From being the face of Lange ski equipment to becoming our busty Playmate of the Year 1979, Monique St. Pierre knows she has a lot to be grateful for, but she isn’t about to stop now—not even for a New York minute. “I've been studying acting here in Denver, and I love it. I've signed with Wilhelmina in New York and I'll be moving there soon. I'm going to find the best New York acting instructor I can and devote myself to the art until I know I have the ability to take a major role in a play or a movie,” said Monique during an interview with Playboy magazine back in November 1978. Unfortunately, Wilhelmina Models let go of our Miss November 1978 once she was made Playmate of the Month. Disappointed, but not discouraged, the beautiful blonde from Wiesbaden, Germany didn’t skip a beat. “I always feel free in front of the camera because no matter what the job is, I make it mine,” says our 300th centerfold model. “My individuality is very important to me. I cannot stand to be dominated and I cannot stand being mediocre at what I'm doing. My goals are to continue to do fashion and commercial modeling and to become a competent actress.” As our 20th Playmate of the Year, our Miss 1979 was lavished with gifts from Playboy including a 22-foot single-engine catamaran, equipment for both snow and water-skiing, the Porsche 928 and $10,000. Monique was speechless when she took one look at her extravagant goodies, but she’s a woman with integrity and common sense. She wasn’t going to spend her earnings on frivolous things—she put a lot of thought into how her money should be spent. “I’ve always wanted to play the piano,” admits the all-natural German. “But, being Playmate of the Year means much more to me than money. 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. I’d like to give something back to Playboy in return for all it’s done for me.” Monique firmly believes in paying it forward and she would love for the highlight of her Playboy journey to be assisting her fellow bunnies in any way she can. “I want to 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,” says the psychiatric technician who either swims, cycling or jogs every single morning. “I think that if a person suddenly comes into money and success, the first thing to do is to remember what things made him or her happy before. Often, we find that even after our situation has changed, the same things make us happy. I’ve found that’s true of me, anyways.” What made Monique happy before becoming our PMOY 1979? Making love under an open window so she feel a cool breeze on her back, giving a total body massage and listening to music from her idol –except now, when Monique listens to the iconic songs of her favorite singer, she cannot help but blush. “So, I undress and I’m lying there naked as a jay bird, and I notice someone peeking in,” recalls our Miss 1979 of her Playmate photoshoot in a furniture store. “It was 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.” Imagine how Playboy fans would react if they met their idol and Playmate of the Year 1979, Monique St. Pierre?