made in New York, so Jacob kept us up to date with photos and FaceTime. Rose Sunday was in May to kick off the rose growing season. Many of the Ladies-in-Waiting and all of the attendants were there to celebrate. I helped with the presentation of the costume sketches to the attendants and their parents. It was fun to see all of their reactions. I tried on my full costume in June and made sure everything worked together so we were ready for summer practice in July. My completed crown and jewelry were brought from San Antonio and were also part of this exciting fitting. Summer practice in July brought together the entire court, and it was exciting to get to meet everyone. We met at TJC and started learning and practicing our bows for the Coronation. We enjoyed our time showing the out-of-town duchesses and escorts around Tyler.
JMG: What roles are Brandon, father of the Rose Queen, and Emma, younger sister, playing in the plans for October?
ACM: Brandon has been supportive of the busy schedules and so many details. He’s been helpful with construction planning and layout details for the Queen’s Tea. He’s great at simplifying logistics, finding misplaced things like shoes, and keeping us on time and sometimes even early. Emma has been busy too, as a dresser for attendant Dovie Iglesias. This has kept her involved with things backstage and helps her experience it from a different angle. She’s had lots of people recognize her as Claire’s sister, so she’s been a great ambassador for the festival as well.
JMG: Anna, any stories to share from now, then, or growing up in a family of Rose Queens?
ACM: My aunt Eloise often refers to me as ‘96, and she’s ’74; now I guess Claire will be known as ’26. When Claire was an attendant, she had so much fun. She was very sad it was over and really upset that she couldn’t do it every year. One year later, Claire, Brynn Ballard, and Lily Janis set up a lemonade stand to help raise funds for their future as participants! Keeping the secret that Claire would be asked to be queen was hard, but thankfully it was a brief time frame. We had lots of family over to our house for what we told Claire would be a Thanksgiving get-together. Claire realized the Dials were there to ask her to be the Rose Queen. She figured out that everyone knew what was happening except for her!
JMG: Claire, what are you looking forward to experiencing this October??
CAM: I can’t wait for the whole city to come together for what has always been my favorite event. I’m looking forward to reading to the second-grade girls at the Tyler area schools. I’m especially excited about the Coronation. I’m ready for all of the events to happen, especially with my friends. I can’t wait for my friends from the University of Arkansas to see what this tradition is all about. I’m excited to experience it on stage instead of in the audience. Being together with so many lifelong friends will be an experience I will treasure forever.