# Miss America 1975

Miss America 1975, the 48th Miss America pageant, was held at the Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City, New Jersey on September 7, 1974, and broadcast on NBC.
The winner, Shirley Cothran, was a graduate of Denton High School in Texas, the same school attended by the Miss America of four years before, Phyllis George.
Among the other contestants in the 1975 pageant was Miss Florida, actress Delta Burke.

## Results
### Placements

| Placement | Contestant |
| Miss America 1975 | Texas – Shirley Cothran |
| 1st Runner-Up | California – Lucianne Buchanan |
| 2nd Runner-Up | Illinois – Jean Ahern |
| 3rd Runner-Up | Kentucky – Darlene Compton |
| 4th Runner-Up | Louisiana – Libby Lovejoy |
| Top 10 | Indiana – Penny Tichenor  New Mexico – Donna Reel  South Dakota – Barbara Marie Guthmiller  Tennessee – Deborah Humphreys Kincaid  Washington – Kathleen Beth Moore |

### Awards
#### Preliminary awards

| Awards | Contestant |
| Lifestyle and Fitness | California - Lucianne Buchanan  Kansas - Karen Diane Smith  Texas - Shirley Cothran |
| Talent | Illinois - Jean Ahern  Kentucky - Darlene Compton  Tennessee - Deborah Humphreys Kincaid |

### Other awards

| Awards | Contestant |
| Non-finalist Talent | Florida - Delta Burke  Iowa - Jean Bollhoefer  Kansas - Karen Diane Smith  North Carolina - Susan Lynn Griffin  Ohio - Lorrie Janet Kapsta  Rhode Island - Karen Ann Salvatore  West Virginia - Mary Beth Derry |
| Miss Congeniality | Arkansas - Rhonda Kay Pope  Hawaii - Coline-Helen Kanaloku Aiu |

## Judges

* Eileen Farrell
* Dr. Wellington B. Gray
* Trudy Haynes
* Peter Lind Hayes
* Mary Healy
* Eddie Foy III
* Colonel Gilbert Mitchell
* Jeanne Meixell

## Contestants

| State | Name | Hometown | Age | Talent | Placement | Special Awards | Notes |
| Alabama | Pam Long | Florence | 20 | Ventriloquism | | | Screenwriter of the soap opera Guiding Light |
| Alaska | Darby Moore | Kenai | 20 | Ventriloquism, "Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious" | | | |
| Arizona | Mary Avilla | Glendale | 20 | Popular Vocal, "Best Thing You've Ever Done" | | | |
| Arkansas | Rhonda Pope | Hot Springs | 21 | Vocal Medley, "Friends" & "With a Little Help from My Friends" | | Miss Congeniality | |
| California | Lucianne Buchanan | Claremont | 21 | Harp, "Concerto in B Flat" | 1st runner-up | Preliminary Lifestyle & Fitness Award | |
| Colorado | Cynthia Hunter | Denver | 23 | Soft Shoe Dance, "Mame" | | | |
| Connecticut | Elisa Heinemann | Wethersfield | 18 | Dramatic Interpretations, "Prunella", "Yenta", & "Wicked Witch" | | | |
| Delaware | Kathleen Attanasi | Rehoboth Beach | 22 | Harp Medley, "Harmonious Blacksmith" & "Close to You" | | | |
| Florida | Delta Burke | Orlando | 18 | Dramatic Monologue, "Anne Boleyn" | | Non-finalist Talent Award | Later gained fame as an actress, most notable on Designing Women |
| Georgia | Gail Nelson | Atlanta | 22 | Vocal Medley, "So Long, Dearie", "Put on Your Sunday Clothes", & "Before the Parade Passes By" from Hello, Dolly! | | | |
| Hawaii | Coline-Helen Kanaloku Aiu | Honolulu | 23 | Modern Jazz Dance, "Hospital Shootout" | | Miss Congeniality | |
| Idaho | Rochelle Bacon | Boise | 21 | Vocal, "Cornet Man" from Funny Girl | | | |
| Illinois | Jean Ahern | Hinsdale | 21 | Ballet en Pointe, "Kitri's Variation" from Don Quixote | 2nd runner-up | Preliminary Talent Award | |
| Indiana | Penny Tichenor | Owensville | 21 | Vocal, "Maybe This Time" from Caberet | Top 10 | | |
| Iowa | Jean Bollhoefer | Haverhill | 25 | Popular Vocal, "Starting Here, Starting Now" | | Non-finalist Talent Award | |
| Kansas | Karen Smith | Shawnee | 18 | Jazz/Acrobatic Dance, "The Entertainer" | | Non-finalist Talent Award Preliminary Lifestyle & Fitness Award | |
| Kentucky | Darlene Compton | Louisville | 25 | Vocal, "Mira" from Carnival! | 3rd runner-up | Preliminary Talent Award | |
| Louisiana | Libby Lovejoy | Sulphur | 21 | Classical Ballet en Pointe, "The Grenadiers" | 4th runner-up | | |
| Maine | Margaret Ann Welch | Bangor | 22 | Vocal, "Killing Me Softly with His Song" | | | |
| Maryland | Susan Jane Wohlfarth | Potomac | 21 | Classical Ballet, Giselle | | | |
| Massachusetts | Susan Sadlier | Lowell | 22 | Musical Comedy, "I'm the Greatest Star" | | Dr. David B. Allman Medical Scholarship | |
| Michigan | Susan Lillian Short | Kalamazoo | 23 | Semi-classical Vocal, "Love is Where You Find It" | | | |
| Minnesota | Pam Bernhagen | Bloomington | 20 | Acrobatic Jazz Ballet, "Fiddler on the Roof" | | | Sister of Miss Minnesota 1971, Sheila Bernhagen |
| Mississippi | Diane Bounds | Gulfport | 21 | Popular Vocal, "When You Smile" | | | |
| Missouri | Michelle Marshall | Florissant | 20 | Vocal/Dance, "Sweet Charity" from Sweet Charity | | | |
| Montana | Pamela Royer | Billings | 20 | Gymnastic Floor Exercise, "Love Story" | | | |
| Nebraska | Sharon Sue Pelc | Johnstown | 22 | Ventriloquism & Singing, "Those Were the Days" | | | |
| Nevada | Jacqueline Barker | Sparks | 19 | Popular Vocal, "The Way We Were" | | | |
| New Hampshire | Cynthia Erb | Manchester | 18 | Gymnastic Dance to the theme from Midnight Cowboy | | Dr. David B. Allman Medical Scholarship | |
| New Jersey | Elizabeth Bracken | Mahwah | 21 | Dramatic Monologue, "Elizabeth Umpstead" by Carl Sandburg | | | |
| New Mexico | Donna Frances Reel | Albuquerque | 21 | Vocal, "For Once in My Life" | Top 10 | | Previously Miss New Mexico USA 1972 Top 10 at Miss USA 1972 Previously Miss New Mexico World 1973 Top 16 at Miss World USA 1973 |
| New York | Kris Krull | Niagara Falls | 22 | Jazz Dance, "Superstar" from Jesus Christ Superstar | | | |
| North Carolina | Susan Griffin | High Point | 22 | Semi-classical Vocal, "With a Song in My Heart" | | Non-finalist Talent Award | |
| North Dakota | Susan Kay Myhr | Bottineau | 18 | Vocal, "You're Gonna Hear From Me" & "Don't Rain on My Parade" | | | |
| Ohio | Lorrie Kapsta | Columbus | 26 | Classical Piano, "Piano Concerto in B Minor" by Tchaikovsky | | Non-finalist Talent Award | |
| Oklahoma | Debbie Knight | Warr Acres | 22 | Piano, "Minuet in G Major" | | | |
| Oregon | Juli Ann Berg | Eugene | 21 | Vocal, "Corner of the Sky" from Pippin | | | Daughter of Miss Oregon 1947, Jo Ann Amorde |
| Pennsylvania | Karen Lynn Kuhn | Levittown | 20 | Ballet, "Shubert Alley Overture" | | | |
| Rhode Island | Karen Salvatore | Warwick | 22 | Original Skit, "Don't Smoke" | | Non-finalist Talent Award | |
| South Carolina | Cheryl Von Lehe | Charleston | 18 | Vocal, "Oh Babe, What Would You Say?" | | | |
| South Dakota | Barbara Guthmiller | Tripp | 21 | Vocal, "Summertime" | Top 10 | | Older sister of Miss South Dakota 1976, Beth Guthmiller Contestant at National Sweetheart 1972 |
| Tennessee | Deborah Kincaid | Memphis | 21 | Vocal Medley, "Once in a Lifetime", "In My Own Lifetime", & "This is My Life" | Top 10 | Preliminary Talent Award | |
| Texas | Shirley Cothran | Denton | 21 | Flute Medley, "Bumble Boogie" & "Swingin' Sheperd Blues" | Winner | Preliminary Lifestyle & Fitness Award | |
| Utah | Kathlyn Louise White | Bountiful | 21 | Classical Vocal, "Voices of Spring" | | | Married singer Wayne Osmond |
| Vermont | Donna Shea | Windsor | 21 | Oratory, "Eulogy of John F. Kennedy" | | | |
| Virginia | Stephanie Dowdy | Virginia Beach | 18 | Vocal, "I've Gotta Be Me" | | | |
| Washington | Kathleen Moore | Bothell | 22 | Classical Vocal, "Italian Street Song" | Top 10 | | |
| West Virginia | Mary Derry | Morgantown | 21 | Semi-classical Vocal, "Cycles" | | Non-finalist Talent Award | |
| Wisconsin | Carol Schmitt | Green Bay | 22 | Vocal, "Speak Softly Love" | | Dr. David B. Allman Medical Scholarship Special Education Award | |
| Wyoming | Cheryl Johnson | Cheyenne | 20 | Modern Jazz Dance, "Scorpio" | | Dr. David B. Allman Medical Scholarship | |