# Miss America 1982

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. Elizabeth Ward of Arkansas was crowned by Miss America 1981 Susan Powell. She was the second Miss Arkansas to win the title after Donna Axum in 1964.

## Results
### Placements

| Placement | Contestant |
| Miss America 1982 | Arkansas – Elizabeth Ward |
| 1st Runner-Up | Illinois – Sandra Truitt |
| 2nd Runner-Up | Georgia – Kristl Evans |
| 3rd Runner-Up | Indiana – Pamela Carlberg |
| 4th Runner-Up | Texas – Sheri Ryman |
| Top 10 | Mississippi – Karen Hopson  New York – Suzanne Alexander  Oregon – Julie Ross  Utah – Jonelle Smith  Wisconsin – Keungsuk Kim |

### Preliminary awards

| Awards | Contestant |
| Lifestyle and Fitness | Arkansas - Elizabeth Ward Mississippi - Karen Hopson Washington - Kristine Elizabeth Weitz |
| Talent | Illinois - Sandra Truitt New York - Suzanne Alexander Texas - Sheri Ryman |

#### Non-finalist awards

| Awards | Contestant |
| Talent | Arizona - Sarah Tattersall Idaho - Stephanie Kambitsch Iowa - Darla Vesta Blocker New Hampshire - Natalie Oliver New Jersey - Debra Naley North Carolina - Lynn Williford Ohio - Juliana Zilba Washington - Kristine Elizabeth Weitz |

## Contestants

| 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" | | | |