Miss America 1976

Miss America 1976
Tawny Godin, Miss America 1976
Date	September 6, 1975
Presenters	Bert Parks Phyllis George
Venue	Boardwalk Hall, Atlantic City, New Jersey
Broadcaster	NBC
Winner	Tawny Godin New York

Miss America 1976, the 49th Miss America pageant, was held at the Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City, New Jersey on September 6, 1975, and broadcast on NBC.

The winner, Tawny Godin, representing New York, later became better known as Tawny Little, a television personality in Los Angeles who married actor John Schneider, star of the TV series The Dukes of Hazzard. She was the first woman with the title of Miss New York to take the crown, Bess Myerson having won the 1945 pageant entered as Miss New York City. At 5 ft 10+1⁄2 in (1.79 m), Godin was the tallest Miss America to that point.

Result

Placements

Placement	Contestant
Miss America 1976	New York – Tawny Godin
1st Runner-Up	North Carolina – Susan Lawrence
2nd Runner-Up	California – Janet Carr
3rd Runner-Up	Ohio – Susan Banks
4th Runner-Up	Arizona – Stacey Petersen
Top 10	Florida – Ann Schmalzried Indiana – Cyndi Legler Massachusetts – Cynthia Mary Carpenter South Carolina – Cyndi Anthony Texas – Mary Ellen Richardson

Order of announcements

Top 10

1. California
2. South Carolina
3. Florida
4. North Carolina
5. New York
6. Texas
7. Arizona
8. Indiana
9. Massachusetts
10. Ohio

Awards

Preliminary awards

Awards	Contestant
Lifestyle and Fitness	California - Janet Carr Arkansas - Paula Denise Roach Rhode Island - Debra Jean Cusick
Talent	Massachusetts - Cynthia Mary Carpenter Montana - Diane Lynn Pacini Ohio - Susan Banks

Other awards

Awards	Contestant
Non-finalist Talent	Delaware - Elaine Campanelli Georgia - Seva Celeste Day Kentucky - Marsha Ann Griffith Maryland - Veronica Marie Clarke Minnesota - Keri Thorne Pennsylvania - Connie Harness Wisconsin - Marilyn Sembell Wyoming - Trish Long

Judges

• Colonel Gilbert Mitchell
• Jeanne Meixell
• Frank DeFord
• Dorothy Alexander
• Joseph Campanella
• Lee Meriwether
• Don Galloway

Contestants

State	Name	Hometown	Age	Talent	Placement	Special Awards	Notes
Alabama	Susie Vaughn	Florence	21	Classical Vocal, "Vilja" from The Merry Widow
Alaska	Cindy Suryan	Kodiak	20	Popular Vocal & Guitar, "For Baby"
Arizona	Stacey Peterson	Phoenix	21	Ventriloquism, "Yankee Doodle"	4th runner-up
Arkansas	Paula Roach	Jonesboro	20	Piano, Theme from Summer of '42		Preliminary Lifestyle & Fitness Award
California	Janet Carr	San Gabriel	21	Vocal, "They Call the Wind Maria" from Paint Your Wagon	2nd runner-up	Preliminary Lifestyle & Fitness Award
Colorado	Penny Currier	Lakewood	22	Concert Pedal Harp, "St. Louis Blues"
Connecticut	Mary Cadorette	East Hartford	18	Modern Jazz Dance
Delaware	Elaine Campanelli	Ocean View	20	Fire Baton Routine		Non-finalist Talent Award
Florida	Ann K. Schmalzried	Fort Lauderdale	19	Classical Piano, "Gardens in the Rain"	Top 10	Dr. David B. Allman Medical Scholarship
Georgia	Seva Day	Thomasville	19	Vocal, "My Man"		Non-finalist Talent Award
Hawaii	Cathy Foy	Aiea	22	Vocal/Dance, "Look What Happened to Mabel" from Mack & Mabel			During the Miss America 2001 pageant, Angela Perez Baraquio danced hula to Foy's vocal recording of "Come Follow Me, I Am Hawaii"
Idaho	Teri Harding	Heyburn	19	Vocal, "If Ever I Would Leave You"
Illinois	Jean Waters	Tuscola	22	Gymnastic Dance/Trampoline, "High School Cadets"
Indiana	Cyndi Legler	Fort Wayne	21	Classical Ballet, "Dawn" from Coppélia	Top 10		Contestant at National Sweetheart 1974
Iowa	Debbie Weuve	State Center	20	Vocal, "Maybe This Time" from Cabaret
Kansas	Jana Salmans	Hanston	20	Vocal, "Follow Me"
Kentucky	Marsha Griffith	Greenup	22	Vocal/Trumpet, "I Can See Clearly Now"		Non-finalist Talent Award
Louisiana	Becky Wilson	Bossier City	23	Vocal, "Corner of the Sky" from Pippin
Maine	Patricia Cyr	Madawaska	18	Vocal, "Cabaret"
Maryland	Veronica Marie Clarke	Bel Air	21	Popular Vocal, "Don't Rain on My Parade"		Non-finalist Talent Award
Massachusetts	Cynthia Carpenter	Wayland	22	Classical Piano, "Malagueña"	Top 10	Preliminary Talent Award
Michigan	Julie Ann Beckers	Allegan	18	Dance & Speech, "Zarathustra"
Minnesota	Kerri Thorne	White Bear Lake	19	Flute, "Swingin' Sheperd Blues" by Moe Koffman		Non-finalist Talent Award
Mississippi	Mollie Magee	Mendenhall	19	Popular Vocal, "Lights on the Hill"			Contestant at Miss Teenage America 1972
Missouri	Rebecca Rives	Stoutsville	22	Vocal Medley, "The Trolley Song" & "Over the Rainbow"
Montana	Diana Pacini	Great Falls	20	Classical Piano, "Études Op. 10" by Chopin		Preliminary Talent Award
Nebraska	Janet Kay Goode	Omaha	19	Dramatic Skit, "Why?"			Previously Miss Nebraska World 1974
Nevada	Sherri Ann Lowe	Las Vegas	21	Baton Twirling/Variety Act
New Hampshire	Catherine Burnham	Goffstown	21	Comedic Vocal, "Queen Lucy" from You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown			Previously New Hampshire's Junior Miss 1972
New Jersey	Nancy Craig	Trenton	25	Classical Ballet en Pointe, Swan Lake
New Mexico	Sarah Jan Schooley	Jal	21	Piano, "Deep Purple"
New York	Tawny Godin	Yonkers	18	Original Piano Composition, "Images in Pastels"	Winner		Later Los Angeles news anchor
North Carolina	Susan Lawrence	Thomasville	21	Vocal, "You and I" from Goodbye, Mr. Chips	1st runner-up
North Dakota	Cathy Woell	Minot	19	Vocal, "Yes"
Ohio	Susan Banks	Ravenna	24	Classical Vocal, "Sempre libera" from La traviata	3rd runner-up	Preliminary Talent Award
Oklahoma	Lisa Reagan	Oklahoma City	19	Vocal Medley, "As Time Goes By" & "I Got Love"			Former wife of former congressman Mickey Edwards
Oregon	Betty Hupfer	Milwaukie	21	Dance to music from The Unsinkable Molly Brown
Pennsylvania	Connie Harness	Mechanicsburg	20	Classical Vocal, "Romance" from The Desert Song		Non-finalist Talent Award
Rhode Island	Debra Cusick	Providence	20	Dance to selections from Promises, Promises		Preliminary Lifestyle & Fitness Award
South Carolina	Cynthia Anthony	West Columbia	22	Classical Vocal, "Chacun le Sait" from La fille du régiment	Top 10
South Dakota	Gina Campbell	Canton	21	Vocal, "Listen to a Country Song"
Tennessee	Marion Burgess	Memphis	21	Tap Dance, "I'm Gonna Live Till I Die"
Texas	Mary Ellen Richardson	Waco	20	Classical Vocal, "The Jewel Song" from Faust	Top 10
Utah	Barbara LaVerne Hanks	Sandy	24	Jazz Dance, "I'm a Brass Band" from Sweet Charity
Vermont	Katherine Rechsteiner	Warren	23	Electric Organ, "Galloping Comedian"			Later Miss Vermont USA 1979
Virginia	Joan Grady	Virginia Beach	21	Classical Vocal, "Vissi d'arte"
Washington	Lee Ann Hibbert	Shoreline	22	Vocal/Jazz Improvisation, "That's a Fine Kind O' Freedom"
West Virginia	Kristi Wick	South Charleston	20	Vocal, "Am I Blue?"
Wisconsin	Marilyn Sembell	Beloit	25	Classical Piano, "Prelude in G minor"		Non-finalist Talent Award
Wyoming	Trish Long	Laramie	21	Classical Vocal, "Un Bel Di" from Madama Butterfly		Non-finalist Talent Award

External links

• Miss America official website