Miss America 1983

Miss America 1983
Date	September 11, 1982
Presenters	Gary Collins
Venue	Boardwalk Hall, Atlantic City, New Jersey
Broadcaster	NBC
Winner	Debra Maffett California
←  1982 1984  →

Miss America 1983, the 56th Miss America pageant, was from on the Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City, New Jersey on September 11, 1982 on NBC Network.

Pageant winner Debra Maffett later became a television personality and producer. ^{[1] [2] [3]}

Results

Placements

Placement	Contestant
Miss America 1983	California – Debra Maffett
1st Runner-Up	Tennessee – Desiree Daniels
2nd Runner-Up	Mississippi – Dianne Evans
3rd Runner-Up	Alabama – Yolanda Fernandez
4th Runner-Up	Oklahoma – Nancy Chapman
Top 10	Arizona – Debra Ann Daniels   Arkansas – Mary Stuart   Georgia – Bobbie Eakes   Kentucky – Gwendolyn Suzann Witten   Minnesota – Laurie Saarinen

Order of announcements

Top 10  Georgia  Kentucky  Oklahoma  Tennessee  Arkansas  Mississippi  Arizona  Minnesota  Alabama  California

Awards

Preliminary awards

Award	Contestant
Lifestyle and Fitness	California – Debra Maffett   North Carolina – Elizabeth Gray Williams   Tennessee – Desiree Daniels
Talent	California – Debra Maffett   Kentucky – Gwendolyn Suzann Witten   Mississippi – Dianne Evans

Non-finalist awards

Award	Contestant
Talent	Colorado – Deborah Davids   Iowa – Linda Lee Simon   Louisiana – Bobbie Lynn Candler   New York – Eileen Diane Clark   North Carolina – Elizabeth Gray Williams   South Carolina – Julia Diane Hill   Texas – Gloria Gilbert   Wisconsin – Gail Marie Soller

Judges

• Foster Brooks
• Wink Martindale
• Rod McKuen
• Chris Calloway
• Evelyn Ay Sempier
• Herman Vincent
• Caroline Tose

Contestants

State	Name	Hometown	Age	Talent	Placement	Special Awards	Notes
Alabama	Yolanda Fernandez	Troy	19	Classical Piano, Fantaisie-Impromptu	3rd runner-up		Previously Florida's Junior Miss 1980
Alaska	Kristan Sapp	Wasilla	20	Sac-Jazz Dance
Arizona	Debra Daniels	Yuma	20	Free Form Gymnastics, "Chariots of Fire"	Top 10
Arkansas	Mary Stuart	Little Rock	20	Vocal/Broadway Jazz, "The Birth of the Blues"	Top 10		Later cast as Frannie Hughes on As the World Turns from 1990 to 1993
California	Debra Maffett	Anaheim	25	Popular Vocal, "Come in From the Rain"	Winner	Preliminary Lifestyle & Fitness Award Preliminary Talent Award
Colorado	Deborah Davids	Denver	22	Harp, "Introduction et Allegro" by Maurice Ravel		Non-finalist Talent Award
Connecticut	Kelly Slater	Woodbury	21	Popular Vocal, "Blue Champagne"
Delaware	Nancy Ellen Farley	Elsmere	21	Comedy Monologue, "Report of the Nominating Committee"
Florida	Deanna Pitman	Apopka	22	Lyrical Dance, "I Hope I Get It" from A Chorus Line
Georgia	Bobbie Eakes	Warner Robins	21	Vocal, "Let's Hear it for Me" from Funny Lady	Top 10		Sister of Miss Georgia 1979, Sandra Eakes Later starred as Macy Alexander on The Bold and the Beautiful
Hawaii	Gale Lee Thomas	Honolulu	21	Baton Twirling, Theme from Magnum, P.I. & "Hawaiian War Chant"
Idaho	Lisa Eaton	Shelley	22	Vocal, "It's My Turn"
Illinois	Jaleigh Jeffers	Mount Carmel	21	Piano, "Bumble Boogie"
Indiana	Ilona Conway	Bunker Hill	25	Popular Vocal, "Mister Melody"
Iowa	Linda Simon	DeWitt	23	Baton Twirling		Non-finalist Talent Award
Kansas	Lisa Marie Berwick	Valley Center	21	Vocal, "Battle Hymn of the Republic"
Kentucky	Gwendolyn Witten	Vine Grove	23	Semi-classical Vocal, "And This is My Beloved"	Top 10	Preliminary Talent Award
Louisiana	Bobbie Candler	Baton Rouge	25	Semi-classical Vocal, "With a Song in My Heart"		Non-finalist Talent Award	Previously National Sweetheart 1979
Maine	Rebecca Beck	Brunswick	21	Classical Vocal, "Adele's Laughing Song" from Die Fledermaus
Maryland	Lynne Carol Graham	Bethesda	23	Popular Vocal, "Alfie"			Mother of Miss Kentucky 2007, Kaitlynne Postel
Massachusetts	Lisa Scorgie	North Attleboro	23	Violin, "Fantasy of Russian Folk Songs"
Michigan	Kathy Lou Pennington	Jackson	25	Vocal, "God Bless the Child"
Minnesota	Laurie Saarinen	Osage	21	Vocal, "My Man"	Top 10		Previously Miss North Dakota USA 1981
Mississippi	Dianne Evans	Taylorsville	22	Vocal, "Stormy Weather"	2nd runner-up	Preliminary Talent Award
Missouri	Julie Phillips	Ava	18	Classical/Jazz Piano
Montana	Kimberly Knauf	Billings	21	Piano Medley, "Jump Shout Boogie" & "Sonata Pathétique"
Nebraska	Sandra Haschke	Humphrey	20	Popular Vocal, "All I Ever Need is You"
Nevada	Kim King	Las Vegas	21	Banjo, "Waiting for the Robert E. Lee"
New Hampshire	Amy Bowker	Amherst	21	Jazz Dance, "The Music and the Mirror" from A Chorus Line
New Jersey	Christina Shone	Pequannock	22	Classical Vocal, "Non Piu Mesta" from La Cenerentola
New Mexico	Cyndi Ann Friesen	Carlsbad	19	Vocal, "Carnival"
New York	Eileen Clark	Syracuse	23	Classical Vocal, "Glitter and Be Gay" from Candide		Non-finalist Talent Award
North Carolina	Elizabeth Williams	Shelby	22	Semi-classical Vocal, "Climb Ev'ry Mountain" from The Sound of Music		Non-finalist Talent Award Preliminary Lifestyle & Fitness Award
North Dakota	Jeana Wolf	Rugby	21	Tap Dance, "You're a Grand Old Flag" & "Give My Regards to Broadway"
Ohio	Debra Gombert	Bexley	22	Semi-classical Vocal, "Love is Where You Find It"
Oklahoma	Nancy Chapman	Altus	21	Piano, "Fireworks" by Debussy	4th runner-up
Oregon	Laura Matthys	Salem	21	Rifle Twirling Routine, "Herzegovinian March"
Pennsylvania	Laurie Ann Hixenbaugh	Belle Vernon	22	Baton Twirling, "Pop Goes to the Movies"
Rhode Island	Cynthia Crook	Warwick	22	Vocal/Dance, Theme from New York, New York
South Carolina	Julia Hill	Florence	26	Classical Piano, "Rachmaninoff's Piano Concerto No. 2, 3rd Movement"		Non-finalist Talent Award	Mother of Miss South Carolina 2008, Anna Perry
South Dakota	Tara Meyerink	Platte	19	Classical Piano, "Polichinelle" by Sergei Rachmaninoff
Tennessee	Desiree Daniels	Chattanooga	22	Popular Vocal, "Don't Cry Out Loud"	1st runner-up	Preliminary Lifestyle & Fitness Award	Later Miss Tennessee USA 1984 2nd runner-up at Miss USA 1984
Texas	Gloria Gilbert	Millsap	20	Ventriloquism & Vocal, "I've Been Everywhere"		Non-finalist Talent Award	Previously National Sweetheart 1981 Longtime hostess of the Miss Texas pageant television broadcast
Utah	Cindy Quinn	Provo	21	Classical Vocal, "Habanera" from Carmen
Vermont	Jill Wyckoff	South Burlington	20	Gymnastics Dance, Theme from CHiPs
Virginia	Beverly Cooke	Richmond	24	Vocal Medley, "Smile" & "Happy Days are Here Again"			Mother of Miss Virginia's Outstanding Teen 2006, Brittany Young
Washington	Monica Hard	Bellevue	23	Vocal Medley, "Sweet Inspiration" & "Where You Lead"
West Virginia	Kelly Lea Anderson	Clarksburg	21	Stylized Can-Can			Later Miss West Virginia USA 1984 1st runner-up at Miss USA 1984 Later Miss World USA 1984 Top 5 finalist at Miss World 1984
Wisconsin	Gail Marie Soller	La Crosse	24	Classical Vocal, "Mon cœur s'ouvre à ta voix"		Non-finalist Talent Award
Wyoming	Janie Hertzler	Cheyenne	23	Vocal, "Everything"

References

1. "CALIFORNIAN WINS MISS AMERICA". NY Times . September 12, 1982. Retrieved December 7, 2023.
2. "Miss California Debra Sue Maffett a blonde Texan who..." UPI. September 11, 1982. Retrieved December 7, 2023.
3. "Debra Sue Maffett: Miss America 1983". UPI. September 12, 1982. Retrieved December 7, 2023.

External links

• 1983 – Miss America Opportunity