# Miss USA 1963

Miss USA 1963 was the 12th Miss USA pageant, held at the Miami Beach Auditorium, Miami Beach, Florida on July 17, 1963. This was the first Miss USA to be broadcast on television, first aired on CBS.
At the end of the event, Macel Wilson of Hawaii crowned Marite Ozers of Illinois as Miss USA 1963. Latvian-born Ozers was the first woman born outside the United States to win the title, and the second delegate from Illinois to do so. Ozers later competed at Miss Universe and was named one of the fifteen semi-finalists.
Contestants from forty-two states and the District of Columbia competed in the pageant.

## Results
### Placements

| Placement | Contestant |
| Miss USA 1963 | Illinois – Marite Ozers |
| 1st runner-up | District of Columbia – Michele Metrinko |
| 2nd runner-up | Missouri – Sandra Marlin |
| 3rd runner-up | Colorado – Rhea Looney |
| 4th runner-up | California - Francine Herack |
| Top 15 | Alabama – Dinah Armstrong Arizona – Diane McGarry Massachusetts – Sandra Smith Michigan – Pamela Sands Nevada – Kathee Francis New Mexico – Sandra Fullingim New York – Jeanne Quinn Oklahoma – Roberta Mosier South Carolina – Cecelia Yoder Tennessee – Bobbie Morrow |

## Contestants

Forty-three contestants competed for the title.
| State/District | Contestant | Age | Hometown | Notes |
| Alabama | Dinah Irene Armstrong | 19 | Montgomery | |
| Alaska | Nina Whaley | 19 | Fairbanks | |
| Arizona | Diane McGarry | 20 | Phoenix | |
| Arkansas | Cheryl Jane Bechtelheimer | 19 | Camden | |
| California | Francine Cheryl Herack | 19 | Hollywood | |
| Colorado | Rhea Looney | 19 | Denver | |
| Connecticut | Gail Dinan | 19 | Hartford | |
| Delaware | Susan Kowalski | 18 | Newport | |
| District of Columbia | Michele Bettina Metrinko | 18 | Washington, D.C. | Later Miss USA World 1963 Semi-finalist at Miss World 1963 Sister of Marsha Metrinko, Miss Maryland USA 1963 Candidate for the Republican nomination in the 2010 U.S. House of Representatives election in Delaware for Delaware's at-large congressional district |
| Florida | Linda Egland | 18 | South Miami | |
| Georgia | Brenda Seagraves | 19 | Winterville | |
| Hawaii | Susan Molina | 18 | Honolulu | Later Miss Hawaii World 1963 Semi-finalist at Miss USA World 1963 |
| Illinois | Marite Ozers | 19 | Chicago | Previously Miss Chicago World 1962 Semi-finalist at Miss Universe 1963 |
| Indiana | Vickie Little | 20 | Indianapolis | |
| Iowa | Ramona Kathleen Meylor | 23 | Le Mars | |
| Kansas | Diane Victoria Stalker | 21 | Wichita | |
| Kentucky | Mary Ann Arnold | 20 | Calvert City | |
| Louisiana | Margaret Susan "Peggy" Romero | 18 | Kaplan | |
| Maine | Laurel Ann Barker | 21 | Portland | |
| Maryland | Marsha Barbara Metrinko | 21 | Laurel | Later Miss New York City at Miss America 1964 Sister of Michele Metrinko, Miss District of Columbia USA 1963 |
| Massachusetts | Sandra Smith | 23 | Newton Upper Falls | |
| Michigan | Pamela Lee Sands | 19 | Ludington | |
| Mississippi | Joan Kinnebrew | 19 | Hattiesburg | Competed at Miss Dixie 1964 |
| Missouri | Sandra Lee Marlin | 19 | Springfield | |
| Nebraska | Sandy Zimmer | – | Kearney | Replaced Cheryl Warden due to publicity issues |
| Nevada | Kathee Francis | 20 | Las Vegas | |
| New Hampshire | Johnnye McLeod | 18 | Hampton | |
| New Jersey | Judy Kay Ayers | – | Salem | |
| New Mexico | Sandra Fullingim | 18 | Albuquerque | |
| New York | Jeanne Marie Quinn | 19 | East Meadow | Later Miss USA World 1964 Semi-finalist at Miss World 1964 Named 1st runner up at Miss American Beauty 1964 |
| North Carolina | Trudy Ann Cauthen | – | Newton | |
| Ohio | Gloria Jean McBride | 21 | Columbus | Replaced Andrea Getzlaff for being underage |
| Oklahoma | Roberta Ann Mosier | 19 | Tulsa | |
| Oregon | Joset Fisher | 20 | Portland | |
| Pennsylvania | Deborah Cardonick | 19 | Philadelphia | |
| Rhode Island | Rosemary Jane Dickinson | 19 | Providence | |
| South Carolina | Cecelia Yoder | 20 | Lancaster | Competed at Miss USA World 1963 |
| Tennessee | Bobbie Lynn Morrow | 26 | Memphis | |
| Texas | Cheryl Rene Wilburn | 18 | Houston | |
| Utah | Carla Ann Dinius | 22 | Salt Lake City | |
| Vermont | Ellen Centerbar | – | North Bennington | |
| West Virginia | Nina Lou Denton | – | Marmet | |
| Wisconsin | Lynn Korchunoff | 18 | Milwaukee | |