Barbara Peterson
Encyclopedia
Barbara Elaine Peterson Burwell (née Peterson; born November 25, 1953) is a beauty pageant titleholder from the United States
who was crowned Miss USA
in 1976
.
with four brothers: Todd Douglas, Scott Jeffrey, Craig Donald, Mark Bradley; and one sister, Polly Suzanne
.
She graduated from Edina High School
and was a junior
at St. Olaf College
in Northfield
when she decided to participate in Miss USA
.
and represented her state
in the 1976 Miss USA
pageant broadcast live from Niagara Falls
in May that year, winning the title and becoming the first Miss USA from Minnesota in the history of the pageant.
As the official representative of her country
to the 1976 Miss Universe
pageant in Hong Kong
, Burwell would become the first Miss USA titleholder not to advance to the semifinal round of the Miss Universe pageant, which did not happen again until 1999
.
authored Becoming a Beauty Queen: the Complete Guide, based on their experience with pageants. Burwell was also a judge at the 1990 Miss USA
pageant and resides in the Minneapolis metropolitan area.
Burwell's married to businessman Rodney P. Burwell, with whom she has three sons: Rodney Peter, Blake Palmer, and Michael Craig, and makes donations to educational and charitable institutions along with her husband through the Rodney and Barbara Burwell Family Foundation.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
who was crowned Miss USA
Miss USA
The Miss USA beauty contest has been held annually since 1952 to select the United States entrant in the Miss Universe pageant. The Miss Universe Organization operates both pageants, as well as Miss Teen USA...
in 1976
Miss USA 1976
Miss USA 1976, the 25th Miss USA pageant, was televised live by CBS from Niagara Falls, New York on May 15, 1976.The pageant was won by Barbara Peterson of Minnesota, who was crowned by outgoing titleholder Summer Bartholomew of California...
.
Early life
Born to former Minnesota Supreme Court Justice Carl Donald Peterson and mother Gretchen Elaine Palen Peterson, Burwell grew up in Edina, MinnesotaEdina, Minnesota
Edina is a city in Hennepin County, Minnesota, United States, and a first-ring suburb situated immediately southwest of Minneapolis. Edina began as a small farming and milling community in the 1860s. The population was 47,941 at the 2010 census.-Geography:...
with four brothers: Todd Douglas, Scott Jeffrey, Craig Donald, Mark Bradley; and one sister, Polly Suzanne
Polly Peterson
Polly Suzanne Peterson Bowles is a beauty queen from Edina, Minnesota who has held the Miss Minnesota USA title.Peterson was born to C. Donald & Gretchen Palen Peterson. She has four brothers named Todd, Scott, Craig, and Mark and one sister named Barbara.She competed in many pageants during her...
.
She graduated from Edina High School
Edina High School
Edina High School is a three-year public high school located in Edina, Minnesota, a suburb of Minneapolis. The school was founded in 1949 and is the main high school in the Edina School District....
and was a junior
Junior (education)
"Junior" is a term used in the United States to describe a student in their 3rd year of study . A Junior is considered an upperclassman...
at St. Olaf College
St. Olaf College
St. Olaf College is a coeducational, residential, four-year, private liberal arts college in Northfield, Minnesota, United States. It was founded in 1874 by a group of Norwegian-American immigrant pastors and farmers, led by Pastor Bernt Julius Muus. The college is named after Olaf II of Norway,...
in Northfield
Northfield, Minnesota
As of the census of 2000, there were 17,147 people, 4,909 households, and 3,210 families residing in the city. The population density was 2,452.2 people per square mile . There were 5,119 housing units at an average density of 732.1 per square mile...
when she decided to participate in Miss USA
Miss USA
The Miss USA beauty contest has been held annually since 1952 to select the United States entrant in the Miss Universe pageant. The Miss Universe Organization operates both pageants, as well as Miss Teen USA...
.
Miss USA
Burwell won the title of Miss Minnesota USAMiss Minnesota USA
The Miss Minnesota USA competition is the pageant that selects the representative for the state of Minnesota in the Miss USA pageant.Despite a strong start in the first three years of competition at Miss USA, Minnesota has been largely unsuccessful overall...
and represented her state
Minnesota
Minnesota is a U.S. state located in the Midwestern United States. The twelfth largest state of the U.S., it is the twenty-first most populous, with 5.3 million residents. Minnesota was carved out of the eastern half of the Minnesota Territory and admitted to the Union as the thirty-second state...
in the 1976 Miss USA
Miss USA 1976
Miss USA 1976, the 25th Miss USA pageant, was televised live by CBS from Niagara Falls, New York on May 15, 1976.The pageant was won by Barbara Peterson of Minnesota, who was crowned by outgoing titleholder Summer Bartholomew of California...
pageant broadcast live from Niagara Falls
Niagara Falls, New York
Niagara Falls is a city in Niagara County, New York, United States. As of the 2010 census, the city had a total population of 50,193, down from the 55,593 recorded in the 2000 census. It is across the Niagara River from Niagara Falls, Ontario , both named after the famed Niagara Falls which they...
in May that year, winning the title and becoming the first Miss USA from Minnesota in the history of the pageant.
As the official representative of her country
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
to the 1976 Miss Universe
Miss Universe 1976
Miss Universe 1976, the 25th Miss Universe pageant was held at Lee Theatre in Hong Kong on July 11, 1976 morning, namely July 10 evening in United States. Rina Messinger earned Israel's first Miss Universe crown...
pageant in Hong Kong
Hong Kong
Hong Kong is one of two Special Administrative Regions of the People's Republic of China , the other being Macau. A city-state situated on China's south coast and enclosed by the Pearl River Delta and South China Sea, it is renowned for its expansive skyline and deep natural harbour...
, Burwell would become the first Miss USA titleholder not to advance to the semifinal round of the Miss Universe pageant, which did not happen again until 1999
Miss Universe 1999
Miss Universe 1999 was held at the Chaguaramas Convention Centre, Chaguaramas, Trinidad and Tobago on May 26, 1999. Mpule Kwelagobe of Botswana was crowned as Miss Universe 1999 by Miss Universe 1998 Wendy Fitzwilliam of Trinidad and Tobago. A record number of 84 contestants competed in the pageant...
.
Life after Miss USA
In 1987, Burwell and sister Polly Peterson BowlesPolly Peterson
Polly Suzanne Peterson Bowles is a beauty queen from Edina, Minnesota who has held the Miss Minnesota USA title.Peterson was born to C. Donald & Gretchen Palen Peterson. She has four brothers named Todd, Scott, Craig, and Mark and one sister named Barbara.She competed in many pageants during her...
authored Becoming a Beauty Queen: the Complete Guide, based on their experience with pageants. Burwell was also a judge at the 1990 Miss USA
Miss USA 1990
Miss USA 1990, the 39th Miss USA pageant, was televised live from the Century II Convention Center in Wichita, Kansas on March 2, 1990.At the conclusion of the final competition, Carole Gist of Michigan was crowned by outgoing titleholder Gretchen Polhemus of Texas...
pageant and resides in the Minneapolis metropolitan area.
Burwell's married to businessman Rodney P. Burwell, with whom she has three sons: Rodney Peter, Blake Palmer, and Michael Craig, and makes donations to educational and charitable institutions along with her husband through the Rodney and Barbara Burwell Family Foundation.