The 1966 Rose Queen talks Disney memories on her 60th anniversary

Carole Cota Gelfuso remembers her year as Rose Queen for the 77th Rose Parade in happy detail. She was 19 and a graphic design student at Pasadena City College, unsure about her chances of even making the Rose Court.

“Having the opportunity to try out for the Royal Court was a dream for most young ladies attending PCC,” Gelfuso, 79, said, explaining the group would not be known as the Rose Court until later.

But as she marks her 60th anniversary as one in a long line of royal ambassadors for a Southern California tradition, Gelfuso said she remains grateful for what made her reign unique: she was the first Rose Queen from Los Angeles, the first to marry during her reign and even have her wedding reception at the historic Tournament House. Gelfuso was also the first Rose Queen to speak from the float for television cameras.

So even as she chronicles the journey of the 107th Rose Queen Serena Guo online, Gelfuso delighted followers with memories of a bygone era in Rose Parade history, when Rose Court princesses wore bouffant hairdos and pill box hats.

Gelfuso was born and raised in Eagle Rock and graduated from Eagle Rock High School before she enrolled at Pasadena City College.

She tried out for the Rose Court as a freshman and made it to the final 25 in 1964. The next year, when the eligible schools grew to include 10 schools and not just PCC, Gelfuso made it.

“The media were over-the-top with their coverage,” she said. “At that time, Los Angeles had two major newspapers, the Los Angeles Times and the Herald Examiner.”

And of course, she remembers the Pasadena Star-News covered each step of the queen’s selection.

Notifications in 1965 were made by snail mail, letters mailed to each candidate informing her of the next round. By the time the final seven were selected, each got a phone call explaining what would happen next, starting with an official Tournament of Roses vehicle outside her home on the morning of the court announcement, ready to drive her to the Tournament House.

“We were instructed not to tell anyone until after the formal announcement in the morning. Truth-be-told, I wondered if the phone call was for real?  It was beyond my wildest dreams,” Gelfuso said. “Sure enough, bright and early the next morning, one of the judges came to our front door and the fairy tale began.”

There were chauffeured trips to Annandale Country Club in Pasadena for lunch, then to House of Harmon Hair Studio for coiffures and manicures.

“We were asked to sign a document agreeing to have our hair trimmed to just above our shoulders in order to keep a polished look in all photographs,” she remembers.

Then to Bullock’s Department Store for a new wardrobe: “the finest wools, cashmere, silks, along with coats; hats; shoes; jewelry and makeup,” Gelfuso said

Then there was a trip to William Cahill of Beverly Hills for gown fittings, deep blue for the princesses and white for the queen.

It was 1966 and very much the Jackie Kennedy era, Gelfuso said.

But the process in selecting the Queen among the court has remained the same, less formal interviews in the weeks between the court announcement and the coronation. Her 1966 cohort, Gelfuso said, were all Rose Queen material: “excellent communicators, active in service and social organizations with polished manners ingrained in us since we were children by our parents, grandparents, aunts, etc. Good posture. Politeness was a way of life for that era.  We did not need additional training.”

When the Tournament of Roses President, J. Randolph Richards said her name, Gelfuso said, “no words could describe the overwhelming joy in my heart.”

Walt Disney was that year’s grand marshal and the parade theme was “It’s A Small World,” a dream come true for Gelfuso, who said she would watch “The Wonderful World of Disney” every Sunday growing up.

Disney invited the tournament president and herself to his office at Walt Disney Studios, giving them a private tour and a signed photo she treasures to this day.

Her coronation was a more formal affair, too, held at the Pasadena Civic Auditorium with Italian soprano Anna Maria Alberghetti and comedian Dennis Day performing. Lawrence Welk and his Champagne Orchestra provided tunes to dance to.

Gelfuso said Disney then invited the teams facing off in that year’s Rose Bowl, UCLA and Michigan State, to Disneyland, which was closed to the public that day. (UCLA would defeat Michigan State, 14-12.)

Gelfuso sat on the 50-yard line with Disney and other Tournament officials.

Eight months after her historic turn as Rose Queen, Carole Cota turned another page and married Frank Gelfuso and their reception was held at the Tournament House.

In 2026, they will celebrate their own 60th wedding anniversary, surrounded by their son and daughter and their families, including two grandsons and two granddaughters.

“They are the absolute light of our lives,” Gelfuso said.

The couple restored 30 homes in the Pasadena and Altadena area, including four of their former homes which burned in the Eaton fire. All the while, Gelfuso has remained connected to the Tournament sisterhood and the nonprofit itself.

“I will always be grateful to the Tournament of Roses for the responsibility given to me to represent the Tournament of Roses, the City of Pasadena and the Greater Los Angeles Area as the 1966 Rose Queen,” she said.

One memorable event was when Gelfuso was invited, along with 1974 Rose Queen, Miranda Barone, to participate in a “Make-A-Wish” event at the Tournament House for a child who wished to be a princess for a day.

“She was treated to lunch in the dining room with the Rose Court and a ride in a horse-drawn carriage,” Gelfuso said. “It doesn’t get any better.”

Most recently, Gelfuso joined 1953 Rose Queen, Leah Feland Cullen, in helping greet the young women trying out for the 2026 Rose Court.

“We shared our experiences and helped calm nerves,” she said. “A truly lovely group of our area’s finest.”

This year, the Gelfusos, who live minutes from the parade route, will stick with tradition and watch the parade from home, making sure to walk outside at 7:55 a.m. to catch the Stealth bombers fly overhead.

Gelfuso said the sisterhood is alive and well. Many of the past Queens gather monthly and the Tournament of Roses Heritage Committee brings them together for a private tea once a year.

“Our friendships are priceless,” Gelfuso said. “I like to remind each new Queen to be ever humble and thankful to everyone they meet. Make certain to write handwritten notes for gifts and special acts of kindness. You will be remembered for how you treat everyone around you.”

To that standard, she added, the newest link in Rose Queen history, certainly measures up.

“Our beautiful 2026 Rose Queen Serena has all the qualities to live up to her predecessors,” Gelfuso said.