Miss America 1975, the 48th Miss America pageant, was held at the Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City, New Jersey on September 7, 1974, and broadcast on NBC.
The winner, Shirley Cothran, was a graduate of Denton High School in Texas, the same school attended by the Miss America of four years before, Phyllis George.
Among the other contestants in the 1975 pageant was Miss Florida, actress Delta Burke.
Results
Placements
Placement Contestant Miss America 1975 – Shirley Cothran 1st Runner-Up – Lucianne Buchanan 2nd Runner-Up – Jean Ahern 3rd Runner-Up – Darlene Compton 4th Runner-Up – Libby Lovejoy Top 10 – Penny Tichenor – Donna Reel – Barbara Marie Guthmiller – Deborah Humphreys Kincaid – Kathleen Beth Moore
Order of announcements
Top 10
Awards Preliminary awards Awards Contestant Lifestyle and Fitness - Lucianne Buchanan - Karen Diane Smith - Shirley Cothran Talent - Jean Ahern - Darlene Compton - Deborah Humphreys Kincaid
Other awards Awards Contestant Non-finalist Talent - Delta Burke - Jean Bollhoefer - Karen Diane Smith - Susan Lynn Griffin - Lorrie Janet Kapsta - Karen Ann Salvatore - Mary Beth Derry Miss Congeniality - Rhonda Kay Pope - Coline-Helen Kanaloku Aiu
Judges Eileen Farrell Dr. Wellington B. Gray Trudy Haynes Peter Lind Hayes Mary Healy Eddie Foy III Colonel Gilbert Mitchell Jeanne Meixell
Contestants
+StateNameHometownAgeTalentPlacementSpecial AwardsNotes AlabamaPam LongFlorence20VentriloquismScreenwriter of the soap opera Guiding Light AlaskaDarby MooreKenai20Ventriloquism, "Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious" ArizonaMary AvillaGlendale 20Popular Vocal, "Best Thing You've Ever Done" ArkansasRhonda PopeHot Springs21Vocal Medley, "Friends" & "With a Little Help from My Friends"Miss Congeniality CaliforniaLucianne BuchananClaremont21Harp, "Concerto in B Flat"1st runner-upPreliminary Lifestyle & Fitness Award ColoradoCynthia HunterDenver23Soft Shoe Dance, "Mame" ConnecticutElisa HeinemannWethersfield18Dramatic Interpretations, "Prunella", "Yenta", & "Wicked Witch" DelawareKathleen AttanasiRehoboth Beach22Harp Medley, "Harmonious Blacksmith" & "Close to You" FloridaDelta BurkeOrlando18Dramatic Monologue, "Anne Boleyn"Non-finalist Talent AwardLater gained fame as an actress, most notable on Designing Women GeorgiaGail NelsonAtlanta22Vocal Medley, "So Long, Dearie", "Put on Your Sunday Clothes", & "Before the Parade Passes By" from Hello, Dolly! HawaiiColine-Helen Kanaloku AiuHonolulu23Modern Jazz Dance, "Hospital Shootout"Miss Congeniality IdahoRochelle BaconBoise21Vocal, "Cornet Man" from Funny Girl IllinoisJean AhernHinsdale21Ballet en Pointe, "Kitri's Variation" from Don Quixote2nd runner-upPreliminary Talent Award IndianaPenny TichenorOwensville21Vocal, "Maybe This Time" from CaberetTop 10 IowaJean BollhoeferHaverhill25Popular Vocal, "Starting Here, Starting Now"Non-finalist Talent Award KansasKaren SmithShawnee18Jazz/Acrobatic Dance, "The Entertainer"Non-finalist Talent Award
Preliminary Lifestyle & Fitness Award KentuckyDarlene ComptonLouisville25Vocal, "Mira" from Carnival!3rd runner-upPreliminary Talent Award LouisianaLibby LovejoySulphur21Classical Ballet en Pointe, "The Grenadiers"4th runner-up MaineMargaret Ann WelchBangor22Vocal, "Killing Me Softly with His Song" MarylandSusan Jane WohlfarthPotomac21Classical Ballet, Giselle MassachusettsSusan SadlierLowell22Musical Comedy, "I'm the Greatest Star"Dr. David B. Allman Medical Scholarship MichiganSusan Lillian ShortKalamazoo23Semi-classical Vocal, "Love is Where You Find It" MinnesotaPam BernhagenBloomington20Acrobatic Jazz Ballet, "Fiddler on the Roof"Sister of Miss Minnesota 1971, Sheila Bernhagen MississippiDiane BoundsGulfport21Popular Vocal, "When You Smile" MissouriMichelle MarshallFlorissant20Vocal/Dance, "Sweet Charity" from Sweet Charity MontanaPamela RoyerBillings20Gymnastic Floor Exercise, "Love Story" NebraskaSharon Sue PelcJohnstown22Ventriloquism & Singing, "Those Were the Days" NevadaJacqueline BarkerSparks19Popular Vocal, "The Way We Were" New HampshireCynthia ErbManchester18Gymnastic Dance to the theme from Midnight CowboyDr. David B. Allman Medical Scholarship New JerseyElizabeth BrackenMahwah21Dramatic Monologue, "Elizabeth Umpstead" by Carl Sandburg New MexicoDonna Frances ReelAlbuquerque21Vocal, "For Once in My Life"Top 10Previously Miss New Mexico USA 1972 Top 10 at Miss USA 1972
Previously Miss New Mexico World 1973
Top 16 at Miss World USA 1973 New YorkKris KrullNiagara Falls22Jazz Dance, "Superstar" from Jesus Christ Superstar North CarolinaSusan GriffinHigh Point22Semi-classical Vocal, "With a Song in My Heart"Non-finalist Talent AwardSusan Griffin Fisher died at age 71 on January 27, 2024 in High Point, North Carolina. North DakotaSusan Kay MyhrBottineau18Vocal, "You're Gonna Hear From Me" & "Don't Rain on My Parade" OhioLorrie KapstaColumbus26Classical Piano, "Piano Concerto in B Minor" by TchaikovskyNon-finalist Talent Award OklahomaDebbie KnightWarr Acres22Piano, "Minuet in G Major" OregonJuli Ann BergEugene21Vocal, "Corner of the Sky" from PippinDaughter of Miss Oregon 1947, Jo Ann Amorde PennsylvaniaKaren Lynn KuhnLevittown20Ballet, "Shubert Alley Overture" Rhode IslandKaren SalvatoreWarwick22Original Skit, "Don't Smoke"Non-finalist Talent Award South CarolinaCheryl Von LeheCharleston18Vocal, "Oh Babe, What Would You Say?" South DakotaBarbara GuthmillerTripp21Vocal, "Summertime"Top 10Older sister of Miss South Dakota 1976, Beth Guthmiller
Contestant at National Sweetheart 1972 TennesseeDeborah KincaidMemphis21Vocal Medley, "Once in a Lifetime", "In My Own Lifetime", & "This is My Life"Top 10Preliminary Talent Award TexasShirley CothranDenton21Flute Medley, "Bumble Boogie" & "Swingin' Sheperd Blues"WinnerPreliminary Lifestyle & Fitness Award UtahKathlyn Louise WhiteBountiful21Classical Vocal, "Voices of Spring"Married singer Wayne Osmond VermontDonna SheaWindsor21Oratory, "Eulogy of John F. Kennedy" VirginiaStephanie DowdyVirginia Beach18Vocal, "I've Gotta Be Me" WashingtonKathleen MooreBothell22Classical Vocal, "Italian Street Song"Top 10 West VirginiaMary DerryMorgantown21Semi-classical Vocal, "Cycles"Non-finalist Talent Award WisconsinCarol SchmittGreen Bay22Vocal, "Speak Softly Love"Dr. David B. Allman Medical Scholarship
Special Education Award WyomingCheryl JohnsonCheyenne20Modern Jazz Dance, "Scorpio"Dr. David B. Allman Medical Scholarship
References
External links Miss America official website