Miss America 1966

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Miss America 1966
Deborah Bryant, Miss America 1966, postcard front.jpg
Deborah Bryant, Miss America 1966
DateSeptember 11, 1965
Presenters Bert Parks
Bess Myerson
Venue Boardwalk Hall, Atlantic City, New Jersey
Broadcaster CBS
Winner Deborah Bryant
Flag of Kansas.svg Kansas
  1965
1967  

Miss America 1966, the 39th Miss America pageant, was held at the Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City, New Jersey on September 11, 1965 [1] on CBS Network.

Contents

Deborah Bryant became the first Miss Kansas to win the crown. The judges for this year's pageant included actress Joan Crawford.

Results

Final resultsContestant
Miss America 1966
1st runner-up
2nd runner-up
3rd runner-up
4th runner-up
Top 10

Order of announcements

Awards

Preliminary awards

AwardsContestant
Lifestyle and Fitness
Talent

Other awards

AwardsContestant
Miss Congeniality
  • Flag of Iowa.svg Iowa - Marie Mushro
Non-finalist Talent

Contestants

StateNameHometownAgeTalentPlacementAwardsNotes
Flag of Alabama.svg Alabama Linda Folsom New Brockton 20Classical Vocal, "Caro Nome" from Rigoletto Top 10Preliminary Talent Award
Flag of Alaska.svg Alaska Mary Ruth Nidiffer Anchorage 21Popular Vocal, "Typically English"
Flag of Arizona.svg Arizona Sandra Montgomery Yuma 18Vocal, "Once in a Lifetime" & "I Love Being Here With You"
Flag of Arkansas.svg Arkansas Rhonda Oglesby Pine Bluff 19Popular Vocal
Flag of California.svg California Sandra Lynne Becker Covina 18Semi-classical Vocal, "Make Believe"Non-finalist Talent Award
Flag of Colorado.svg Colorado Kristina Holm Denver 19Piano, "More" from Gigi
Flag of Connecticut.svg Connecticut Donna Scott Stratford 18Vocal, "Someone to Watch Over Me"
Flag of Delaware.svg Delaware Kathleen Grandell Wilmington 18Multilingual Monologue
Flag of Florida.svg Florida Carol Lynn Blum Miami Beach 21Classical Vocal, "Il Bacio" by Luigi Arditi 3rd runner-up
Flag of Georgia (U.S. state).svg Georgia Mary Jane Yates Savannah 20Semi-classical Vocal, "With a Song in My Heart"
Flag of Hawaii.svg Hawaii Roberta Rosaria Conlan Honolulu 18Monologue, "Hawaiian History"
Flag of Idaho.svg Idaho Rhonda Hammond Boise 19Speech on Fashion Design with ModelingNon-finalist Talent Award
Flag of Illinois.svg Illinois Kathleen Oros Granite City 20Popular Vocal, "Just You Wait" from My Fair Lady
Flag of Indiana.svg Indiana Eileen Smith Indianapolis 18Vocal Medley, "The Sound of Music" & "Climb Ev'ry Mountain"2nd runner-upPreliminary Talent Award
Flag of Iowa.svg Iowa Marie Mushro Sioux City 19Ballet en Pointe, The Dying Swan Miss Congeniality


Non-finalist Talent Award

Flag of Kansas.svg Kansas Deborah Irene Bryant Overland Park 19Dramatic Interpretation, "The Miserable Miserliness of Midas Moneybags"WinnerPreliminary Lifestyle & Fitness AwardPreviously Miss Kansas World 1963

Top 7 finalist at Miss USA World 1963

Flag of Kentucky.svg Kentucky Rebecca Snyder Owensboro 20Dramatic Monologue, "Portrayal of the Sphinx"
Flag of Louisiana.svg Louisiana Lynda Ferguson Shreveport 20Semi-classical Vocal, "Italian Street Song" from Naughty Marietta Top 10
Flag of Maine.svg Maine Ellen Margaret Fowler Old Orchard Beach 19Vocal/Dance, "Some People"
Flag of Maryland.svg Maryland Barbara Lynn Hamilton College Park 19Vocal, "Can't Help Lovin' Dat Man"
Flag of Massachusetts.svg Massachusetts Mabel Bendiksen New Bedford 18Dramatic Reading & Folk Singing, "The Hazards of Nuclear Fallout" & "What Have They Done to the Rain"
Flag of Michigan.svg Michigan Esther Lynne Smith Portage 19Classical VocalNon-finalist Talent AwardBorn in Vlaardingen, Netherlands
Flag of Minnesota.svg Minnesota Jeanne Ruth St. Paul 18Interpretive Jazz Dance to selections from West Side Story
Flag of Mississippi.svg Mississippi Patricia Puckett Columbus 20Vocal, "I Ain't Down Yet" from The Unsinkable Molly Brown 1st runner-upPreliminary Lifestyle & Fitness AwardFeatured performer at Miss America 1967
Flag of Missouri.svg Missouri Lesley Fleenor Springfield 20Vocal, "Hard Hearted Hannah"
Flag of Montana.svg Montana Dianne Feller Helena 21Classical Vocal, "Un bel dì vedremo" from Madama Butterfly Non-finalist Talent Award
Flag of Nebraska.svg Nebraska Karen Hansmeire Ogallala 20Semi-classical Vocal, "Love is Where You Find It"
Flag of Nevada.svg Nevada Kathryn Blaikie Carson City 18Musical Comedy, "I'm Late"Preliminary Lifestyle & Fitness Award
Flag of New Hampshire.svg New Hampshire Cheryl-Leigh Buffum Manchester 21Musical Comedy Sketch, "I Ain't Down Yet" from The Unsinkable Molly Brown
Flag of New Jersey.svg New Jersey Kathleen Holmes Toms River 19Vocal/Tap Dance, "Steppin' Out With My Baby"
Flag of New Mexico.svg New Mexico Ellen Growden University Park 21Dramatic Sketch, "Relationship of a Mother and Daughter"
Flag of New York.svg New York Marlene Butcher Hamburg 19Vocal/Dance, "I Ain't Down Yet" from The Unsinkable Molly Brown
Flag of North Carolina.svg North Carolina Penelope Clark Sanford 19Classical Ballet, "Robina"
Flag of North Dakota.svg North Dakota Onalee Olson Fargo 19Original Interpretive Dance, "Charleston"
Flag of Ohio.svg Ohio Valerie Lavin Canton 20Vocal/Dance, "I Ought to Dance"
Flag of Oklahoma.svg Oklahoma Sandra Curtis Tulsa 20Dramatic Reading, "Sorry Wrong Number"
Flag of Oregon.svg Oregon Sue Pack Eugene 18Vocal, "The Lonely Goatherd" from The Sound of Music Top 10Joined The New Christy Minstrels in 1966


Wife of Mickey Newbury

Flag of Pennsylvania.svg Pennsylvania Judith Lynn McConnell Pittsburgh 21Dramatic Reading from Saint Joan Non-finalist Talent AwardBest known for her role in the soap opera, Santa Barbara
Flag of Rhode Island.svg Rhode Island Maureen Manton Warwick 21Dramatic Reading from The Diary of Anne Frank
Flag of South Carolina.svg South Carolina Nancy Moore Aiken 18Piano, Variations on "There She Is"Top 10Preliminary Talent AwardLater married US Senator Strom Thurmond, who was 44 years her senior, in 1968
Flag of South Dakota.svg South Dakota Nancy Sandwick Sioux Falls 19Vocal Medley, "Wouldn't it be Loverly" & "I Could've Danced All Night" from My Fair Lady
Flag of Tennessee.svg Tennessee Marcia Murray Paris 19Popular Vocal, "Spellbound"
Flag of Texas.svg Texas Mary Lou Butler Irving 19Vocal
Flag of the State of Utah.svg Utah Frances Yvonne Vernon Salt Lake City 22Original Modern Dance, "The American Pioneer Woman"Top 10
Flag of Vermont.svg Vermont Lois Dodge Grand Isle 20Vocal, "Climb Ev'ry Mountain"
Flag of Virginia.svg Virginia Jean Inge Norfolk 22Speech about Politics & Government entitled "Democracy"
Flag of Washington.svg Washington Kippy Lou Brinkman Richland 21Harp & Tap Dance, "Night and Day"Non-finalist Talent Award
Flag of West Virginia.svg West Virginia Lois Gay Ratcliff Bluefield 19Dramatic Reading, "Lonesome Train"Non-finalist Talent Award
Flag of Wisconsin.svg Wisconsin Sharon Singstock Oshkosh 20Vocal, "Rock-a-Bye Your Baby With a Dixie Medley"4th runner-up
Flag of Wyoming.svg Wyoming Trudy Bower Freedom 19Vocal, "From This Moment On"

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References

  1. Associated Press (1965-09-13). "From Freckles to Miss America". Miami News. p. 12B.