# Miss America 1985

Miss America 1985, the 58th Miss America pageant, was broadcast from the Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City, New Jersey, on September 15, 1984 on NBC Network.
The winner, Paraguay native Sharlene Wells, became the first foreign-born Miss America. She later became a horse-racing and football commentator for ESPN.
Another of the five finalists, Lauren Green, is currently a correspondent on the Fox News Channel.

## Results
### Placements

| Placement | Contestant |
| Miss America 1985 | Utah – Sharlene Wells |
| 1st Runner-Up | Ohio – Melissa Bradley |
| 2nd Runner-Up | Mississippi – Kathy Manning |
| 3rd Runner-Up | Minnesota – Lauren Green |
| 4th Runner-Up | Texas – Tamara Hext |
| Top 10 | Hawaii – Debbie Nakanelua  Kentucky – Kelly Lin Brumagen  Massachusetts – Margaret Marie O'Brien  New York – Mary Ann Farrell  Tennessee – Shelley Suzanne Mangrum |

### Awards
#### Preliminary awards

| Awards | Contestant |
| Lifestyle and Fitness | Mississippi - Kathy Manning Texas - Tamara Hext Utah - Sharlene Wells |
| Talent | Massachusetts - Margaret Marie O'Brien Minnesota - Lauren Green New York - Mary-Ann Farrell |

#### Non-finalist awards

| Awards | Contestant |
| Talent | Alabama - Tammy Little Alaska - Maryline Blackburn Arkansas - Lisa Stevens Georgia - Camille Bentley Michigan - Barbara Crandall Nebraska - Allison Boyd New Jersey - Patricia La Terra Virginia - Susan Parker |

## Judges

* Pearl Bailey
* LeRoy Neiman
* Rebecca Ann King
* Vivian Blaine
* Christopher Little
* Dixie Ross Neill
* Josiah Bunting III
* Sam Haskell

## Contestants

| State | Name | Hometown | Age | Talent | Placement | Special Awards | Notes |
| Alabama | Tammy Little | Section | 23 | Vocal, "Hit Me with a Hot Note" from Sophisticated Ladies | | Non-finalist Talent Award | |
| Alaska | Maryline Blackburn | Anchorage | 23 | Vocal, "I Am What I Am" | | Non-finalist Talent Award | |
| Arizona | Rhonda White | Central | 20 | Country Vocal Medley | | | |
| Arkansas | Lisa Stevens | Arkadelphia | 22 | Flute, "Sabre Dance" | | Non-finalist Talent Award | |
| California | Donna Grace Cherry | Northridge | 24 | Singing Impressions | | | |
| Colorado | Lisa Frees | Thornton | 25 | Vocal, "I Got Rhythm" | | | |
| Connecticut | Joanne Caruso | Trumbull | 23 | Clarinet, "Jazz Medley" | | | Sister of Miss Connecticut 1980, Jeanne Caruso |
| Delaware | Nancy Lynn Ball | Rehoboth Beach | 24 | Jazz Ballet en Pointe | | | |
| District of Columbia | Desiree Keating | Silver Spring, MD | 22 | Interpretive Dance | | | Later Miss District of Columbia USA 1986 |
| Florida | Lisa Valdez | Bradenton | 21 | Vocal, "Through the Eyes of Love" | | | |
| Georgia | Camille Bentley | Thomasville | 19 | Popular Vocal, "Until Now" | | Non-finalist Talent Award | |
| Hawaii | Debbie Nakanelua | Honolulu | 26 | Stylized Hula, "Hawaiian Hula Eyes" | Top 10 | | |
| Idaho | Patty Hoag | Burley | 19 | Popular Vocal, "Wind Beneath My Wings" | | | |
| Illinois | Ruth Booker | Chicago | 21 | Vocal, "Kiss Me in the Rain" | | | |
| Indiana | Cynthia Yantis | Fort Wayne | 23 | Popular Vocal, "City Lights" | | | |
| Iowa | Debra Deitering | Missouri Valley | 23 | Vocal, "This is My Life" | | | |
| Kansas | Nancy Lee Cobb | Wichita | 20 | Piano/Vocal, "I Love New Orleans Music" | | | |
| Kentucky | Kelly Lin Brumagen | Lexington | 22 | Vocal, "Le Jazz Hot!" from Victor/Victoria | Top 10 | Dr. David B. Allman Medical Scholarship | |
| Louisiana | Nita Whitaker | Shreveport | 24 | Popular Vocal, "Over the Rainbow" | | | First African American to win Miss Louisiana |
| Maine | Lisa Johnson | South Portland | 22 | Electric Violin | | | |
| Maryland | Mary Elizabeth Haroth | Towson | 25 | Vocal, "Memory" from Cats | | | |
| Massachusetts | Margaret O'Brien | Weymouth | 26 | Vocal Medley, "The Man that Got Away", "The Man I Love", & "My Man" | Top 10 | Preliminary Talent Award | Previously National Sweetheart 1983 |
| Michigan | Barbara Jean Crandall | Lawrence | 21 | Ventriloquism, "Auctioneer's Song" | | Non-finalist Talent Award | |
| Minnesota | Lauren Green | Minneapolis | 26 | Piano, "Étude Op. 10, No. 4 in C-Sharp Minor" by Frédéric Chopin | 3rd runner-up | Preliminary Talent Award | First African American Miss Minnesota |
| Mississippi | Kathy Manning | Drew | 22 | Country Vocal, "Crazy" | 2nd runner-up | Preliminary Lifestyle & Fitness Award | Later Miss Mississippi USA 1987 Top 11 at Miss USA 1987 Katharine Clare Manning Loeb died at 59 on December 23, 2021 of COVID-19 related illness in Tennessee. |
| Missouri | Anna Schell | Kennett | 26 | Semi-classical Vocal, Medley from The Sound of Music | | | |
| Montana | Michele Larson | Billings | 21 | Vocal, "My Tribute" by Andraé Crouch | | | |
| Nebraska | Allison Boyd | Nebraska City | 21 | Acrobatic Dance | | Non-finalist Talent Award | |
| Nevada | LeAnna Grant | Las Vegas | 22 | Vocal, "I Love Paris" | | | Later Miss Nevada USA 1986 |
| New Hampshire | Corinne Lucier | Hooksett | 20 | Vocal, "The Simple Joys of Maidenhood" from Camelot | | | |
| New Jersey | Patricia La Terra | West New York | 24 | Dramatic Monologue | | Non-finalist Talent Award | |
| New Mexico | Trina Collins | Hobbs | 22 | Acrobatic Dance | | | Mother of Miss Indiana 2015, Morgan Jackson |
| New York | Mary-Ann Farrell | New York City | 22 | Classical Piano, Danzas Argentinas | Top 10 | Preliminary Talent Award | Sister of Miss Florida 1985, Monica Farrell Sister of Miss Illinois 1992, Kathleen Farrell |
| North Carolina | Francesca Adler | Fayetteville | 23 | Vocal, "Home" | | | Mother of Miss America's Outstanding Teen 2018, Jessica Baeder |
| North Dakota | Callie Northagen | Grand Forks | 21 | Piano | | | |
| Ohio | Melissa Ann Bradley | Mansfield | 23 | Vocal, "A Piece of Sky" from Yentl | 1st runner-up | | Mother of actor Chad Buchanan |
| Oklahoma | Julie Sunday | Owasso | 21 | Piano | | | |
| Oregon | Renee Bagley | Portland | 22 | Popular Vocal, "Don't Cry Out Loud" | | | |
| Pennsylvania | Gina Major | Huntsville | 24 | Vocal, Judy Garland Medley | | | |
| Rhode Island | Joanna Minisce | North Smithfield | 19 | Modern Jazz Dance | | | |
| South Carolina | Vicki Harrell | Columbia | 22 | Piano | | | |
| South Dakota | Debra Cleveland | Madison | 19 | Classical Piano | | | |
| Tennessee | Shelly Mangrum | Nashville | 23 | Vocal, "And the World Goes 'Round" | Top 10 | | |
| Texas | Tamara Hext | Fort Worth | 21 | Vocal, "I've Got a Crush on You" | 4th runner-up | Preliminary Lifestyle & Fitness Award | |
| Utah | Sharlene Wells | Salt Lake City | 20 | Spanish Vocal & Paraguayan Harp, "Mis Noches Sin Ti" | Winner | Preliminary Lifestyle & Fitness Award | First foreign-born Miss America Currently on the Miss America Board of Directors |
| Vermont | Lorrie Glosick | Winooski | 21 | Vocal, "The Trolley Song" | | | |
| Virginia | Susan Carter Parker | Covington | 23 | Classical Vocal, "My Man's Gone Now" | | Non-finalist Talent Award | |
| Washington | Rebecca Wood | Spokane | 21 | Vocal, "If I Ruled the World" | | | |
| West Virginia | Melanne Pennington | Cross Lanes | 24 | Semi-classical Vocal, "One Kiss" from The New Moon | | | Died from Leukemia at the age of 28 in 1988 |
| Wisconsin | Barbara Marie Mullally | Onalaska | 22 | Vocal, "Here I Am" | | | |
| Wyoming | Annie Easterbrook | Laramie | 21 | Gymnastics Jazz Dance | | | |