Miss_USA_1981

Miss USA 1981
Miss USA 1981
	Kim Seelbrede, Miss USA 1981
Date	May 21, 1981
Presenters	Bob Barker
Venue	Gulf Coast Convention Center, Biloxi, Mississippi
Broadcaster	CBS
Entrants	50
Placements	12
Winner	Kim Seelbrede; Ohio
Congeniality	Cynthia Kerby; California
Photogenic	Cynthia Kerby; California
	← 1980 1982 →

Miss USA 1981

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Miss USA 1981 was the 30th Miss USA pageant, held at the Gulf Coast Convention Center in Biloxi, Mississippi on May 21, 1981.

Quick Facts Date, Presenters ...

At the end of the event, Jineane Ford of Arizona crowned Kim Seelbrede of Ohio as Miss USA 1981.^[1] It is the second victory of Ohio in the pageant's history. Seelbrede later competed at Miss Universe and was named one of the twelve semi-finalists.

This year also marked the first year since 1957 that a runner-up of Miss USA was sent to Miss World. Holli Dennis, the first runner-up from Indiana, was supposed to compete at Miss World, but chose to marry instead. Due to this, Lisa Moss, the second runner-up from Louisiana, was appointed as the representative of the United States to Miss World. Moss later competed at Miss World and was named one of the seven finalists.

Contestants from forty-nine states and the District of Columbia competed in the pageant. The competition was hosted by Bob Barker.

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[5] Ages at the time of the pageant.

[:0-1] [1]
"Miss Ohio now Miss USA". The Daily News-Journal. Murfreesboro, Tennessee. 22 May 1981. p. 5. Retrieved 31 October 2023 – via Newspapers.com.

[:1-2] [2]
Reynolds, Harold (17 May 1981). "Tonight's the best chance to see all 51 contestants". The Sun. Biloxi, Mississippi. p. 28. Retrieved 31 October 2023 – via Newspapers.com.

[:2-3] [3]
"The contestants". The Sun. Biloxi, Mississippi. 16 May 1981. pp. 36–37. Retrieved 31 October 2023 – via Newspapers.com.

[:3-4] [4]
"The contestants". The Sun. 16 May 1981. pp. 36–37. Retrieved 31 October 2023 – via Newspapers.com.

[6] [5]
"Miss Alabama-U.S.A." Alabama Journal. Montgomery, Alabama. 3 March 1981. p. 16. Retrieved 31 October 2023 – via Newspapers.com.

[7] [6]
Rose, Peter (15 March 1981). "Miss Arizona-U.S.A. title captured by Cassie Hill". Arizona Republic. Phoenix, Arizona. p. 21. Retrieved 31 October 2023 – via Newspapers.com.

[8] [7]
Reynolds, Harold (17 May 1981). "Double the pleasure". The Sun. Biloxi, Mississippi. p. 28. Retrieved 31 October 2023 – via Newspapers.com.

[9] [8]
Coulter, Tom (16 January 1981). "Miss Port runner-up in state contest". News-Pilot. San Pedro, California. pp. 1, A13. Retrieved 31 October 2023 – via Newspapers.com.

[10] [9]
"Former state resident in Miss USA pageant". Johnson City Press. Johnson City, Tennessee. 20 May 1981. p. 3. Retrieved 31 October 2023 – via Newspapers.com.

[11] [10]
"Miss Georgia USA 1981". The Atlanta Constitution. Atlanta, Georgia. 2 March 1981. p. 28. Retrieved 31 October 2023 – via Newspapers.com.

[12] [11]
"Winner". Honolulu Star-Bulletin. Honolulu, Hawaii. 2 March 1981. p. 3. Retrieved 31 October 2023 – via Newspapers.com.

[13] [12]
Leonard, Sue (9 March 1981). "Chicagoan is Miss Illinois". The Times. Streator, Illinois. p. 1. Retrieved 31 October 2023 – via Newspapers.com.

[14] [13]
Riccelli, Christine (20 May 1981). "Iowa City girl competing for Miss U.S.A. title". Iowa City Press-Citizen. Iowa City, Iowa. p. 1. Retrieved 31 October 2023 – via Newspapers.com.

[15] [14]
"Two beauties". Hattiesburg American. Hattiesburg, Mississippi. 15 May 1981. p. 3. Retrieved 31 October 2023 – via Newspapers.com.

[16] [15]
"She's the one". The Paducah Sun. Paducah, Kentucky. 11 January 1981. p. 1. Retrieved 31 October 2023 – via Newspapers.com.

[17] [16]
Durrett, Craig (26 May 1981). "Looks, brains: together 'it's dynamite'". The Times. Shreveport, Louisiana. p. 12. Retrieved 31 October 2023 – via Newspapers.com.

[18] [17]
"Bath woman is named to USA beauty pageant". The Bangor Daily News. Bangor, Maine. 3 February 1981. p. 14. Retrieved 31 October 2023 – via Newspapers.com.

[19] [18]
"Adopted". The Sun. Biloxi, Mississippi. 24 May 1981. p. 40. Retrieved 31 October 2023 – via Newspapers.com.

[:4-20] [19]
"Profile/Polly Peterson". The Minneapolis Star. Minneapolis, Minnesota. 19 March 1981. p. 15. Retrieved 31 October 2023 – via Newspapers.com.

[21] [20]
"MSU coed wins pageant". Clarion-Ledger. Jackson, Mississippi. 1 March 1981. p. 14. Retrieved 31 October 2023 – via Newspapers.com.

[22] [21]
"MSU student is Miss Montana USA". The Independent-Record. Helena, Montana. 1 March 1981. p. 7. Retrieved 31 October 2023 – via Newspapers.com.

[23] [22]
Reynolds, Harold (24 May 1981). "Airborne Nebraska beauty lives her fantasy". The Sun. Biloxi, Mississippi. p. 40. Retrieved 31 October 2023 – via Newspapers.com.

[24] [23]
Phelps, Shari (12 January 1981). "Tonia Moya quits state pageant". The Albuquerque Tribune. Albuquerque, New Mexico. p. 2. Retrieved 31 October 2023 – via Newspapers.com.

[25] [24]
"Officials expel Miss New York from pageant". Johnson City Press. Johnson City, Tennessee. 20 May 1981. p. 3. Retrieved 31 October 2023 – via Newspapers.com.

[26] [25]
"N.D. pageant winner told". The Bismarck Tribune. Bismarck, North Dakota. 28 February 1981. p. 6. Retrieved 31 October 2023 – via Newspapers.com.

[27] [26]
"Miss S.C.-U.S.A. likes ballet dancer Baryshnikov". The Columbia Record. Columbia, South Carolina. 16 February 1981. p. 38. Retrieved 31 October 2023 – via Newspapers.com.

[28] [27]
"Crowned". Argus-Leader. Sioux Falls, South Dakota. 18 January 1981. p. 36. Retrieved 31 October 2023 – via Newspapers.com.

[:15-29] [28]
"El Paso lass claims Miss Texas USA title". The Paris News. August 19, 1980.

[30] [29]
Reynolds, Harold (19 May 1981). "Pageants past highlight outfit of Miss Virginia". The Sun. Biloxi, Mississippi. p. 12. Retrieved 31 October 2023 – via Newspapers.com.

[31] [30]
Kirkland, Cliff (14 May 1981). "Funny, she sure doesn't look like a professional bowler". The Sun. Biloxi, Mississippi. p. 27. Retrieved 31 October 2023 – via Newspapers.com.

[32] [31]
"Kaukauna girl wins title". The Post-Crescent. Appleton, Wisconsin. 2 February 1981. p. 17. Retrieved 31 October 2023 – via Newspapers.com.

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Placement	Contestant
Miss USA 1981	Ohio – Kim Seelbrede^[1]
1st runner-up	Indiana – Holli Dennis^[1]
2nd runner-up	Louisiana – Lisa Moss^[1]
3rd runner-up	California – Cynthia Kerby^[1]
4th runner-up	Hawaii – Teri Ann Linn^[1]
Top 12	Alabama – JoAnne Henderson Arizona – Cassie Hill Georgia – Lisa Condrey Maryland – Linda Lambert Tennessee – Sharon Kay Steakley Texas – Diana Durnford Virginia – Pam Hutchens

State	Contestant	Age^{[lower-alpha 1]}	Hometown	Notes
Alabama	JoAnne Henderson^[5]	21	Tuscaloosa
Alaska	Shelley Brunaugh^[3]	18	Fairbanks
Arizona	Cassie Hill^[6]	23	Phoenix
Arkansas	Lynnanne Derryberry^[7]	18	Jerusalem
California	Cynthia Kerby^[8]	18	Westlake Village
Colorado	Shannon Davidson^[3]	19	Boulder
Connecticut	Kelly Thompson^[4]	20	Monroe
Delaware	Natalie Diane Ramsey^[9]	21	Wilmington
District of Columbia	Belinda Johnson^[4]	23	Martinsville, Virginia
Florida	Valerie Lundeen^[4]	24	Miami	Married to "Tarzan" actor Ron Ely, murdered by their son Cameron Ely at their Southern California home on October 15, 2019
Georgia	Lisa Joyce Condrey^[10]	20	Decatur
Hawaii	Teri Ann Linn^[11]	20	Honolulu	Later became an actress, starred in The Bold and the Beautiful
Idaho	Lori Ditch^[3]	21	Boise
Illinois	Leslie K. Renfrow^[12]	21	Chicago
Indiana	Holli Rene Dennis^[3]	21	Fort Wayne	Initially appointed as Miss World USA but chose to marry instead
Iowa	Jennifer Lynn Wimpey^[13]	19	Coralville
Kansas	Missy Kaser^[14]	18	Wichita
Kentucky	Denise Gibbs^[15]	20	Kevil
Louisiana	Lisa Lynn Moss^[16]	23	Shreveport	Later Miss World USA 1981 Finalist at Miss World 1981
Maine	Judy Lynn Footer^[17]	24	Bath
Maryland	Linda Lambert^[4]	22	Baltimore
Massachusetts	Jo Ann Savery^[18]	22	Bridgewater
Michigan	Karen Eidson^[4]	21	Hazel Park
Minnesota	Polly Peterson^[19]	22	Edina	Sister of Miss USA 1976 Barbara Peterson^[19]
Mississippi	Angela Ashmore^[20]	20	Muscle Shoals, Alabama
Missouri	Karyn Marie Smagacz^[3]	19	Fulton
Montana	Cathi Jo Locati^[21]	19	Billings
Nebraska	La Donna Hill^[22]	21	Seward
Nevada	Mary Lebsock^[3]	23	Las Vegas
New Hampshire	Cynthia Lee Graves^[3]	21	North Conway
New Jersey	Christy Garthwaite^[3]	19	Tuckerton
New Mexico	Lise Gabrielle Dominique Thevenet^[23]	23	Las Cruces
New York	Deborah Ann Fountain^[4]	25	Bronx	Previously Miss North Carolina World 1979 Finalist at Miss World America 1979 Disqualified after wearing a padded bra in the swimsuit competition^[24]
North Carolina	Lisa Colleen Swift^[4]	22	Southport
North Dakota	Laurie Saarinen^[25]	20	Jamestown	Later Miss Minnesota 1982
Ohio	Kimberly Seelbrede^[4]	20	Germantown	Semi-finalist at Miss Universe 1981
Oklahoma	Stacey Loach^[4]	17	Oklahoma City
Oregon	Dawn Michele Lewis^[4]	22	Portland
Pennsylvania	Nena Stone^[3]	21	Bethel Park
Rhode Island	Patti Reo^[3]	20	Cranston
South Carolina	Zade Denise Turner^[26]	21	Myrtle Beach
South Dakota	Joan Abbott^[27]	19	Irene
Tennessee	Sharon Kay Steakley^[3]	24	Winchester	Mother of Alexandra Harper, Miss Tennessee USA 2018
Texas	Diana Durnford^[28]	22	El Paso
Utah	Tonya Anderson^[4]	20	Orem
Vermont	Jeannette Wulff^[4]	21	Middlesex
Virginia	Pam Hutchens^[29]	22	Newport News	General District Court Judge in Virginia Beach, Virginia
Washington	Leila Wagner^[30]	20	Seattle
West Virginia	Kelly Carr^[4]	19	Scherr
Wisconsin	Dawn Marie Spreeman^[31]	18	Kaukauna
Wyoming	Deborah Aspinwall^[4]	23	Riverton

Miss_USA_1981

Miss USA 1981

Results

Placements

Pageant

Format

Selection committee

Final telecast

Contestants

Notes

References

External links

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