Sometimes, a columnist goes for weeks, even months, without hearing from readers and you begin to ask yourself: Is anybody out there? The answer, of course, is yes, there are people out there – lots of ’em – who have not been sufficiently moved to write by my column, or perhaps just too lazy to write.

It’s always gratifying to hear from readers when a particular subject strikes a chord with them. I have been fortunate the past few weeks to hear from readers about my column on recycling and, of all things, my column on beauty pageants and Miss America.

The letter about Miss America came from Lauren Monahan, director of the Strang Senior Center in Farragut.

“I read your column with great interest and a sigh,” Monahan wrote. “I am one of those lucky people who was positively touched by the Miss America program. It was only the very special who got to grace the runway in Atlantic City. I came close in the ’70s, as a runner-up in the Miss Florida Pageant. You had only to hear Bert Parks’ rendition of There She Is to appreciate what it meant to a young lady who wanted to be Miss America.”

Monahan’s letter reveals that she lost the Miss Florida title to none other than Delta Burke (of Designing Women fame), whom she describes as “stunning and amazingly talented.”

“For me, the scholarship money was the reason for entering,” Monahan said. “But being able to play my classical piano in front of a television audience would have been a true fantasy come true.”

Monahan was not a typical beauty pageant person. She played college ball in Florida and later joined the Coast Guard. She earned a college degree and has worked in the area of parks and recreation for more than 30 years.

Monahan said she married her high school sweetheart and moved with him to Tennessee. But here’s something you may not know about her.

Last year, she won the title of Mrs. Tennessee.

“When an opportunity for married ladies to participate in a pageant came along, I couldn’t resist,” she said “Yes, we old-timers still do this stuff – it’s a kick. We can dream of Bert Parks singing to us and taking that long walk down the runway, even if we are somewhat past the beauty pageant age.”

Monahan and I shared a bit of MissAm gossip via e-mails. She, for example, told me her best friend was Miss New Jersey in 1969. Apparently, that contestant lost to Susan Anton (remember Three’s Company?).

I responded with my recollection of the year Vanessa Williams became the first black Miss America in 1984, only to lose the title less than a year later to runner-up Suzette Charles of New Jersey when some compromising photos of her were made public.

“She was pretty as heck and sang wonderfully,” Monahan recalled. “She was considered the favorite.”

Recycling woes

My article on recycling elicited a couple of responses from readers.

“While I appreciated your article about recycling I’m afraid it’ll fall on deaf ears,” David Stephens wrote. “I see people who quite frankly couldn’t seem to care less about our landfills filling up. What these garbage companies ought to do is either charge by the pound or only allow households one container of garbage and charge extra if they put more out. Same thing at these convenience centers where people throw tons of stuff away. I heard someone say that every day in Knoxville we produce enough trash to fill up Neyland Stadium and that was 10 years ago.”

Stephens lives in Farragut and says that there are no places in town to recycle except taking newspapers and magazines to Ingles.

”We have to drive all the way to the center off Lovell Road and that place does not take paper waste like junk mail, magazines, shredded papers, etc. You have to drive all the way to the center off Cedar Bluff to do that and its an unbelievable pain to get to because of all the traffic.”

Another reader, Julienne Weathers, wrote to say that my column had resonated with her.

“When I moved here in ’05, I was appalled at the lack of recycling mindset which I was used to in Los Angeles,” Weathers said. “I had to scour for bins I bought myself at the local Target store and wished I had bought more than three … because I can’t find any more.

“My recycling habits have slid because of the extra work carting and lugging them myself to the centers,” Weathers said. “I wish that waste management companies can provide pickup service so that normal households can start having that recycling/green mindset without too much bother. “

To which I would only add, “Amen.”

Joe Calderon is a retired newspaper editor who long-abandoned paper letters in favor of e-mail to save a few trees. E-mail him at cheo742@aol.com or his editor, Nick Frantz, at frantzn@ShopperNewsNow.com.