First Peanut Queen Passes Away
Crowned in 1945
By Will Johnson
Messenger Reporter
GRAPELAND – The legacy of the Annual Grapeland Peanut Festival stretches back for 75 years into the fall of 1945. Sadly, earlier this week, one of the most important people with links to the original festival passed away as Grapeland lost a bit of history with the passing of Frankie Lois Pennington-Streetman on Wednesday, Oct. 28.
The year was 1945 and on Sept. 27, a bright-eyed 15-year-old Percilla girl, known then as Frankie Lois Richardson, was selected as the inaugural Goober Carnival Queen.
Mrs. Pennington-Streetman was unable to attend the 75th Annual Peanut Queen’s Coronation this year, but passed along her best wishes to the six young ladies vying for the crown she first wore.
Fortunately, during the 70th Annual Peanut Festival, The Messenger was able to catch up with Mrs. Pennington-Streetman. At the time, she was 85-years-old and residing in Palestine, but recalled the night she started a legacy that would survive until this very day.
“There was no one more surprised than I was,” she said. “I was just a little old country girl from Percilla, Texas. There were about 16 or 18 girls running. I remember they had a banquet that night.”
The first Peanut Queen said she never planned to be in the contest, but Mrs. Lorena Shoultz, along with several other prominent ladies in the Grapeland community, “… all came to see me and asked my parents if I could run. They let me – and that’s how that all came about. They were picking out girls from each community and I was from Percilla. The girl who was runner-up, Margaret Skidmore, won it the next year.”
Mrs. Pennington-Streetman indicated she was a sophomore at Grapeland High School when she was crowned queen “… and I graduated in 1947 and got married in 1947 after I graduated.”
She married World War II veteran R.C. Pennington whom she had known most of her life and had corresponded with during the war. The Pennington’s had two children, a son, local radio personality Gary Richards and a daughter, Charm.
Following the untimely death of Mr. Pennington, Mrs. Pennington-Streetman married Wade Streetman and moved to Palestine.
Asked what it meant for her to be named Queen, she smiled and said, “It was quite an honor at the time because I wasn’t expecting to win. It means a lot, but I don’t know quite how to explain it. They voted on us with a secret ballot. It was a shock to me. There were a bunch of girls in it and I figured one of them would win.”
She achieved another first when her daughter, Charm, was selected as the 1973 Peanut Queen.
“That was fantastic. It felt great to think that she was my daughter. We were the first mother and daughter to win,” she said.
Mrs. Pennington-Streetman worked for Grapeland State Bank, J. C. Penney Optical in Tyler, Royal Optical in Palestine and helped her first husband with Pennington Petroleum Co. in Grapeland. She also baked and sold cakes. She was a huge animal lover, loved her family and cherished her faith.
Visitation was held on Friday, Oct. 30 at Bailey and Foster Funeral Home in Palestine. Mrs. Pennington-Streetman was laid to rest on Saturday, Oct. 31 in the Pennington Family Cemetery.
Will Johnson may be contacted via e-mail at [email protected].
