# Miss America 1973

Miss America 1973, the 46th Miss America pageant, was held at the Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City, New Jersey, on September 9, 1972 and broadcast on NBC.
The winner was Terry Meeuwsen, the first woman representing Wisconsin to take the crown. She would later become co-host of television's The 700 Club.
Among the finalists was Cindy Lee Sikes, entered as Miss Kansas, who became the actress Cynthia Sikes and co-star for three seasons in the 1980s on the NBC drama St. Elsewhere.

## Results
### Placements

| Placement | Contestant |
| Miss America 1973 | Wisconsin – Terry Meeuwsen |
| 1st Runner-Up | North Carolina – Constance Anne Dorn |
| 2nd Runner-Up | Pennsylvania – Linda Kay Olsen |
| 3rd Runner-Up | Texas – Mae Beth Cormany |
| 4th Runner-Up | Indiana – Rebecca Sue Graham |
| Top 10 | Delaware – Catherine Lawton  Iowa – Renee Stuedemann  Kansas – Cindy Lee Sikes  Louisiana – Debby Robert  Maryland – Kathleen Neff |

### Awards
#### Preliminary awards

| Awards | Contestant |
| Lifestyle and Fitness | Indiana – Rebecca Sue Graham Kansas – Cindy Lee Sikes Wisconsin – Terry Meeuwsen |
| Talent | Delaware – Catherine Lawton Louisiana – Debby Robert Wisconsin – Terry Meeuwsen |

#### Other awards

| Awards | Contestant |
| Non-finalist Talent | Arizona – Linda Gail Sirrine Maine – Marilyn E. Lash Massachusetts – Marie June Semas Michigan – Terri Ann Cousino Nevada – Helen Marie Bennett New Jersey – Linda Carol Gialanella Ohio – Karen Sue Sparka Oregon – Sandra Lynn Herring Utah – Sally Peterson |
| Miss Congeniality | Utah – Sally Peterson |

## Contestants

| State | Name | Hometown | Age | Talent | Placement | Awards | Notes |
| Alabama | Freita Fuller | Opelika | 19 | Hula & Tahitian Dance | | | |
| Alaska | Linda Hogue | Kodiak | 18 | Modern Dance, "Charlie Chaplin Pantomime" | | Neat as a Pin Award | |
| Arizona | Linda Gail Sirrine | Mesa | 19 | Popular Vocal, "Happy Heart" | | Non-finalist Talent Award | |
| Arkansas | Debbye Hazelwood | Magnolia | 20 | Piano, Warsaw Concerto | | | |
| California | Diane Wagner | Daly City | 20 | Ballet, "Swan Lake" | | | |
| Colorado | Sally Anderson | Longmont | 19 | Classical Vocal, "Daydreams" | | | |
| Connecticut | Linda Kapral | East Lyme | 19 | Modern Jazz, African Dance, & Gymnastics | | | |
| Delaware | Catherine Lawton | Clayton | 20 | Banjo, "Banjo Memories" | Top 10 | Preliminary Talent Award | |
| Florida | Suzanne Charles | Fort Lauderdale | 20 | Ballet, "Dance of the Painted Doll" | | | |
| Georgia | Lisa Lawalin | Rome | 20 | Vocal, "I Could Have Danced All Night" from My Fair Lady | | | |
| Hawaii | Marlene Diane Kehaulani Kalahiki | Kailua-Kona | 22 | Modern Jazz Dance, "Shotgun" | | | |
| Idaho | Vicki Hawkins | Boise | 20 | Piano, Theme from Summer of '42 | | | |
| Illinois | Carolyn Paulus | Elmhurst | 20 | Classical Vocal, "Glitter and be Gay" from Candide | | | |
| Indiana | Rebecca Graham | Indianapolis | 23 | Gymnastics Dance | 4th runner-up | Preliminary Lifestyle & Fitness Award | |
| Iowa | Renee Stuedemann | Clinton | 23 | Baton Twirling, "Can-Can" from Orpheus in the Underworld | Top 10 | | |
| Kansas | Cynthia Sikes | Coffeyville | 18 | Vocal, "Fame" | Top 10 | Preliminary Lifestyle & Fitness Award | Starred as Dr. Annie Cavanero on St. Elsewhere from 1982 to 1985 |
| Kentucky | Carolyn Walters | Louisville | 19 | Vocal, "Rock-a-Bye Your Baby with a Dixie Melody" | | | |
| Louisiana | Debby Robert | Baton Rouge | 21 | Classical Vocal, "The Art of Beguiling" | Top 10 | Preliminary Talent Award | |
| Maine | Marilyn Lash | Friendship | 19 | Semi-classical Vocal, "Poor Wand'ring One" from The Pirates of Penzance | | Non-finalist Talent Award | |
| Maryland | Kathleen Louise Neff | Cumberland | 21 | Dramatic Soliloquy, "Shall I Tell You What I Think of You" from The King and I | Top 10 | | |
| Massachusetts | Marie Semas | Taunton | 18 | Piano & Vocal of an Original Composition | | Non-finalist Talent Award | |
| Michigan | Terri Cousino | Erie | 19 | Vocal, "How Can I Wait?" | | Non-finalist Talent Award | |
| Minnesota | Linda Hagen | Hampton | 22 | Popular Vocal, "Who Will Buy?" from Oliver! | | | |
| Mississippi | Glenda Meadows | Richton | 23 | Vocal Medley, "Am I Blue?" & "I'd Rather Be Blue" | | | |
| Missouri | Anita Columbo | St. Louis | 21 | Vocal/Dance, "It's Today" from Mame | | | |
| Montana | Debra DeBiase | Billings | 21 | Ballet, "Summer of '42" | | | |
| Nebraska | Jeanine Giller | Omaha | 22 | Jazz Dance, "Bitter End" | | | |
| Nevada | Helen Bennett | Reno | 23 | Classical Ballet, "Dance of the Gypsy" | | Non-finalist Talent Award | |
| New Hampshire | Jane Badler | Manchester | 18 | Popular Vocal, "Can't Take My Eyes Off You" | | | Starred on NBC's V series from 1983 to 1985 & on ABC's V series in 2011 |
| New Jersey | Linda Gialanella | Maplewood | 22 | Sketching Presentation, "Teaching the World to Draw" | | Non-finalist Talent Award | |
| New Mexico | Wren Prather | Carlsbad | 19 | Upside Down Tap Dance, "Yankee Doodle Dandy" | | | |
| New York | Judith Keithley | Rochester | 19 | Piano, Rhapsody in Blue | | | |
| North Carolina | Constance Dorn | Kinston | 19 | Ballet, "The Grand Holiday" | 1st runner-up | | Later Miss North Carolina USA 1975 2nd runner-up at Miss USA 1975 |
| North Dakota | Georgia Ann Becker | Napoleon | 18 | Country Western Vocal, "Rose Garden" | | Non-finalist Talent Award | |
| Ohio | Karen Sparka | Bowling Green | 21 | Vocal Medley, "My Man" & "My Man's Gone Now" | | Non-finalist Talent Award | |
| Oklahoma | Debbie Giannopoulos | Oklahoma City | 20 | Classical Vocal from Carmen | | | Contestant at Miss Teenage America 1968 |
| Oregon | Sandra Lynn Herring | Portland | 20 | Vocal Medley, "Who Will Buy?" & "As Long as He Needs Me" from Oliver! | | Non-finalist Talent Award | |
| Pennsylvania | Linda Olson | Corry | 20 | Piano, "Gershwin Medley" | 2nd runner-up | | |
| Rhode Island | Michele Passarelli | Pawtucket | 18 | Vocal, "Cabaret" | | | |
| South Carolina | Bonnie Corder | Columbia | 21 | Vocal Medley, "My Man's Gone Now", "Let Me Sing", & "I'm Happy" | | | |
| South Dakota | Janet Hunter | Madison | 20 | Classical Piano, "Scherzo No. 3" by Chopin | | | |
| Tennessee | Debbie Cathey | Nashville | 20 | Semi-classical Vocal, "Amazing Grace" | | | |
| Texas | Mae Beth Cormany | Wichita Falls | | Vocal Medley, "Misty" & "Come Rain or Come Shine" | 3rd runner-up | | |
| Utah | Sally Peterson | Salt Lake City | 21 | Classical Piano, "Piano Concerto No. 1" | | Miss Congeniality Non-finalist Talent Award | |
| Vermont | Kathy Hebert | Burlington | 21 | Vocal & Guitar with Display of Fashion Design, "I Don't Know How to Love Him" | | | |
| Virginia | Dona Marie Pillow | Lynchburg | 22 | Vocal, "Memories" | | | Cousin of country singer Ray Pillow |
| Washington | Rebecca Pozzi | Kent | 20 | Vocal Medley, "Consider Yourself" & "I'd Do Anything" | | | |
| West Virginia | Lynette Koper | Weirton | 21 | Presentation of Original Art Works | | | |
| Wisconsin | Terry Meeuwsen | De Pere | 23 | Vocal, "He Touched Me" from Drat! The Cat! | Winner | Preliminary Lifestyle & Fitness Award Preliminary Talent Award | Co-host of The 700 Club |
| Wyoming | Annette Klipstein | Cheyenne | 22 | Classical Vocal, "Adele's Laughing Song" from Die Fledermaus | | | Previously Wyoming's Junior Miss 1968 |