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Queen of Cotton
Paige Lee Stanko

Paige Lee Stanko - Queen.JPG

Queen Paige Lee Stanko is the daughter of Mr. & Mrs. Delmer Stanko of Harlingen

Queen Paige attends Texas A&M University- Kingsville. She is the recipient of the Academic Excellence Award and is on the Honor Roll of Undergraduate Scholars. Paige is an active member in collegiate FFA and the Wildlife Education and Sustainability Training Program. Some of her interests include hunting, fishing and spending time with loved ones.

Paige graduated from Rio Hondo High School in 2022. Paige was honored with the FFA Lone Star degree and inducted into the Paso Real Chapter of the National Honor Society. She also received numerous scholarships and awards. Paige was very involved with her Rio Hondo FFA chapter and served as Secretary, Treasurer, and Historian. She also had the opportunity to serve as Tip-O-Texas District FFA Reporter. Paige was a part of the Lower Valley Cotillion Club and 4-H Clubs including Southern Star, Arroyo, Circle F and Cameron County Council.  

 

In the 1920’s Paige’s Great-Great Grandfather Mack Mize had a vegetable shed and business, “Mack Mize and Sons” producing perfect vegetables known as Arroyo Beauties. Paige is born into a family that is very involved in Agriculture. Her dad, Delmer, works at Wilbur Ellis Company as the operations manager and farms cotton and corn. Her mother Anna Lee works at RGV Gin Company. Paige, along with her sister Morgan run a small commercial breeding cattle operation and have shown some of their own homegrown cattle. Her great grandfather Billie Joe Simpson started

farming in Cameron County in the mid 1940’s.

Today the Simpson Legacy lives on with Grandfather and Uncle, Billie Mack and Billie D. Simpson farming cotton, grain, corn, and sugar cane. Paige’s grandfather also runs a cattle operation. Her Uncle Billie D. and cousin Mackie have a breeding cattle operation named Simpson Brahmans, where Paige had the honor of showing cattle for them her senior year.

Paige’s family have been volunteers of the Rio Grande Valley Livestock Show for several years. Her mother, uncles, aunt, grandfather, and great grandfather have all been on the steer committee and her mother, grandmothers, great grandmother, and aunt have kept up the long tradition of making sure the committee had sandwiches on load out day.

Paige’s parents are both board members at the Cameron County Fair and Livestock Show and are both supporters of the 4-H and FFA programs. Paige, her sister, her parents, and many other family members are volunteers with Smokin’ on the Rio. Paige plans to become an Agricultural Science Teacher and wants to continue on the farming legacy.

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