Former Beauty Queen, Actress. Born Regina Ruth Jane Hampton in Throop, Pennsylvania, she became a dancer and performed with the Philadelphia Civic Ballet and New York’s Radio City Music Hall Rockettes. She gained national attention as a beauty queen when crowned “Miss New Jersey” and was the runner up in the “Miss USA” pageant of 1952. After the Miss USA pageant, she moved to Hollywood and became an actress. Among her films were, the western “Law and Order”, “Take Me to Town” 1953 and the comedy “Ricochet Romance”, “The Glenn Miller Story”, “Johnny Dark” 1954. She won her 100th beauty title when crowned “National Sports Car Queen” in Hollywood, July 1954. She retired from pageants and acting when she married singer-actor Bryon Palmer in late 1954. In 1999, she moved to Merriam, Kansas and at the time of her death at age 74, was known as Rene Clary. (bio by: John “J-Cat” Griffith)