She wore the crown ? briefly ? 32 years ago, but Vanessa Williams got her moment of Miss America redemption on Sunday night. Sam Haskell, executive chairman of the Miss America pageant, apologized to the entertainer for the way the pageant?s predecessors handled a controversy involving nude photos of Williams. The photographs were published in Penthouse several months after she became the first African American Miss America. Williams resigned the title in 1984. Haskell, who was not involved with the pageant at the time, said, ?I want to apologize for anything that was said or done? during the photo scandal. Williams, who went on to become a famous singer and stage and TV actress, said from the stage she ?did the best I could? during the scandal. Meeting with reporters after the pageant, Williams lavishly praised the new Miss America, Miss Georgia Betty Cantrell, then reflected briefly on her own short reign as Miss America.
