# Miss America 1983

Miss America 1983, the 56th Miss America pageant, was from on the Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City, New Jersey on September 11, 1982 on NBC Network.
Pageant winner Debra Maffett later became a television personality and producer.

## Results
### Placements

| Placement | Contestant |
| Miss America 1983 | California – Debra Maffett |
| 1st Runner-Up | Tennessee – Desiree Daniels |
| 2nd Runner-Up | Mississippi – Dianne Evans |
| 3rd Runner-Up | Alabama – Yolanda Fernandez |
| 4th Runner-Up | Oklahoma – Nancy Chapman |
| Top 10 | Arizona – Debra Ann Daniels  Arkansas – Mary Stuart  Georgia – Bobbie Eakes  Kentucky – Gwendolyn Suzann Witten  Minnesota – Laurie Saarinen |

### Awards
#### Preliminary awards

| Award | Contestant |
| Lifestyle and Fitness | California – Debra Maffett  North Carolina – Elizabeth Gray Williams  Tennessee – Desiree Daniels |
| Talent | California – Debra Maffett  Kentucky – Gwendolyn Suzann Witten  Mississippi – Dianne Evans |

#### Non-finalist awards

| Award | Contestant |
| Talent | Colorado – Deborah Davids  Iowa – Linda Lee Simon  Louisiana – Bobbie Lynn Candler  New York – Eileen Diane Clark  North Carolina – Elizabeth Gray Williams  South Carolina – Julia Diane Hill  Texas – Gloria Gilbert  Wisconsin – Gail Marie Soller |

## Contestants

| State | Name | Hometown | Age | Talent | Placement | Special Awards | Notes |
| Alabama | Yolanda Fernandez | Troy | 19 | Classical Piano, Fantaisie-Impromptu | 3rd runner-up | | Previously Florida's Junior Miss 1980 |
| Alaska | Kristan Sapp | Wasilla | 20 | Sac-Jazz Dance | | | |
| Arizona | Debra Daniels | Yuma | 20 | Free Form Gymnastics, "Chariots of Fire" | Top 10 | | |
| Arkansas | Mary Stuart | Little Rock | 20 | Vocal/Broadway Jazz, "The Birth of the Blues" | Top 10 | | Later cast as Frannie Hughes on As the World Turns from 1990 to 1993 |
| California | Debra Maffett | Anaheim | 25 | Popular Vocal, "Come in From the Rain" | Winner | Preliminary Lifestyle & Fitness Award Preliminary Talent Award | |
| Colorado | Deborah Davids | Denver | 22 | Harp, "Introduction et Allegro" by Maurice Ravel | | Non-finalist Talent Award | |
| Connecticut | Kelly Slater | Woodbury | 21 | Popular Vocal, "Blue Champagne" | | | |
| Delaware | Nancy Ellen Farley | Elsmere | 21 | Comedy Monologue, "Report of the Nominating Committee" | | | |
| Florida | Deanna Pitman | Apopka | 22 | Lyrical Dance, "I Hope I Get It" from A Chorus Line | | | |
| Georgia | Bobbie Eakes | Warner Robins | 21 | Vocal, "Let's Hear it for Me" from Funny Lady | Top 10 | | Sister of Miss Georgia 1979, Sandra Eakes Later starred as Macy Alexander on The Bold and the Beautiful |
| Hawaii | Gale Lee Thomas | Honolulu | 21 | Baton Twirling, Theme from Magnum, P.I. & "Hawaiian War Chant" | | | |
| Idaho | Lisa Eaton | Shelley | 22 | Vocal, "It's My Turn" | | | |
| Illinois | Jaleigh Jeffers | Mount Carmel | 21 | Piano, "Bumble Boogie" | | | |
| Indiana | Ilona Conway | Bunker Hill | 25 | Popular Vocal, "Mister Melody" | | | |
| Iowa | Linda Simon | DeWitt | 23 | Baton Twirling | | Non-finalist Talent Award | |
| Kansas | Lisa Marie Berwick | Valley Center | 21 | Vocal, "Battle Hymn of the Republic" | | | |
| Kentucky | Gwendolyn Witten | Vine Grove | 23 | Semi-classical Vocal, "And This is My Beloved" | Top 10 | Preliminary Talent Award | |
| Louisiana | Bobbie Candler | Baton Rouge | 25 | Semi-classical Vocal, "With a Song in My Heart" | | Non-finalist Talent Award | Previously National Sweetheart 1979 |
| Maine | Rebecca Beck | Brunswick | 21 | Classical Vocal, "Adele's Laughing Song" from Die Fledermaus | | | |
| Maryland | Lynne Carol Graham | Bethesda | 23 | Popular Vocal, "Alfie" | | | Mother of Miss Kentucky 2007, Kaitlynne Postel |
| Massachusetts | Lisa Scorgie | North Attleboro | 23 | Violin, "Fantasy of Russian Folk Songs" | | | |
| Michigan | Kathy Lou Pennington | Jackson | 25 | Vocal, "God Bless the Child" | | | |
| Minnesota | Laurie Saarinen | Osage | 21 | Vocal, "My Man" | Top 10 | | Previously Miss North Dakota USA 1981 |
| Mississippi | Dianne Evans | Taylorsville | 22 | Vocal, "Stormy Weather" | 2nd runner-up | Preliminary Talent Award | |
| Missouri | Julie Phillips | Ava | 18 | Classical/Jazz Piano | | | |
| Montana | Kimberly Knauf | Billings | 21 | Piano Medley, "Jump Shout Boogie" & "Sonata Pathétique" | | | |
| Nebraska | Sandra Haschke | Humphrey | 20 | Popular Vocal, "All I Ever Need is You" | | | |
| Nevada | Kim King | Las Vegas | 21 | Banjo, "Waiting for the Robert E. Lee" | | | |
| New Hampshire | Amy Bowker | Amherst | 21 | Jazz Dance, "The Music and the Mirror" from A Chorus Line | | | |
| New Jersey | Christina Shone | Pequannock | 22 | Classical Vocal, "Non Piu Mesta" from La Cenerentola | | | |
| New Mexico | Cyndi Ann Friesen | Carlsbad | 19 | Vocal, "Carnival" | | | |
| New York | Eileen Clark | Syracuse | 23 | Classical Vocal, "Glitter and Be Gay" from Candide | | Non-finalist Talent Award | |
| North Carolina | Elizabeth Williams | Shelby | 22 | Semi-classical Vocal, "Climb Ev'ry Mountain" from The Sound of Music | | Non-finalist Talent Award Preliminary Lifestyle & Fitness Award | |
| North Dakota | Jeana Wolf | Rugby | 21 | Tap Dance, "You're a Grand Old Flag" & "Give My Regards to Broadway" | | | |
| Ohio | Debra Gombert | Bexley | 22 | Semi-classical Vocal, "Love is Where You Find It" | | | |
| Oklahoma | Nancy Chapman | Altus | 21 | Piano, "Fireworks" by Debussy | 4th runner-up | | |
| Oregon | Laura Matthys | Salem | 21 | Rifle Twirling Routine, "Herzegovinian March" | | | |
| Pennsylvania | Laurie Ann Hixenbaugh | Belle Vernon | 22 | Baton Twirling, "Pop Goes to the Movies" | | | |
| Rhode Island | Cynthia Crook | Warwick | 22 | Vocal/Dance, Theme from New York, New York | | | |
| South Carolina | Julia Hill | Florence | 26 | Classical Piano, "Rachmaninoff's Piano Concerto No. 2, 3rd Movement" | | Non-finalist Talent Award | Mother of Miss South Carolina 2008, Anna Perry |
| South Dakota | Tara Meyerink | Platte | 19 | Classical Piano, "Polichinelle" by Sergei Rachmaninoff | | | |
| Tennessee | Desiree Daniels | Chattanooga | 22 | Popular Vocal, "Don't Cry Out Loud" | 1st runner-up | Preliminary Lifestyle & Fitness Award | Later Miss Tennessee USA 1984 2nd runner-up at Miss USA 1984 |
| Texas | Gloria Gilbert | Millsap | 20 | Ventriloquism & Vocal, "I've Been Everywhere" | | Non-finalist Talent Award | Previously National Sweetheart 1981 Longtime hostess of the Miss Texas pageant television broadcast |
| Utah | Cindy Quinn | Provo | 21 | Classical Vocal, "Habanera" from Carmen | | | |
| Vermont | Jill Wyckoff | South Burlington | 20 | Gymnastics Dance, Theme from CHiPs | | | |
| Virginia | Beverly Cooke | Richmond | 24 | Vocal Medley, "Smile" & "Happy Days are Here Again" | | | Mother of Miss Virginia's Outstanding Teen 2006, Brittany Young |
| Washington | Monica Hard | Bellevue | 23 | Vocal Medley, "Sweet Inspiration" & "Where You Lead" | | | |
| West Virginia | Kelly Lea Anderson | Clarksburg | 21 | Stylized Can-Can | | | Later Miss West Virginia USA 1984 1st runner-up at Miss USA 1984 Later Miss World USA 1984 Top 5 finalist at Miss World 1984 |
| Wisconsin | Gail Marie Soller | La Crosse | 24 | Classical Vocal, "Mon cœur s'ouvre à ta voix" | | Non-finalist Talent Award | |
| Wyoming | Janie Hertzler | Cheyenne | 23 | Vocal, "Everything" | | | |