Miss America 1982, the 55th Miss America pageant, was held at the Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City, New Jersey on September 12, 1981, on NBC Network.[1] Elizabeth Ward of Arkansas was crowned by Miss America 1981 Susan Powell.[1] She was the second Miss Arkansas to win the title after Donna Axum in 1964.[1]

Miss America 1982
Elizabeth Ward as Miss America 1982
DateSeptember 12, 1981
PresentersRon Ely[1]
VenueBoardwalk Hall, Atlantic City, New Jersey
BroadcasterNBC
Entrants50
Placements10
WinnerElizabeth Ward
 Arkansas
← 1981
1983 →

Results edit

Placements edit

Placement Contestant
Miss America 1982
1st Runner-Up
2nd Runner-Up
3rd Runner-Up
4th Runner-Up
Top 10

Order of announcements edit

Preliminary awards edit

Awards Contestant
Lifestyle and Fitness
Talent

Non-finalist awards edit

Awards Contestant
Talent

Judges edit

Contestants edit

State Name Hometown Age Talent Placement Special Awards Notes
  Alabama Phoebe Stone Huntsville 22 Ballet, "Mame"
  Alaska Laura Trollan Juneau 19 Ballet/Jazz Dance, "Most Wanted"
  Arizona Sarah Tattersall Scottsdale 20 Vocal, "Maybe This Time" & "The Man That Got Away" from Cabaret Non-finalist Talent Award
  Arkansas Grace Elizabeth Ward Russellville 20 Vocal, "After You've Gone" Winner Preliminary Lifestyle & Fitness Award Previously National Sweetheart 1980
  California Cheryl Vancleave Riverside 20 Country Vocal Medley, "I Was Country When Country Wasn't Cool" & "You're Lookin' at Country" Later married Frank Kalil

Mother to Ryan Kalil and Matt Kalil

  Colorado Lynnette Jessen Denver 20 Acrobatic Dance, Theme from Exodus Later Miss Colorado USA 1985
  Connecticut Virginia Reichardt Danbury 21 Country Western Vocal, "Love is a Rose" & "Queen of Hearts"
  Delaware Jodi Meade Graham Wilmington 19 Vocal, "Can You Read My Mind" Daughter of Miss Pennsylvania 1956, Lorna Ringler Graham

Grand-niece of Miss America 1924, Ruth Malcomson

  Florida Dean Herman Jacksonville 23 Gymnastics Dance, "They're Playing Our Song"
  Georgia Kristl Evans Atlanta 21 Vocal, "Ring Them Bells" 2nd runner-up
  Hawaii Pamela Iwalani Offer Honolulu 23 Vocal, "Don't Cry for Me Argentina" Mother of Miss Arizona 2010, Kathryn Bulkley
  Idaho Stephanie Kambitsch Genesee 22 Piano, "Hungarian Rhapsody No. 11" Non-finalist Talent Award
  Illinois Sandra Truitt Evanston 25 Classical Vocal, "Près des remparts de Séville" from Carmen 1st runner-up Preliminary Talent Award
  Indiana Pam Carlberg Bourbon 21 Accordion Medley, "Sabre Dance" & "Ritual Fire Dance" 3rd runner-up
  Iowa Darla Blocker Davenport 19 Vocal, "But the World Goes Round" Non-finalist Talent Award
  Kansas Dawn Holmstrom Wichita 20 Vocal Medley, "My Man" & "Happy Days are Here Again"
  Kentucky Sheri Copeland Benton 20 Popular Vocal, "Out Here on My Own" from Fame
  Louisiana Donese Worden Monroe 22 Violin, "Millionaire's Hoe-Down"
  Maine Kathleen Jarrell Orr's Island 19 Vocal Medley, "Swanee", "My Mammy", & "I'm Happy"
  Maryland Robin Harmon Hagerstown 24 Greek Dramatic Monologue from Antigone
  Massachusetts Deborah Salois North Andover 19 Vocal, "Keepin' Out of Mischief Now" from Ain't Misbehavin'
  Michigan Gwen Roberta Brown Ishpeming 22 Dramatic Presentation of Original Writing, "Memory of Grandmother"
  Minnesota Elizabeth Ruyak Mankato 20 Piano, Fantaisie-Impromptu by Frédéric Chopin Became television host/reporter with CBS/NBC -- part of five Summer/Winter Olympics broadcast teams from 1992-2002
  Mississippi Karen Hopson Vicksburg 21 Character Ballet en Pointe, "Overture" from Annie Top 10 Preliminary Lifestyle & Fitness Award
  Missouri Theresa McDonnell Florissant 22 Vocal, "Let's Hear it for Me" from Funny Lady
  Montana Sue Harris Helena 19 Gymnastics Dance, Theme from Hawaii Five-O
  Nebraska Jill Pershing Lincoln 21 Ballet en Pointe, Rhapsody in Blue
  Nevada Suzanne Bowman Reno 20 Modern Rhythmic Gymnastics, "Zero to Sixty in Five"
  New Hampshire Natalie Oliver Manchester 21 Vocal, "Home" from The Wiz Non-finalist Talent Award
  New Jersey Debra Naley Rockaway 26 Violin Medley, "Csárdás" & "Orange Blossom Special" Non-finalist Talent Award
  New Mexico Lynn Lawson Portales 21 Classical Piano, "Piano Concerto No. 2, Third Movement" by Rachmaninoff
  New York Suzanne Alexander Lyons Falls 20 Classical Vocal, "Vissi d'arte" from Tosca Top 10 Preliminary Talent Award
  North Carolina Lynn Williford Wilmington 24 Russian Character Dance, "Czardas" Non-finalist Talent Award
  North Dakota Stacie Anfinson Hettinger 21 Vocal, "I Only Want to Say"
  Ohio Juliana Zilba Mansfield 21 Vocal Medley, "Up the Ladder to the Roof" & "With One More Look at You" from A Star is Born Dr. David B. Allman Medical Scholarship

Non-finalist Talent Award

Sister of Miss Ohio 1986, Mary Zilba
  Oklahoma April Clayton Cameron 22 Ballet en Pointe, "The Blue Danube"
  Oregon Julie Ross Portland 20 Classical Piano, "Toccata" by Prokofiev Top 10
  Pennsylvania Jill Shaffer Dover 22 Piano, "Piano Concerto in A Minor" by Grieg
  Rhode Island Kathleen Cryan Providence 23 Jazz Dance, "Electro-Phantasma"
  South Carolina Jill Rankin Columbia 21 Figure Skating, "Mozart's Piano Concerto No. 21 in C Major"
  South Dakota Pennisue Largent Hot Springs 22 Vocal & Jazz Dance, "Misty"
  Tennessee Angelina Johnson Jackson 20 Ventriloquism, "Laverne & Shirley"
  Texas Sheri Ryman Texas City 20 Gymnastics, Theme from Close Encounters of the Third Kind 4th runner-up Preliminary Talent Award
  Utah Jonelle Smith Provo 23 Classical Vocal, "Sempre Libera" from La traviata Top 10
  Vermont Kimberly Nestle Shelburne 19 Acrobatic Jazz Dance, "I Hope I Get It" from A Chorus Line
  Virginia Vicky Pulliam Martinsville 21 Semi-classical Vocal, "Art is Calling for Me" from The Enchantress by Victor Herbert
  Washington Kristine Weitz Moses Lake 19 Jazz Vocal, "Summertime" Preliminary Lifestyle & Fitness Award

Non-finalist Talent Award

  West Virginia Candy Cohen Huntington 24 Tap Dance, "How High the Moon"
  Wisconsin Keungsuk Kim Shorewood 19 Classical Piano, "Kabalevsky's Prelude" Top 10
  Wyoming Keri Borgaard Cheyenne 23 Vocal Medley, "At the Crossroads" & "Hey, Look Me Over"

References edit

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h Mattiace, Peter. "Miss Arkansas crowned new Miss America". The Grand Island Independent. No. 13 Sep 1981. Associated Press. p. 1. Retrieved 17 November 2023.
  2. ^ "Miss Arkansas Named Miss America of 1982". The New York Times. September 13, 1981.

External links edit