Singleton and Related Genealogy Pages
A history of many families.
| Name | Dana JORDAN [2] | |
| Gender | Female | |
| HIST | Sumter native's Little Miss S.C. pageant turns 50 PHOTOS PROVIDED BY DANA DITTMAN Little Miss South Carolina Founders Henry Benjamin and Linda Floyd Posted Saturday, June 26, 2021 6:00 am BY SHELBIE GOULDING shelbie@theitem.com One of South Carolina's oldest pageant systems for children and young adults is celebrating its 50th anniversary this year and honoring the Sumter native who started it all. Little Miss South Carolina was founded in 1971 by the late Linda Floyd, who adored helping girls across the state grow into community servants and smart young women. "I think her thought process in that was she just adored working with young females," said Linda Jordan, co-director of the pageant system. The pageant's original Little Miss South Carolina was Floyd's daughter, Sheri, who held the title before passing the crown to the reigning Little Miss at the first pageant competition. Even Jordan's daughter, Dana Dittman, was crowned Wee Miss South Carolina in 1977. Jordan said the pageant was held in Sumter for many years at Patriot Hall on Haynsworth Street, and Little Miss South Carolina continued to grow to the point where Floyd had up to 300 girls participating in the annual competition. However, Floyd had to slow down in the late '90s due to health issues and later passed away in 2001, Jordan said. Having a love for the state's oldest pageant system, Jordan and a friend could not let it die with Floyd. The pair worked out an agreement with Floyd's husband, Henry Benjamin, and bought the pageant system just in time for the 2002 competition. Today, Jordan and her daughter co-direct Little Miss South Carolina and continue Floyd's legacy. The pageant promotes community service, academic excellence, poise and positive self-esteem, according to Jordan. Jordan moved it from Sumter to Hartsville in 2002 and still has young women across the state participate every year. This year, Little Miss South Carolina will have 124 contestants compete for the Little Miss, Young Miss, Teen Miss, Wee Miss and Wee Miss Tiny Tot titles. Although receiving a winning title is the goal, the contestants also, starting in 2002, fundraise for the pageant's primary charity, Prisma Health Children's Hospital in Columbia. To date, its contestants have raised more than $500,000 for the children's hospital and plan to present a total of $50,000 this year. "That's with a lot of hard work on behalf of the contestants and staff," Jordan said. Jordan is proud, but no one would be more pleased with the pageant system's growth than Floyd, Jordan said. She hopes Floyd's family will attend this year's 50th final competition along with past winners of the Little Miss South Carolina pageant. This year, the pageant will be held July 12-17 at The Center Theater, 212 N. 5th St. in Hartsville. To learn more about Little Miss South Carolina,, visit www.littlemisssc.com. Little Miss South Carolina pageant schedule July 12: Little Miss (ages 7-9), 7 p.m. July 13: Young Miss (10-12), 7 p.m. July 14: Young Miss Teen (13-15), 7 p.m. July 15: Teen Miss (16-19), 7 p.m. July 16: Wee Miss Tiny Tot (2-3), Wee Miss (4-6) and Talent (7-19), times to be determined July 17: Finals competition (7-19), 5 p.m. [1] | |
| _UID | 08CE27C74C5448899174E4B390A9A713C4C3 | |
| Person ID | I172250 | Singleton and Related Families |
| Last Modified | 27 Jun 2021 | |
| Father | Joseph P. JORDAN | |
| Mother | Linda ROLLINS | |
| _UID | CFBEED0E6A9F4CEEB04BE2581FFD5C44BCE1 | |
| _UID | CFBEED0E6A9F4CEEB04BE2581FFD5C44BCE1 | |
| Family ID | F62484 | Group Sheet | Family Chart |
| Family | DITTMAN | |
| _UID | 5D6780C6B68D4CA8A506BF67AD0E7AE82FE7 | |
| _UID | 5D6780C6B68D4CA8A506BF67AD0E7AE82FE7 | |
| Family ID | F117253 | Group Sheet | Family Chart |
| Last Modified | 23 Mar 2026 | |
| Sources |
