Monique St. Pierre, Playmate of the Year, 1979

It Could Almost be Christmas. The ingredients are here: the scent of pine, an extraordinary gift, an air of joy. But the Southern scrub pines on the horizon are unadorned, the gift, a Porsche 928, is idling beside a dirt road outside Jacksonville and the holidays are already fading into memory. The car's new owner, Monique St. Pierre, is somebody very special. Born November 25, 1953, just a few days after a fledgling publication called Playboy made its first appearance on the newsstands, Monique has in a sense come of age with Playboy. The magazine is celebrating its Silver Anniversary and Monique has just been named its 20th Playmate of the Year. Now she sits behind the wheel of the Porsche, her catlike eyes wide with anticipation. Peter Gregg, who has been called America's best (text concluded on page 280) Playmate of the Year(continued from page 172) sports-car driver, is in the seat beside her. At a nod from him, she slips the stick into first, then second, third and fourth. When the purring Porsche approaches 100 mph, she considers shoving it into fifth but, mindful of the career ahead of her, lets the urge pass and sighs as the speedometer drops. "My God," she whispers, "so much power." Gregg smiles at her obvious pleasure. And who wouldn't be pleased? As Playmate of the Year, Monique is receiving a $145,000 cornucopia of gifts, including a royal flush of electronic gear, a 22-foot single-engine catamaran, equipment for both snow and water-skiing and, of course, the Porsche 928. Oh, yes, and $10,000 for parking meters and other incidentals.

And on top of all that, we arranged for the adventurous Monique to take lessons in driving, tennis, water-skiing and snow skiing from masters in each sport. In Jacksonville, Gregg (who also owns a Porsche 928) instructed her on the handling of her new car. In Calgary, world pro skiing champion Andre Arnold took her down the slopes on her new skis. In Fort Lauderdale, world-champion water skier Wayne Grimditch taught her how to stay up behind her new boat; and in Los Angeles, tennis great Jimmy Connors gave her tips on her backhand.

Finally, remembering that when we interviewed her for her November 1978 Playmate pictorial she wanted an acting career, we arranged for her to do a screen test for Paramount Pictures.

Being selected Playmate of the Year capped the incredible hot streak German-born Monique has been enjoying since making her Playboy debut. Partly because of her centerfold, and partly because of the poster shot she had done for Lange ski equipment, she found herself with one of the most recognizable faces in America. Eager to take advantage of the opportunities she sensed within her grasp, she left her former home in Denver and, after a brief visit to New York to acquaint herself with top fashion photographers there, decided to settle down in Los Angeles. Modeling jobs began rolling in, as well as movie and television offers. She had a part in The Sacketts, a TV-movie pilot starring Glenn Ford, Slim Pickens and Ben Johnson; made a promising screen test for Legacy of Evil, starring Ruth Gordon and Rod Taylor; and, she says, "there's even talk of an installment of Mark & Mindy in which Mork meets the Playmate of the Year."

Not surprisingly, she's delighted with all this. "When I got involved with Playboy, I hoped it would help me in my career, but Playboy has come through beyond anything I had imagined. I really appreciate that."

But perhaps the most exciting, though somewhat bizarre, thing to occur in Monique's life lately happened while she was posing for this pictorial. Some of the photos were taken in a very exclusive L.A. furniture store (that's right, a furniture store), where a couple of rooms were blocked off for the shooting.

"So I undress and I'm lying there naked as a jay bird, and I notice someone peeking in. It's my idol, Barbra Streisand. I mean, of all times to meet Streisand. Somebody introduced us and she said hello very nicely and under the circumstances, it was all I could do to smile. A hell of a way to meet someone you idolize."

And what, one might wonder, does this high-speed vixen plan to do with her winnings? "One of the first things I'm going to buy myself is a piano. I've always wanted to play the piano. But being Playmate of the Year means much more to me than money. I'd like to give something back to Playboy in return for all it's done for me."

Like what?

"Open new doors for Playmates--get them involved in charity work, if possible. Since a lot of the girls are very athletic, I'm trying to get a Playmate Softball team going. We could play games and donate the money to charities. That would really enhance the public image of Playmates."

Always one to practice what she preaches, Monique has already volunteered to help raise money for the U. S. Olympic ski team.

The lady has beauty, brains and a truckload of healthy ambition. We're awfully glad we put her in the driver's seat.

For a look at Monique's spectacular array of gifts, see page 282.[bunny]

"'So I'm lying there naked as a jay bird, and I notice someone peeking in. It's Barbra Streisand.'"