Jana McEachern
Jana Suzanne Sanderson McEachern (born January 31, 1979; died December 16, 2022) was Miss Alabama in 2000, and co-founder of the J & D Farms event venue in Southside.
Jana, the daughter of Brian and Judy Sitz Sanderson, grew up in Glencoe and graduated from Glencoe High School. She enjoyed singing and drama, and was a regular cast member at the Theatre of Gadsden. She earned a full scholarship to Samford University as a vocal performance major. At her mother's suggestion, Jana entered the "Miss Etowah County" pageant in 1997 and won, then finished in the top 10 in that year's "Miss Alabama". In 1998 she competed as "Miss City of Champions". The next year, competing as "Miss Jefferson County", she was runner-up to Julie Smith in the 1999 "Miss Alabama" competition. She was crowned by Smith when she won the pageant as "Miss Samford" in 2000, and went on to finish as a semi-finalist in that year's "Miss America" pageant. For the talent competition, she sang the 1962 Jerry Leiber / Mike Stoller song "I'm a Woman", and for her pageant platform, she spoke about her work motivating young people to get involved in performing arts.
Sanderson switched her major to marketing and communications before graduating. Afterward, she worked as a photographer and marketing specialist for the Gadsden Chamber of Commerce and as director of sales and marketing for Joe McEachern Photography. In November 2004 she married Joe's son, architect Danny McEachern. He took over his father's business when Joe suffered a heart attack. The couple built a 900 square-foot carriage house on a 40-acre rural property Danny's parents had given to him in Southside when he was 14 years old. They hosted several photo sessions at the farm before deciding to build a studio, in the shape of a Dutch-style barn, in 2010. The barn found immediate use as a party venue, and, under the name "J & D Farms", was successfully marketed as a wedding venue.
She was undergoing treatment for cancer when she died in December 2022.
| Preceded by: Julie Smith |
Miss Alabama 2000 |
Succeeded by: Kelly Jones |
References
- Herring, Lori (July 19, 1999) "She's all that: A Winning combination of brains and beauty help Jana Sanderson keep her feet on the ground." Gadsden Times
- Catoe, Laura (July 31, 2012) "J&D Farms transformed into wedding oasis." The Gadsden Times
- "Jana Sanderson McEachern" obituary (December 18, 2022) Crestwood Memorial Funeral Home
- Thornton, William (December 19, 2022) "Death of Miss Alabama 2000 Jana Sanderson McEachern ‘a deep loss,’ Deidre Downs Gunn says." AL.com