Miss Tennessee
Encyclopedia
The Miss Tennessee competition is the pageant that selects the representative for the state of Tennessee
Tennessee
Tennessee is a U.S. state located in the Southeastern United States. It has a population of 6,346,105, making it the nation's 17th-largest state by population, and covers , making it the 36th-largest by total land area...

 in the Miss America
Miss America
The Miss America pageant is a long-standing competition which awards scholarships to young women from the 50 states plus the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico and the US Virgin Islands...

 pageant.

History

The Miss Tennessee pageant was first held in 1938, although the winner, Isobel Carter, was unable to compete at Miss America
Miss America
The Miss America pageant is a long-standing competition which awards scholarships to young women from the 50 states plus the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico and the US Virgin Islands...

 due to illness and so the first runner-up became Miss Tennessee. The following year, two winners were chosen to compete for the Miss America title. In 1940 the pageant suffered a repeat of 1938, with the winner resigning through illness and the first runner-up representing the state at the national competition. The routine pageant was held in 1941, but from 1942-1946 representatives were appointed without a pageant being held, due to World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...

. In 1947 twins Jean and Jane Cunningham were both awarded the Miss Tennessee title, with one representing Tennessee and one Chattanooga at the Miss America pageant. The modern era of the pageant can be dated to 1953, when a regular routine of state pageants was instituted.

Kellye Cash
Kellye Cash
Kellye Cash-Sheppard from Memphis, Tennessee, was Miss Tennessee 1986 and was crowned Miss America 1987, capturing preliminary honors in both the talent and swimsuit competitions....

, Miss America 1987, is the second Miss Tennessee to win the national title. Six titleholders have placed as runners-up to Miss America. Tennessee native Barbara Jo Walker
Barbara Jo Walker
Barbara Jo Walker Hummel was Miss America in 1947.She was the last Miss America to be crowned in her bathing suit; all since 1947 have beencrowned in their evening gowns see ....

 was Miss America 1947 and represented the city of Memphis when she won the title.

In a rare occurrence, all three Miss Tennessees 1999-2001 later won the similar Miss Tennessee USA
Miss Tennessee USA
The Miss Tennessee USA competition is the pageant that selects the representative for the state of Tennessee in the Miss USA pageant.Since 2001 the pageant has been held in the auditorium at Austin Peay State University in Clarksville, Tennessee....

 pageant, whose delegates represent Tennessee at 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...

. More remarkable was that the three won the Miss Tennessee USA title in the order which they held their Miss Tennessee titles. Allison Alderson, one of the three, is a Triple Crown winner, having competed for Tennessee at Miss Teen USA 1994 as well.

Three other Miss Tennessees have won the Miss Tennessee USA title, Jean Harper, Desiree Daniels and Leah Hulan

Winners

Year Name Hometown Age Local Title Miss America Talent Placement at Miss America Special scholarships at Miss America Notes
2011 Erin Hatley Bartlett 20 Miss Collierville Classical Vocal
2010 Nicole Jordan Cordova
Cordova, Tennessee
Cordova is a community in Shelby County, Tennessee, United States. Cordova lies on Memphis' northeast side, north of Germantown, and northwest of Collierville....

21 Miss Lexington Vocal "All by Myself
All by Myself
"All by Myself" is a power ballad written and performed by Eric Carmen in 1975.The verse is based on the second movement of Sergei Rachmaninoff's Piano Concerto No. 2 in C minor, Opus 18...

"
Miss University of Alabama 2009, Miss Henderson County 2008, Miss Memphis 2007
2009 Stefanie Wittler Soddy-Daisy
Soddy-Daisy, Tennessee
Soddy-Daisy is a city in Hamilton County, Tennessee, United States. The population was 11,530 at the 2000 census. The City was formed in 1969 when the communities of Soddy and Daisy, along with nearby developed areas along U.S. Highway 27, merged to form Soddy-Daisy. It is rapidly becoming a...

22 Miss Hamilton County Vocal "I Will Always Love You
I Will Always Love You
"I Will Always Love You" is a song written by American singer-songwriter Dolly Parton in 1973, who first released the song as a single in 1974.-Dolly Parton version:...

"
2nd runner-up at Miss America 2010
Miss America 2010
Miss America 2010, the 89th Miss America pageant, was held at the Theatre for the Performing Arts in Planet Hollywood Resort and Casino in Las Vegas on January 30, 2010...

Quality of Life finalist
2008 Ellen Carrington Jackson
Jackson, Tennessee
Jackson is a city in Madison County, Tennessee, United States. The total population was 65,211 at the 2010 census. Jackson is the primary city of the Jackson, Tennessee metropolitan area, which is included in the Jackson-Humboldt, Tennessee Combined Statistical Area...

21 Miss Scenic City Vocal "Vole Mon Ange" from Svengali
Svengali (musical)
Svengali is a musical with a book and lyrics by Gregory Boyd and music by Frank Wildhorn. It is based on the 1894 novel Trilby by George du Maurier....

Top 7 at Miss America 2009
Miss America 2009
Miss America 2009, the 88th Miss America pageant, was held on the Las Vegas Strip in Paradise, Nevada on January 24, 2009. The winner was Katie Stam from Indiana....

2007 Grace Gore Nashville
Nashville, Tennessee
Nashville is the capital of the U.S. state of Tennessee and the county seat of Davidson County. It is located on the Cumberland River in Davidson County, in the north-central part of the state. The city is a center for the health care, publishing, banking and transportation industries, and is home...

24 Miss Lexington Vocal "What a Wonderful Day" Top 16 Finalist Previously Miss Mississippi Teen USA
Miss Mississippi Teen USA
The Miss Mississippi Teen USA competition is the pageant that selects the representative for the state of Mississippi in the Miss Teen USA pageant....

 2002
2006 Blaire Pancake Chattanooga
Chattanooga, Tennessee
Chattanooga is the fourth-largest city in the US state of Tennessee , with a population of 169,887. It is the seat of Hamilton County...

24 Miss Metropolitan Vocal "Attitude"
2005 Tara Burns Nashville
Nashville, Tennessee
Nashville is the capital of the U.S. state of Tennessee and the county seat of Davidson County. It is located on the Cumberland River in Davidson County, in the north-central part of the state. The city is a center for the health care, publishing, banking and transportation industries, and is home...

22 Miss Music City Classical Vocal "Art Is Calling For Me" from The Enchantress by Victor Herbert
Victor Herbert
Victor August Herbert was an Irish-born, German-raised American composer, cellist and conductor. Although Herbert enjoyed important careers as a cello soloist and conductor, he is best known for composing many successful operettas that premiered on Broadway from the 1890s to World War I...

Non-finalist Talent
2004 Ashley Eicher
Ashley Eicher
Ashley Eicher is an on-air entertainment personality from Louisville, Kentucky who competed in the Miss America pageant.Eicher was selected as Miss Tennessee 2004 and served Governor Phil Bredesen and the Tennessee Department of Education as a spokesperson for the state of Tennessee. She has...

Nashville 24 Miss Murfreesboro Vocal "Take My Hand, Precious Lord
Take My Hand, Precious Lord
"Take My Hand, Precious Lord" is a gospel song, lyrics by Rev. Thomas A. Dorsey , melody by George Nelson Allen .-History:...

"
Non-finalist Talent
2003 Jamie Watkins Soddy-Daisy 23 Miss Scenic City Vocal "If I Can Dream
If I Can Dream
"If I Can Dream" is a song made famous by Elvis Presley, written by Walter Earl Brown and notable for its direct quotations of Martin Luther King, Jr. It was recorded by Presley in June 1968, two months after King's assassination...

"
4th runner-up to National Sweetheart
National Sweetheart
Miss National Sweetheart is a United States beauty pageant created in 1952 where runners-up from the Miss America state pageants are invited to Hoopeston, Illinois to compete for the title of Miss National Sweetheart....

 2001
2002 Valli Kugler Rutherford
Rutherford, Tennessee
Rutherford is a town in Gibson County, Tennessee, United States. At the 2000 census, its population was at 1,272.-Geography:Rutherford is located at ....

22 Miss UT Martin Vocal "At Last
At Last
"At Last" is a 1941 song written by Mack Gordon and Harry Warren for the musical film Orchestra Wives, starring George Montgomery and Ann Rutherford. It was performed in the film and on record by Glenn Miller and his orchestra, with vocals by Ray Eberle and Pat Friday...

"
2001 Stephanie Culberson
Stephanie Culberson
Stephanie Marie Culberson is a beauty queen from Knoxville, Tennessee who has competed in the Miss America and Miss USA pageants. She is one of only four women who has placed in the top five in both nationally televised pageants.-Biography:...

Knoxville
Knoxville, Tennessee
Founded in 1786, Knoxville is the third-largest city in the U.S. state of Tennessee, U.S.A., behind Memphis and Nashville, and is the county seat of Knox County. It is the largest city in East Tennessee, and the second-largest city in the Appalachia region...

21 Miss Cleveland Classical Piano "Fantaisie-Impromptu
Fantaisie-Impromptu
Frédéric Chopin's Fantaisie-Impromptu in C-sharp minor, Op. posth. 66, is a solo piano composition and one of his best-known pieces. It was composed in 1834 and dedicated to Julian Fontana, who published the piece in spite of Chopin's request not to do so....

"
2nd runner-up Preliminary Swimsuit Award, Preliminary Evening Wear Award Later Miss Tennessee USA
Miss Tennessee USA
The Miss Tennessee USA competition is the pageant that selects the representative for the state of Tennessee in the Miss USA pageant.Since 2001 the pageant has been held in the auditorium at Austin Peay State University in Clarksville, Tennessee....

 2004 (4th runner-up at 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...

)
2000 Beth Hood
Beth Hood
Julia Beth Hood Fromm is a beauty queen from Cleveland, Tennessee who has competed in the Miss USA and Miss America pageants.In 2000, Hood won the Miss Cleveland local title and then the Miss Tennessee state title for the Miss America pageant. She represented Tennessee in the Miss America 2001...

Cleveland
Cleveland, Tennessee
Cleveland is a city in Bradley County, Tennessee, United States. The population was 41,285 at the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Bradley County...

21 Miss Cleveland Vocal "Desperado
Desperado (song)
"Desperado" is a soft rock song by the Eagles, an American rock band, written by group members Glenn Frey and Don Henley. It first appeared on the 1973 album Desperado, and has later appeared on numerous compilation albums although it was not a single....

"
Non-Finalist Talent Later Miss Tennessee USA
Miss Tennessee USA
The Miss Tennessee USA competition is the pageant that selects the representative for the state of Tennessee in the Miss USA pageant.Since 2001 the pageant has been held in the auditorium at Austin Peay State University in Clarksville, Tennessee....

 2003 (4th runner-up at 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...

)
1999 Allison Alderson
Allison Alderson
Allison Leigh Alderson DeMarcus is a beauty queen from Nashville, Tennessee who has competed in the Miss Teen USA, Miss USA and Miss America pageants. She is considered a Triple Crown winner because she has held state titles in each system...

Jackson 22 Miss Memphis Piano / Vocal Medley "Ain't No Mountain High Enough
Ain't No Mountain High Enough
"Ain't No Mountain High Enough" is an R&B/soul song written by Nickolas Ashford & Valerie Simpson in 1966 for the Tamla Motown label. The composition was first successful as a 1967 hit single recorded by Marvin Gaye and Tammi Terrell, becoming a hit again in 1970 when recorded by former Supremes...

" & "River Deep – Mountain High"
Waterford Scholarship for Business Marketing & Management Triple Crown winner, previously Miss Tennessee Teen USA
Miss Tennessee Teen USA
The Miss Tennessee Teen USA competition is the pageant that selects the representative for the state Tennessee in the Miss Teen USA pageant....

 1994, finished 6th at Miss Teen USA 1994 later Miss Tennessee USA
Miss Tennessee USA
The Miss Tennessee USA competition is the pageant that selects the representative for the state of Tennessee in the Miss USA pageant.Since 2001 the pageant has been held in the auditorium at Austin Peay State University in Clarksville, Tennessee....

 2002; married to Rascal Flatts
Rascal Flatts
Rascal Flatts is an American country music band that originated in Columbus, Ohio, United States of America. Since its inception, Rascal Flatts has been composed of three members: Gary LeVox , Jay DeMarcus and Joe Don Rooney...

 musician Jay DeMarcus
Jay DeMarcus
Jay DeMarcus is the bass guitarist, harmony vocalist, pianist and songwriter in the American country trio Rascal Flatts.DeMarcus was born in Columbus, Ohio...

, Correspondent for the 2007 Miss America Pageant broadcast on CMT
CMT
- Medicine :* California mastitis test* Certified Massage Therapist* Cervical motion tenderness, a sign of pelvic inflammatory disease* Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease* Chemically modified tetracyclines* Circus Movement Tachycardia...

1998 Heather Heath Nashville 21 Miss Heart of Tennessee Vocal "Think of Me
Think of Me
"Think of Me" is a song composed by Andrew Lloyd Webber from his stage musical The Phantom of the Opera.It is sung by Elissa in the fictional Hannibal opera. At first, Carlotta Giudicelli is cast in the part, but during rehearsal a backdrop falls dangerously close to her. She quits, having had many...

"
Previously Missouri's Junior Miss 1995
1997 Lanna Keck Knoxville 23 Miss Milan No-Till Gospel Vocal "Go Light Your World"
1996 Jeni Stephens Memphis 23 Miss Memphis Popular Vocal "Operator"
1995 Alison Shumate Union City
Union City, Tennessee
Union City is a city in Obion County, Tennessee, United States. The population was 10,876 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Obion County. The name comes from its location at the union of two railroads, one running roughly east-west and the other roughly north-south...

21 Miss Knoxville Vocal Medley "Crazy for You
Crazy for You
Crazy for You is a musical with a book by Ken Ludwig, lyrics by Ira Gershwin, and music by George Gershwin. Billed as "The New Gershwin Musical Comedy", it is largely based on the songwriting team’s 1930 musical, Girl Crazy, but interpolates songs from several other productions as well...

" & "I Got Rhythm
I Got Rhythm
"I Got Rhythm" is a song composed by George Gershwin with lyrics by Ira Gershwin and published in 1930, which became a jazz standard. Its chord progression, known as the "rhythm changes", is the foundation for many other popular jazz tunes such as Charlie Parker's and Dizzy Gillespie's Bebop...

"
Non-Finalist Interview daughter of Miss Tennessee 1967
1994 Lori Smith Ocoee
Ocoee, Tennessee
Ocoee is an unincorporated community in Polk County, Tennessee, United States. Its altitude is 797 feet , and it is located at . Although it is unincorporated, it has a post office, with the ZIP code of 37361....

21 Miss Tennessee Tech Piano Solo "The Firefly" by Anton Bilotti
1993 Kathleen Brang Greeneville
Greeneville, Tennessee
Greeneville is a town in Greene County, Tennessee, United States. The population was 15,198 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Greene County. The town was named in honor of Revolutionary War hero Nathanael Greene. It is the only town with this spelling in the United States, although there...

24 Miss Historic Jonesborough Popular Vocal "Dare to Dream"
1992 Leah Hulan Murfreesboro
Murfreesboro, Tennessee
Murfreesboro is a city in and the county seat of Rutherford County, Tennessee, United States. The population was 108,755 according to the United States Census Bureau's 2010 U.S. Census, up from 68,816 residents certified during the 2000 census. The center of population of Tennessee is located in...

24 Miss Knoxville Clogging "Can't Stop Now" Later Miss Tennessee USA
Miss Tennessee USA
The Miss Tennessee USA competition is the pageant that selects the representative for the state of Tennessee in the Miss USA pageant.Since 2001 the pageant has been held in the auditorium at Austin Peay State University in Clarksville, Tennessee....

 1994
1991 Jill Horn Memphis 23 Miss Memphis Vocal "On a Clear Day You Can See Forever
On a Clear Day You Can See Forever
On a Clear Day You Can See Forever is a musical with music by Burton Lane and a book and lyrics by Alan Jay Lerner based loosely on Berkeley Square, written in 1929 by John L. Balderston. It concerns a woman who has ESP and has been reincarnated...

"
1990 Dana Brown Memphis 25 Miss Frontier Days Vocal & Piano "The Glory of Love
The Glory of Love (song)
"The Glory Of Love" is a song written by Billy Hill, recorded by Benny Goodman in 1936, whose version was a number one pop hit. In 1951, R&B vocal group, The Five Keys, had their biggest R&B hit with their version of the song, hitting number one on the R&B chart for four non-consecutive weeks."The...

" & "I Can't Give You Anything but Love, Baby
I Can't Give You Anything but Love, Baby
"I Can't Give You Anything but Love" is an American popular song and jazz standard by Jimmy McHugh and Dorothy Fields .The song was introduced by Adelaide Hall at Les Ambassadeurs Club in New York in January 1928 in Lew Leslie's Blackbird Revue, which opened on Broadway later that year as the...

"
2nd runner-up
1989 Lisa Robertson Collegedale
Collegedale, Tennessee
Collegedale is a city in Hamilton County, Tennessee, United States. The population was 8,282 at the 2010 census. Collegedale is a suburb of Chattanooga and is part of the Chattanooga, TN–GA Metropolitan Statistical Area...

23 Miss Cleveland Violin Solo "Orange Blossom Special
Orange Blossom Special (song)
The fiddle tune "Orange Blossom Special", about the passenger train of the same name, was written by Ervin T. Rouse in 1938. The original recording was created by Ervin and Gordon Rouse in 1939. It is considered the best known fiddle tune of the twentieth century and is often called simply The...

"
QVC
QVC
QVC is a multinational corporation specializing in televised home shopping. Founded in 1986 by Joseph Segel in West Goshen Township, Pennsylvania, United States, QVC broadcasts in five countries as QVC US, QVC UK, QVC Germany, QVC Japan and – QVC Italy to 200 million households...

 Host
1988 Carrie Folks New Johnsonville
New Johnsonville, Tennessee
New Johnsonville is a city in Humphreys County, Tennessee, United States. The population was 1,905 at the 2000 census.-Geography:New Johnsonville is located at ....

20 Miss Bluegrass Festival A Capella Vocal "Sweet Dreams" Non-Finalist Talent
1987 Regina Athnos Clarksville
Clarksville, Tennessee
Clarksville is a city in and the county seat of Montgomery County, Tennessee, United States, and the fifth largest city in the state. The population was 132,929 in 2010 United States Census...

23 Miss Tennessee Peach Festival Flute Medley "I'll Fly Away
I'll Fly Away
"I'll Fly Away", is a hymn written in 1929 by Albert E. Brumley and published in 1932 by the Hartford Music company in a collection titled Wonderful Message...

" & "Amazing Grace
Amazing Grace
"Amazing Grace" is a Christian hymn with words written by the English poet and clergyman John Newton , published in 1779. With a message that forgiveness and redemption are possible regardless of the sins people commit and that the soul can be delivered from despair through the mercy of God,...

"
1986 Kris Beasley* Memphis
Memphis, Tennessee
Memphis is a city in the southwestern corner of the U.S. state of Tennessee, and the county seat of Shelby County. The city is located on the 4th Chickasaw Bluff, south of the confluence of the Wolf and Mississippi rivers....

Miss Memphis
Kellye Cash
Kellye Cash
Kellye Cash-Sheppard from Memphis, Tennessee, was Miss Tennessee 1986 and was crowned Miss America 1987, capturing preliminary honors in both the talent and swimsuit competitions....

Milan
Milan, Tennessee
Milan is a city in Gibson County, Tennessee, United States. The population was 7,851 at the 2010 census. The zip code assigned by the U.S. Postal Service is 38358. Residents of Milan are usually referred to as Milanites...

21 Miss Milan Crown and Scepter Piano / Vocal "I'll Be Home" Winner Preliminary Swimsuit; Preliminary Talent
1985 Sonya Pleasant Mountain City
Mountain City, Tennessee
Mountain City is a town in Johnson County, Tennessee, United States. The population was 2,383 at the 2000 census. It is the northeasternmost county seat in Tennessee; Mountain City is the county seat of Johnson County.-History:...

22 Miss Wautauga Valley Vocal "I Fall to Pieces
I Fall to Pieces
"I Fall to Pieces" is a single released by Patsy Cline in 1961, and was featured on her 1961 studio album, Patsy Cline Showcase. "I Fall to Pieces" was Cline's first #1 hit on the Country charts, and her second hit single to cross over onto the Pop charts...

"
former White House
White House
The White House is the official residence and principal workplace of the president of the United States. Located at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW in Washington, D.C., the house was designed by Irish-born James Hoban, and built between 1792 and 1800 of white-painted Aquia sandstone in the Neoclassical...

 staff member
1984 Shelly Mangrum Nashville 23 Miss West Tennessee State Fair Vocal "And the World Goes 'Round
And the World Goes 'Round
And the World Goes 'Round is a musical revue showcasing the songs of John Kander and Fred Ebb. The revue takes its title from a tune the songwriting team wrote for Liza Minnelli to sing in the film New York, New York-Productions:...

"
Top 10 Semi-Finalist
1983 Moira Kaye Oak Ridge
Oak Ridge, Tennessee
Oak Ridge is a city in Anderson and Roane counties in the eastern part of the U.S. state of Tennessee, about west of Knoxville. Oak Ridge's population was 27,387 at the 2000 census...

23 Miss Roane County Vocal "Memory" Non-finalist Talent Previously Tennessee's Junior Miss 1978
1982 Desiree Daniels Chattanooga 22 Miss Hamilton County Popular Vocal "Don't Cry Out Loud
Don't Cry Out Loud (song)
"Don't Cry Out Loud" is the title of a song written in 1976 by Peter Allen with lyricist Carole Bayer Sager which is best known as a hit single for Melissa Manchester in the US and for Elkie Brooks in the UK.-Early versions:...

"
1st runner-up Preliminary Swimsuit Later Miss Tennessee USA
Miss Tennessee USA
The Miss Tennessee USA competition is the pageant that selects the representative for the state of Tennessee in the Miss USA pageant.Since 2001 the pageant has been held in the auditorium at Austin Peay State University in Clarksville, Tennessee....

 1984 (second runner-up at Miss USA); daughter was first runner-up to Miss Tennessee Teen USA
Miss Tennessee Teen USA
The Miss Tennessee Teen USA competition is the pageant that selects the representative for the state Tennessee in the Miss Teen USA pageant....

 2006
1981 Angelina Johnson Jackson 20 Miss Madison Ventriloquism "Laverne & Shirley"
1980 Sarah Leonard Jonesborough
Jonesborough, Tennessee
Jonesborough is a town in and the county seat of Washington County, Tennessee, in the southeastern United States. The population was 4,168 at the 2000 census...

20 Miss Historic Jonesborough Popular Vocal "We Could Have Had It All"
1979 Elise Neal Paris
Paris, Tennessee
Paris is a city in Henry County, Tennessee, United States, west of Nashville, on a fork of the West Sandy River. In 1900, 2,018 people lived in Paris, Tennessee; in 1910, 3,881; and in 1940, 6,395. As of the 2000 census, the city had a total population of 9,763. It is the county seat of Henry...

21 Miss Okra Piano Solo "Prelude in C minor by Rachmaninoff
Prelude in C minor (Rachmaninoff)
The Prelude in C minor, Op. 23, No. 7 is a 1903 composition by Sergei Rachmaninoff. It is part of Rachmaninoff's Ten Preludes, Op. 23.- Structure :...

"
Non-finalist Talent
1978 Jill Beshears Memphis 22 Miss Memphis State University Vocal Medley "You'll Never Walk Alone
You'll Never Walk Alone
You'll Never Walk Alone is a song from the musical Carousel, a pop standard and football club anthem, for example that of Liverpool F.C.You'll Never Walk Alone may also refer to:* You'll Never Walk Alone , studio album...

" & "Climb Ev'ry Mountain
Climb Ev'ry Mountain
"Climb Ev'ry Mountain" is a show tune from the 1959 Rodgers and Hammerstein musical The Sound of Music. Here it is sung at the close of the first act by the Mother Abbess...

"
1977 Linda Moore Madison
Madison, Tennessee
Madison, Tennessee is a neighborhood in northeast Nashville, Tennessee in the United States. It is incorporated as part of the Metropolitan Government of Nashville and Davidson County....

22 Miss Nashville Vocal "Evening Gowns Are Not For Children" Top 10 Semi-Finalist Preliminary Swimsuit
1976 Terry Alden Memphis 21 Miss Memphis Classical Piano "Toccata"
1975 Marion Burgess Memphis 21 Miss Bells Tap Dance "I'm Gonna Live Till I Die" Toured with Miss America USO Troupe
1974 Deborah Kincaid Memphis 21 Miss Memphis State University Vocal Medley "Once In a Lifetime" "In My Own Lifetime" & "This Is My Life
This Is My Life (Shirley Bassey album)
This Is My Life is a 1968 album by Shirley Bassey. The mid to late sixties was a period of declining popularity for traditional pop. How much the changing tastes in popular music directly affected Bassey's record sales is difficult to quantify; but her record sales had been faltering since the...

"
Top 10 Semi-Finalist Preliminary Talent
1973 Anne Randle Galloway Knoxville 20 Miss Memphis Piano "Rhapsody in Blue
Rhapsody in Blue
Rhapsody in Blue is a musical composition by George Gershwin for solo piano and jazz band written in 1924, which combines elements of classical music with jazz-influenced effects....

"
1972 Debbie Cathey Nashville 20 Miss Nashville Semi-Classical Vocal "Amazing Grace"
1971 Marsha McDonald Nashville 21 Miss Memphis State University Ballet "Over And Over Again"
1970 Carol Ferrante Memphis 21 Miss Memphis Vocal Medley of Popular Songs
1969 Mary Cox Johnson City
Johnson City, Tennessee
Johnson City is a city in Carter, Sullivan, and Washington counties in the U.S. state of Tennessee, with most of the city being in Washington County...

20 Miss Johnson City Semi-Classical Vocal "One Kiss" from The New Moon
The New Moon
The New Moon is the name of an operetta with music by Sigmund Romberg and book and lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein II, Frank Mandel, and Laurence Schwab. The show was the third and last in a string of Broadway hits for Romberg written in the style of Viennese operetta...

Non-finalist Talent Toured with Miss America USO Troupe
1968 Brenda Seal Kingsport
Kingsport, Tennessee
Kingsport is a city located mainly in Sullivan County with some western portions in Hawkins County in the US state of Tennessee. The majority of the city lies in Sullivan County...

19 Miss East Tennessee State University Popular Vocal "What Now My Love
What Now My Love (song)
"What Now, My Love?" is the English title of a popular song whose original French version, "Et Maintenant" was written in 1961 by composer Gilbert Bécaud and lyricist Pierre Delanoë...

"
Top 10 Semi-Finalist Featured performer on 1969 Miss America telecast; Competed in the 1967 National Sweetheart Pageant
1967 Linda Workman Martin
Martin, Tennessee
Martin is a city in Weakley County, Tennessee, United States. Martin is the home of the University of Tennessee at Martin. The population was 10,515 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Martin is located at ....

18 Miss UT Martin Vocal "I Don't Care"
1966 Vicki Hurd Kingsport 19 Miss Carter County Original Vocal "I'm In a Pageant" 2nd runner-up Also winner of the National Sweetheart
National Sweetheart
Miss National Sweetheart is a United States beauty pageant created in 1952 where runners-up from the Miss America state pageants are invited to Hoopeston, Illinois to compete for the title of Miss National Sweetheart....

 Pageant in 1965, Featured Performer on the 1967 Miss America telecast
1965 Marcia Murray Paris 19 Miss Paris Popular Vocal "Spellbound"
1964 Rita Munsey New Tazewell
New Tazewell, Tennessee
New Tazewell is a town in Claiborne County, Tennessee, United States. The population was 3,037 at the 2010 census.-Geography:New Tazewell is located at...

20 Miss Knoxville Vocal Medley & Accordion "You Don't Know Me" & "Walkin' After Midnight
Walkin' After Midnight
"Walkin' After Midnight" is a song by written by Alan Block and Donn Hecht and originally recorded by American country music artist Patsy Cline. The song was originally given to pop singer Kay Starr; however, it was rejected by her record label. The song was left unused until Hecht rediscovered the...

"
Crowned Miss Dixie 1965
1963 Martha Truett Tiptonville
Tiptonville, Tennessee
Tiptonville is a town in and the county seat of Lake County, Tennessee, United States. Its population was 2,439 as of the 2000 census. It is also home to the Northwest Correctional Complex, a maximum security prison, known for once housing mass murderer Jessie Dotson, Jr.-History:According to the...

Miss Bells Piano Solo "Rhapsody In Blue" 3rd runner-up competed in Miss Dixie 1964
1962 Margaret Petty Nashville 19 Miss Nashville Vocal "Something Wonderful
Something Wonderful (song)
"Something Wonderful" is a show tune from the 1951 Rodgers and Hammerstein musical The King and I.The song was first sung in the original Broadway production by Dorothy Sarnoff, who played Lady Thiang. Later, in the 1956 film adaptation starring Deborah Kerr and Yul Brynner it was sung by Terry...

"
1961 Rita Wilson Humboldt
Humboldt, Tennessee
Humboldt is a city in Gibson and Madison counties in the U.S. state of Tennessee. The population was 8,452 at the 2010 census, a decline of 1,015 in 2000. It is the principal city of and is included in the Humboldt, Tennessee Micropolitan Statistical Area, which is included in the Jackson,...

20 Miss Bells Vocal "I'm Doing Alright For a Mountain Gal" Previously was the winner of the 1959 National Sweetheart Pageant. Crowned Miss Dixie 1962, competed in Miss Dixie 1960 as Miss National Sweetheart.
1960 Jenny Thomas Nashville 19 Miss Nashville Modern Ballet "Porgy and Bess
Porgy and Bess
Porgy and Bess is an opera, first performed in 1935, with music by George Gershwin, libretto by DuBose Heyward, and lyrics by Ira Gershwin and DuBose Heyward. It was based on DuBose Heyward's novel Porgy and subsequent play of the same title, which he co-wrote with his wife Dorothy Heyward...

"
1959 Marion "Mickey" Wayland Knoxville 18 Miss Knoxville Piano / Vocal "Près des remparts de Séville" from Carmen
Carmen
Carmen is a French opéra comique by Georges Bizet. The libretto is by Henri Meilhac and Ludovic Halévy, based on the novella of the same title by Prosper Mérimée, first published in 1845, itself possibly influenced by the narrative poem The Gypsies by Alexander Pushkin...

 & "I Cain't Say No
I Cain't Say No
I Cain't Say No is a song from the musical play Oklahoma! written by composer Richard Rodgers and lyricist/librettist Oscar Hammerstein II....

"
Top 10 Semi-Finalist
1958 Patricia Eaves Cookeville
Cookeville, Tennessee
Cookeville is a city in Putnam County, Tennessee, United States. The population was 23,923 at the 2000 census. of Cookeville's population was 30,435, and the combined total of those living in Cookeville's in 2010 was 65,014. It is the county seat of Putnam County and home to Tennessee...

Miss Putnam County Dramatic Monologue "Viola's Ring Scene" from Twelfth Night Competed in the 1960 Miss Dixie Pageant
1957 Amanda Whitman Nashville Miss Davidson County Trampoline / Tumbling "The Third Man Theme
The Third Man Theme
"The Third Man Theme" is an instrumental written and performed by Anton Karas for the soundtrack to the film The Third Man ....

"
1956 Shelby Bailey Humboldt Miss Gadsden Vocal "It Takes Two To Tango"
1955 Patty William Jackson Miss Lambuth College Vocal "The Student Prince
The Student Prince
The Student Prince is an operetta in four acts with music by Sigmund Romberg and book and lyrics by Dorothy Donnelly. It is based on Wilhelm Meyer-Förster's play Alt Heidelberg. The piece has elements of melodrama but lacks the swashbuckling style common to Romberg's other works...

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1954 Gerry Johnson Nashville Miss Nashville Vocal / Character Pantomime "The Deadwood Stage
The Deadwood Stage (Whip-Crack-Away!)
"The Deadwood Stage " is a catchy song in the 1953 film Calamity Jane, written by Sammy Fain and Paul Francis Webster, and performed by Doris Day...

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Semi-Finalist
1953 Ruth Ann Barker Trenton
Trenton, Tennessee
Trenton is a city in Gibson County, Tennessee, United States. The population was 4,264 at the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Gibson County, and its third largest city.-Geography:Trenton is located at ....

Miss Gibson County Vocal
1952 Gloria Williams Chattanooga Miss Chattanooga Vocal "Lover When You're Near Me
Lover (song)
"Lover" is a popular song written by Richard Rodgers, with words by Lorenz Hart. It was featured in the movie Love Me Tonight . Les Paul's version was a guitar instrumental released by Capitol Records in 1948. It has a french title Partout Toi...

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1951 Jean Harper Memphis Miss Shelby County Vocal "Smoke Gets in Your Eyes
Smoke Gets in Your Eyes
"Smoke Gets in Your Eyes" is a show tune written by American composer Jerome Kern and lyricist Otto Harbach for their 1933 operetta Roberta. It was originally recorded by Gertrude Niesen, on 13 October 1933 on the Victor label 24454. It was performed by Irene Dunne for the 1935 film adaptation,...

"
Placed among the Top 15 Future Miss Tennessee USA 1952 (3rd Runner-up at 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...

)
1950 Greta Graham Memphis Miss Memphis Organ Solo
1949 Adelyn Sumner Knoxville Modeling / Speech
1948 Dorothy Free Chattanooga Miss Chattanooga Vocal Medley "Let My Song Fill Your Heart" by Ernest Charles
Ernest Charles
Ernest Charles was an American composer of art songs.-Life and musical career:...

 & "Embraceable You
Embraceable You
"Embraceable You" is a popular song, with music by George Gershwin and lyrics by Ira Gershwin. The song was originally written in 1928 for an unpublished operetta named East is West. It was eventually published in 1930 and included in the Broadway musical Girl Crazy. where it was performed by...

"
Preliminary Talent
Lois Jeanette Welch Memphis Vocal & Fashion Design "Gianni Mia" Semi-Finalist Competed as Miss Memphis in the Miss America Pageant
1947 Georgia Cunningham Chattanooga Tap Dance Semi-Finalist Won the title of Miss Tennessee with her twin sister. At Miss America they flipped a coin to decide who would compete as Miss Tennessee.
Dorothy Cunningham Chattanooga Tap Dance Competed at Miss America as "Miss Chattanooga"
Barbara Jo Walker
Barbara Jo Walker
Barbara Jo Walker Hummel was Miss America in 1947.She was the last Miss America to be crowned in her bathing suit; all since 1947 have beencrowned in their evening gowns see ....

Memphis 21 Art Display & Vocal Medley "One Kiss" & "Un Bel Di" from Madama Butterfly
Madama Butterfly
Madama Butterfly is an opera in three acts by Giacomo Puccini, with an Italian libretto by Luigi Illica and Giuseppe Giacosa. Puccini based his opera in part on the short story "Madame Butterfly" by John Luther Long, which was dramatized by David Belasco...

Winner Preliminary Talent Award Competed at Miss America as "Miss Memphis"
1946 Wilda Bowman Chattanooga
1945 Lee Henson Chattanooga Vocal Medley "Dreams" & "I Didn't Know the Gun Was Loaded" Semi-finalist Preliminary Swimsuit Award
1944 Marian Weller Chattanooga Vocal "Some Day I'll Find You"
1943 Frances Eakes Chattanooga competed as Miss Chattanooga in the Miss America Pageant
1941 Martha McKinney Nashville Miss Candyland Acrobatic / Tap Dance
Katherine Gammon Knoxville competed as Miss Knoxville in the Miss America Pageant
1940 Christine Webb Centerville
Centerville, Tennessee
Centerville is a town in Hickman County, Tennessee, United States. The population was 3,793 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Hickman County. It is probably best known for being the hometown of country comedian Minnie Pearl...

Miss Centerville Dramatic Monologue "The Waltz"
Thelma McGhee Knoxville competed as Miss Knoxville in the Miss America Pageant
1939 Judy Jones Tracy City
Tracy City, Tennessee
Tracy City is a town in Grundy County, Tennessee, United States. Incorporated in 1915, the population was 1,481 at the 2010 census. Named after Benjamin Franklin Tracy, the city developed out of railroad and mining interests after coal was found in 1840. Tracy City is also home to the oldest family...

Vocal Medley "I Surrender" & "Come True"
Louise Bussart Etowah
Etowah, Tennessee
Etowah is a city in McMinn County, Tennessee, United States. The population was 3,663 at the 2000 census.-History:Etowah was founded in 1906, primarily as a location for a depot on the Louisville & Nashville Railroad line as part of a more direct route between Atlanta, Georgia and Cincinnati, Ohio...

competed as Miss West Tennessee in the Miss America Pageant
1938 Victoria Ann Motlow Mulberry Miss Fayetteville Vocal "You Turned the Tables on Me
You Turned the Tables on Me
"You Turned the Tables on Me" is a popular song with music by Louis Alter and lyrics by Sidney D. Mitchell, published in 1936.The song was introduced in the musical film Sing, Baby, Sing. The most popular recording was by Helen Ward with the Benny Goodman orchestra...

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1935 Sarah Beard Dickson
Dickson, Tennessee
Dickson is a city in Dickson County, Tennessee, United States. It is part of the Nashville Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 12,244 at the 2000 census.-Demographics:...

1924 No Miss Tennessee There was a Miss Nashville who competed but her name is not known
1923 No Miss Tennessee Elizabeth Mallory competed as Miss Memphis and was a semi-finalist
1922 No Miss Tennessee Sue Burton competed as Miss Nashville and finished as 1st runner-up in the pageant. Ruth Doughty competed as Miss Memphis

External links

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