Umblita Van Sluytman

Umblita Van Sluytman (August 13, 1946 – July 30, 2004) was Miss Guyana 1966, the first Miss Guyana to compete internationally at the Miss World and Miss Universe pageants.

Early life

Umblita Claire Van Sluytman was born in British Guiana (now Guyana), with Indian, Portuguese, and Dutch ancestry.[1]

Career

Umblita Van Sluytman was crowned Miss Guyana 1966 at age 19. She competed at the Miss Universe pageant in summer 1966, in Miami Beach, Florida. That year was the first when competitors were accommodated in non-segregated housing.[2] She became Guyana's first representative at the Miss World competition in London, in November 1966. She reached the semi-finals, and was the first of six consecutive Miss Guyanas to finish in the top ten at the event from 1966 to 1971.[3] A UPI photograph of her dancing on a table in her navel-baring, minimal costume for the pageant was published in many newspapers.[4][5] She worked as a secretary after her reign as Miss Guyana closed.[6]

Personal life

Umblita Van Sluytman married William James Butters; they had a son, Damon Butters. She died in 2004, in Las Vegas, Nevada, aged 57 years.[7]

References
  1. "Miss Guyana World 1966 -Umblita Van Sluytman" Guyana Chronicle (April 26, 2014).
  2. "Miss Universe Contest Shows Way for Race Accord" Jet Magazine (August 4, 1966): 57.
  3. Karl Zada, "Guyana: Once a Powerhouse at Miss World" Beauty in Pageants (June 26, 2013).
  4. "Guyana Gyrations" Fort Lauderdale News (November 15, 1966): 12. via Newspapers.com
  5. "Miss Guyana" The Daily Times (November 19, 1966): 11. via Newspapers.com
  6. Godfrey Chin, "Nostalgia 571, Our Queens Go Forth" Guyanese Online (October 13, 2011).
  7. Obituaries, Las Vegas Sun (July 30, 2004).
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