| Original caption: “Shades of Volstead! – Miss Marie Beiser, Baltimore beauty, took a hand in the collection of aluminum for defense, and among the articles she added to the pile assembled by her mother, Missus Glenna Beiser, was an aluminum beer keg of the pre-prohibition era, presented by Peter A. Dolan. Miss Beiser was “Miss Maryland” at the 1940 Atlantic City beauty pageant.” Even before the United States entered World War II, scrap drives urged all Americans to do their part in supporting the new war effort by collecting, saving, conserving, and recycling materials that could be repurposed for military use. Several federal and state agencies were involved in the campaign. For example, the US Office of Production Management sent pledge cards to retailers asking them to save scrap metal, rags, or rubber. The Bureau of Industrial Conservation of the War Production Board (WPB) asked American mayors to save the same kinds of materials from municipal dumps and incinerators. In New York City, the Department of Sanitation began picking up materials on an alternating schedule with regular garbage collection. By the end of the war, millions of tons of materials, including scrap metal, rope, paper, and even waste fat from stoves, had been collected and put to use. Nearly every county in the country had its own salvage committee or salvage board operating in cooperation with the WPB to mobilize both the efforts of everyday Americans and reaffirm the importance of the effort. In addition to marshalling physical resources for the war effort, the campaign had a fundamental impact on American attitudes. By convincing broad and diverse cross-sections of American citizens that their “doing without” was patriotic and, indeed, essential for the outcome of the war, the “Salvage for Victory” campaign represented 1 of the great propaganda victories for the United States government during World War II. Grace Marie Beiser Jacomo (1920 – ????) was crowned Miss Maryland on July 27, 1940. The audience contested her announcement, as her competitors had large contingents of supporters, who called the names of the contestants. As the judging dragged on, the crowd yelled at the Emcee, “We don’t want you, though!” In a ceremony the next night, with Maryland Governor Herbert R. O’Conor (November 17, 1896 – March 4, 1960), Beiser was crowned Miss Maryland. As Miss Maryland, Grace Marie Beiser introduced the new Maryland license plate in August 1940 as the new Miss Maryland. The scrap drive took place just as her reign came to an end. She crowned the new Miss Maryland in August 1941. Peter A. Dolan (September 8, 1881 – December 3, 1953) was an Irish immigrant and restaurant owner in Baltimore. Beiser married Anthony Michael Jacomo (December 15, 1909 – June 16, 1990). They had a son, Edward M. Jacomo (born May 23, 1942 – died February 22, 1993). Jacomo enlisted in the United States Army on March 31, 1943, and was discharged on November 8, 1945. On October 2, 1942, Michael Jacomo declared in the Evening Sun and the Baltimore Sun using her maiden name, as “having left my bed and board, I am not responsible for any debts incurred by her.” By 1950, Grace Marie Beiser Jacomo worked as a secretary, with her mother, Glenna A. Beiser (1902 – ????), and her son. She was listed as widowed. The death of Edward N. Beiser (February 23, 1901 – November 10, 1949) devastated the family. By 1952, the mortgage had been foreclosed, and the household furnishings were sold at auction. In 1956, Edward moved in with and was eventually adopted by the Langbein family. A puppeteer and artist, Edward was the Headmaster of the Friends School from 1980 to 1989. He died of cancer. | |
| Image Filename | wwii0944.jpg |
| Image Size | 630.41 KB |
| Image Dimensions | 2378 x 3000 |
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| Caption Author | Written or Adapted by Jason McDonald |
| Date Photographed | July 25, 1941 |
| Location | |
| City | Baltimore |
| State or Province | Maryland |
| Country | United States |
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| Status | Caption ©2026 MFA Productions LLC Please Do Not Duplicate or Distribute Without Permission; Image in the Public Domain |
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