Deidre Downs

Last updated
Deidre Downs Gunn
Deidre DownsJCWP2.JPG
Deidre Downs at the Jimmy Carter Work Project June, 2005
Born (1980-07-07) July 7, 1980 (age 44)
Alabama, U.S.
Alma mater University of Virginia
Samford University (BA)
University of Alabama School of Medicine (MD)
Occupation(s)Physician in Obstetrics and Gynecology (Reproductive Endocrinology and Infertility)
Employer UAB Hospital
Title Miss Alabama 2004
Miss America 2005
TermSeptember 18, 2004 - January 21, 2006
Predecessor Ericka Dunlap
Successor Jennifer Berry
Spouses
  • Andrew Gunn (m. 2008; div.)
Abbott Jones
​
(m. 2018)​
Children1

Deidre Downs Gunn (born July 7, 1980) is an American physician and former beauty pageant titleholder. Downs was Miss Alabama 2004 and later was crowned Miss America 2005. [1] [2] [3]

Contents

Education

After graduating from Pelham High School in 1998, [4] Downs attended the University of Virginia on a volleyball scholarship. [5] While at the University of Virginia, she was an Echols Scholar [4] and a member of the Jefferson Literary and Debating Society. [6] After her freshman year of college at the University of Virginia, Downs chose to focus on her studies and aspiration to go to medical school and ultimately transferred to Samford University. [5] [7] Her transfer resulted in her losing her scholarship, so she began competing in local pageants to earn scholarship money. [8] She graduated magna cum laude in 2002 from Samford University with a degree in history and a double-minor in biology and chemistry. [5] [9] She was also a finalist for the Rhodes Scholarship in 2002. [4]

After completing her stint as Miss America, she began medical school at the University of Alabama School of Medicine (UAB) in Birmingham. [10] She received her Doctor of Medicine in 2010 and then completed her residency in obstetrics and gynecology at the UAB Medical Center in 2014. [9] She continued her education at the UAB Medical Center and completed her fellowship in reproductive endocrinology and infertility in 2017. [9]

Pageantry

Early pageants

Miss America 2005 Deidre Downs (left) and congressman Chet Edwards (right) in his Washington office to discuss childhood cancer Deidre Downs and Chet Edwards.JPG
Miss America 2005 Deidre Downs (left) and congressman Chet Edwards (right) in his Washington office to discuss childhood cancer

Downs competed in her high school's pageants and won her senior year. [5]

After her first year of college at the University of Virginia, Downs chose to focus on her studies and aspiration to go to medical school and ultimately transferred to Samford University. [5] [8] This transfer resulted in her losing a volleyball scholarship, so she began competing in local pageants to earn scholarship money. [8]

She first entered the Miss Alabama pageant scene in 2000 and was named third runner-up at the 2001 and 2002 pageants [11] and first runner-up at Miss Alabama 2003 pageant. [1]

Miss Alabama 2004

She was named Miss Leeds Area 2004, making her eligible to compete at the 2005 Miss Alabama pageant.

Downs won the competition in June 2004, [1] when she received her crown from outgoing Miss Alabama titleholder, Catherine Crosby. [12] This was her 5th time competing in the Miss Alabama pageant. [5] [8]

Miss America 2005

Deidre Downs in July 2005 Deidre Downs.jpg
Deidre Downs in July 2005

Downs was Alabama's representative at the Miss America 2005 competition held in Atlantic City, New Jersey in September 2004. Her platform was "Curing Childhood Cancer." [13]

In the preliminary competition, Downs was announced as the sole winner of the Quality of Life Award. [14] For the talent portion of the competition, she sang Linda Eder's "I'm Afraid This Must be Love." [15]

After competing in casual wear, swimsuit, evening gown, and participating in a "pop quiz", only two state titleholders remained, Downs and Miss Louisiana 2004, Jennifer Dupont. [16] She then beat out Dupont after a head-to-head talent competition [16] for the 2005 title and was crowned by Miss America 2004, Ericka Dunlap, on September 18, 2004. [13] [17] [18] [19] Along with the title of Miss America, Downs also won a $50,000 scholarship. Downs was the third Miss Alabama titleholder to win the Miss America title. [15]

Downs later stated that she received nearly $110,000 in scholarship money [4] [5] during the five years she competed in the Miss Alabama and Miss America organizations. Downs is the only titleholder to reign for part of three calendar years.[ citation needed ] The pageant, traditionally held in September, was delayed four months to allow the Miss America Organization to secure a TV deal. Her successor, Jennifer Berry of Oklahoma, was crowned Miss America 2006 on January 21, 2006.

Congresswoman Deborah Pryce (left) and Deidre Downs (right), Miss America 2005 DownsPlate.jpg
Congresswoman Deborah Pryce (left) and Deidre Downs (right), Miss America 2005

Downs Gunn later served as a judge for the final night of competition for the Miss America 2014 pageant in which Nina Davuluri was named Miss America. [10]

Personal life

After Downs married her college sweetheart, Andrew Gunn, in March 2008, she changed her name to Deidre Downs Gunn. [20] [21] They had a son in 2010. [4] [20] The couple later divorced.

Downs remarried in 2018 in a private ceremony at the Birmingham Museum of Art in Birmingham, Alabama. [15] [22] Her wife, Abbott Jones, is an attorney and writer. [22] [23] Downs is the first former Miss America national titleholder to enter a same-sex marriage. [24]

Related Research Articles

Miss America's Teen is an American scholarship pageant. It is the sister program to the Miss America Opportunity, and it aims to "promote scholastic achievement, creative accomplishment, healthy living and community involvement for America's teens." In order to be eligible to compete, participants must first compete and win at the local level and then win the state title. The competition consists of several parts of competition which consists of an eight-minute interview in front of a panel of judges, talent, lifestyle and wellness, evening wear, and an on-stage question. All competitors must be girls between the ages of 13 and 18 years of age.

The Miss Alabama competition is the pageant that selects the representative for the state of Alabama in the annual Miss America Competition.

The Miss Kentucky competition is the pageant that selects the representative for the state of Kentucky in the Miss America pageant.

The Miss Virginia competition is a scholarship pageant for women, with the titleholder representing Virginia in the Miss America pageant. The competition was founded in 1953 as a scholarship contest for young women, although women had represented Virginia in the Miss America pageant since the 1930s. Four Miss Virginia winners have gone on to be crowned Miss America, including former national titleholder Caressa Cameron.

The Miss Missouri competition is the pageant that selects the representative for the U.S. state of Missouri in the Miss America pageant.

The Miss Arkansas competition is the pageant that selects the representative for the state of Arkansas in the Miss America pageant. Arkansas has won the Miss America title three times.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Miss Delaware</span> Beauty pageant competition

The Miss Delaware competition is the pageant that selects the representative of Delaware in the Miss America pageant. The event takes place annually in the month of June and has previously been held in Rehoboth Beach at Convention Hall, in the state capital of Dover, Delaware at the Dover Downs Hotel and Casino, and in Milton at the Milton Theatre. Miss Delaware serves as the official hostess to the state of Delaware.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Miss Idaho</span> Beauty pageant competition

The Miss Idaho scholarship program is the pageant that selects the representative for the state of Idaho in the Miss America pageant. The current titleholder receives a $4,000 cash scholarship to any accredited institution of her choice. She also represents the state of Idaho for the live ABC broadcast of the Miss America pageant.

The Miss New Hampshire is the scholarship program that selects the representative for the state of New Hampshire in the Miss America competition.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Miss America 2006</span>

Miss America 2006, the 79th Miss America pageant, was held on the Las Vegas Strip in Paradise, Nevada on Saturday, January 21, 2006.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Miss America 2005</span> 78th edition of the Miss America competition

Miss America 2005, the 78th Miss America pageant, was held in Atlantic City on Saturday, September 18, 2004, following a week of events including the preliminary competition.

The Miss Alabama's Teen competition is the pageant that selects the representative for the U.S. state of Alabama in the Miss America's Teen pageant.

The Miss Tennessee's Teen competition is the competition that selects the representative for the U.S. state of Tennessee in the Miss America's Teen pageant.

Kelly Jones Carr is an American educator and beauty pageant titleholder from Birmingham, Alabama, who was named Miss Alabama 2001.

Julie Smith West is an American beauty pageant titleholder from Birmingham, Alabama, who was named Miss Alabama 1999.

Alison McCreary Gengelbach is an American beauty pageant titleholder from Florence, Alabama, who was named Miss Alabama 1996. She won the Quality of Life award and was named third runner-up at the Miss America 1997 pageant.

Amie Beth Dickinson Shaver is an American conservative political activist and beauty pageant titleholder from Shelby County, Alabama, who was named Miss Alabama 1994. She succeeded to the title after Heather Whitestone, the original titleholder, was named Miss America 1995.

Kalyn Chapman James is an American model, television host, and beauty pageant titleholder from Mobile, Alabama, who was crowned Miss Alabama in 1993, the first African American to win the pageant. She competed for the Miss America 1994 title and placed as a top-ten semi-finalist.

Maria Christina Maldonado Smith is an American beauty pageant titleholder from Lexington, Kentucky. She was named Miss Kentucky Teen 1999 and crowned Miss Kentucky 2004. She competed for the Miss America 2005 title.

For the state pageant affiliated with Miss Teen USA, see Miss North Carolina Teen USA

References

  1. 1 2 3 "Downs wins Miss Alabama, Camper first runner-up". The Gadsden Times. June 13, 2004. ...took home the top prize after being named first runner-up in the contest last year.
  2. ↑ "Miss Alabama Deidre Downs wins Miss America". USA Today . September 18, 2004.
  3. ↑ "Miss Alabama". Miss America. Archived from the original on June 8, 2015. Retrieved July 24, 2014.
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 McDowell, Katie (May 17, 2016). "Why I Love Shelby County". Shelby County Reporter.
  5. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 "Miss America 2005, Deidre Downs". Pageantry Magazine.
  6. ↑ Gunay, Defne (2004-10-20). "Cavalier Royalty". The Cavalier Daily. Archived from the original on 2011-06-17. Retrieved 2021-10-08.
  7. ↑ "Deidre Downs: Samford's Miss America Charts Medical Future" (PDF). Samford University Seasons. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2015-02-17.
  8. 1 2 3 4 "Q+A Deidre Downs". Sports Illustrated . March 28, 2005.
  9. 1 2 3 "Education and Training". Deidre Downs Gunn, M.D. Archived from the original on 2018-05-06. Retrieved 2018-05-05.
  10. 1 2 "The 2014 Miss America National Judges Panel Announced". PageantCast. August 21, 2013. Archived from the original on December 27, 2014.
  11. ↑ Allen, Bob (September 21, 2004). "Miss America Member of CBF Church". Ethics Daily. ...Downs, who before this year finished as first runner up for Miss Alabama in 2003 and third runner up in 2001 and 2002.
  12. ↑ "Birmingham's Deidre Downs crowned Miss Alabama 2004". Associated Press. 2004-06-13.
  13. 1 2 Johnston, Lauren (July 29, 2004). "Miss Ala. Wins Spiced-Up Pageant". CBS News.
  14. ↑ "Miss Alabama 2016 Hayley Barber wins Miss America Quality of Life Award". AL.com. September 7, 2016.
  15. 1 2 3 Gore, Leada (April 16, 2018). "Who is Deidre Downs? Former Miss America weds girlfriend; Miss America pageant sends best wishes". AL.com.
  16. 1 2 Dunn, Carl. "Making Talent Count At Miss America '05". Pageantry Magazine.
  17. ↑ "Miss America 2005- Crowning: Deidre Downs, Miss Alabama". YouTube . November 22, 2012.
  18. ↑ "County native is Miss America – Former Miss Shelby County crowned". Shelby County Reporter. September 21, 2004. First runner-up in the Miss Alabama pageant, Shannon Camper, will now serve as the state's winner.
  19. ↑ Sinclair, Rachel (September 14, 2014). "10 years ago Deidre Downs Gunn became the last Miss Alabama to win Miss America". AL.com.
  20. 1 2 Morton, Victor (April 16, 2018). "Miss America 2005 marries girlfriend in Alabama ceremony". The Washington Times.
  21. ↑ Przybysz, Tracy. "America's Bride: The Exclusive Wedding of Miss America 2005, Deidre Downs" (PDF). Weddings. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2014-03-27. Retrieved 2018-04-24.
  22. 1 2 "Former Miss America Winner Deidre Downs Gunn Marries Girlfriend in Romantic Southern Wedding". PEOPLE.com. Retrieved 2018-04-16.
  23. ↑ "Miss America 2005 marries same-sex partner in Alabama". NBC News. April 20, 2018.
  24. ↑ Graham, Ginnie (2018-04-27). "Miss Oklahoma 1983 Trelynda Kerr has been a pioneer for LGBT in the pageant community". Tulsa World. Retrieved 2018-04-29.
Awards and achievements
Preceded by Miss America
2005		Succeeded by
Preceded by Miss Alabama
2004		Succeeded by
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