Miss America 1982, the 55th Miss America pageant, was held at the Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City, New Jersey on September 12, 1981, on NBC Network. Elizabeth Ward of Arkansas was crowned by Miss America 1981 Susan Powell. She was the second Miss Arkansas to win the title after Donna Axum in 1964.
Results Placements Placement Contestant Miss America 1982 – Elizabeth Ward 1st Runner-Up – Sandra Truitt † 2nd Runner-Up – Kristl Evans 3rd Runner-Up – Pamela Carlberg 4th Runner-Up – Sheri Ryman Top 10 – Karen Hopson – Suzanne Alexander – Julie Ross – Jonelle Smith – Keungsuk Kim
Preliminary awards
Awards Contestant Lifestyle and Fitness Arkansas - Elizabeth Ward Mississippi - Karen Hopson Washington - Kristine Elizabeth Weitz Talent Illinois - Sandra Truitt New York - Suzanne Alexander Texas - Sheri Ryman
Non-finalist awards
Awards Contestant Talent Arizona - Sarah Tattersall Idaho - Stephanie Kambitsch Iowa - Darla Vesta Blocker New Hampshire - Natalie Oliver New Jersey - Debra Naley North Carolina - Lynn Williford Ohio - Juliana Zilba Washington - Kristine Elizabeth Weitz
Contestants
+StateNameHometownAgeTalentPlacementSpecial AwardsNotes AlabamaPhoebe StoneHuntsville22Ballet, "Mame" AlaskaLaura TrollanJuneau19Ballet/Jazz Dance, "Most Wanted" ArizonaSarah TattersallScottsdale20Vocal, "Maybe This Time" & "The Man That Got Away" from CabaretNon-finalist Talent Award ArkansasGrace Elizabeth WardRussellville20Vocal, "After You've Gone"WinnerPreliminary Lifestyle & Fitness AwardPreviously National Sweetheart 1980 CaliforniaCheryl VancleaveRiverside20Country Vocal Medley, "I Was Country When Country Wasn't Cool" & "You're Lookin' at Country"Later married Frank Kalil
Mother to Ryan Kalil and Matt Kalil ColoradoLynnette JessenDenver20Acrobatic Dance, Theme from ExodusLater Miss Colorado USA 1985 ConnecticutVirginia ReichardtDanbury21Country Western Vocal, "Love is a Rose" & "Queen of Hearts" DelawareJodi Meade GrahamWilmington19Vocal, "Can You Read My Mind"Daughter of Miss Pennsylvania 1956, Lorna Ringler Graham
Grand-niece of Miss America 1924, Ruth Malcomson FloridaDean HermanJacksonville23Gymnastics Dance, "They're Playing Our Song" GeorgiaKristl EvansAtlanta21Vocal, "Ring Them Bells"2nd runner-up HawaiiPamela Iwalani OfferHonolulu23Vocal, "Don't Cry for Me Argentina"Mother of Miss Arizona 2010, Kathryn Bulkley IdahoStephanie KambitschGenesee22Piano, "Hungarian Rhapsody No. 11"Non-finalist Talent Award IllinoisSandra TruittEvanston25Classical Vocal, "Près des remparts de Séville" from Carmen1st runner-upPreliminary Talent Award IndianaPam CarlbergBourbon21Accordion Medley, "Sabre Dance" & "Ritual Fire Dance"3rd runner-up IowaDarla BlockerDavenport19Vocal, "But the World Goes Round"Non-finalist Talent Award KansasDawn HolmstromWichita20Vocal Medley, "My Man" & "Happy Days are Here Again" KentuckySheri CopelandBenton20Popular Vocal, "Out Here on My Own" from Fame LouisianaDonese WordenMonroe22Violin, "Millionaire's Hoe-Down" MaineKathleen JarrellOrr's Island19Vocal Medley, "Swanee", "My Mammy", & "I'm Happy" MarylandRobin HarmonHagerstown24Greek Dramatic Monologue from Antigone MassachusettsDeborah SaloisNorth Andover19Vocal, "Keepin' Out of Mischief Now" from Ain't Misbehavin' MichiganGwen Roberta BrownIshpeming22Dramatic Presentation of Original Writing, "Memory of Grandmother" MinnesotaElizabeth RuyakMankato20Piano, Fantaisie-Impromptu by Frédéric ChopinBecame television host/reporter with CBS/NBC -- part of five Summer/Winter Olympics broadcast teams from 1992-2002 MississippiKaren HopsonVicksburg21Character Ballet en Pointe, "Overture" from AnnieTop 10Preliminary Lifestyle & Fitness Award MissouriTheresa McDonnellFlorissant22Vocal, "Let's Hear it for Me" from Funny Lady MontanaSue HarrisHelena19Gymnastics Dance, Theme from Hawaii Five-O NebraskaJill PershingLincoln21Ballet en Pointe, Rhapsody in Blue NevadaSuzanne BowmanReno20Modern Rhythmic Gymnastics, "Zero to Sixty in Five" New HampshireNatalie OliverManchester21Vocal, "Home" from The WizNon-finalist Talent Award New JerseyDebra NaleyRockaway26Violin Medley, "Csárdás" & "Orange Blossom Special"Non-finalist Talent Award New MexicoLynn LawsonPortales21Classical Piano, "Piano Concerto No. 2, Third Movement" by Rachmaninoff New YorkSuzanne AlexanderLyons Falls20Classical Vocal, "Vissi d'arte" from ToscaTop 10Preliminary Talent Award North CarolinaLynn WillifordWilmington24Russian Character Dance, "Czardas"Non-finalist Talent Award North DakotaStacie AnfinsonHettinger21Vocal, "I Only Want to Say" OhioJuliana ZilbaMansfield21Vocal Medley, "Up the Ladder to the Roof" & "With One More Look at You" from A Star is BornDr. David B. Allman Medical Scholarship
Non-finalist Talent AwardSister of Miss Ohio 1986, Mary Zilba OklahomaApril ClaytonCameron22Ballet en Pointe, "The Blue Danube" OregonJulie RossPortland20Classical Piano, "Toccata" by ProkofievTop 10 PennsylvaniaJill ShafferDover22Piano, "Piano Concerto in A Minor" by Grieg Rhode IslandKathleen CryanProvidence23Jazz Dance, "Electro-Phantasma" South CarolinaJill RankinColumbia21Figure Skating, "Mozart's Piano Concerto No. 21 in C Major" South DakotaPennisue LargentHot Springs22Vocal & Jazz Dance, "Misty" TennesseeAngelina JohnsonJackson20Ventriloquism, "Laverne & Shirley" TexasSheri RymanTexas City20Gymnastics, Theme from Close Encounters of the Third Kind4th runner-upPreliminary Talent Award UtahJonelle SmithProvo23Classical Vocal, "Sempre Libera" from La traviataTop 10 VermontKimberly NestleShelburne19Acrobatic Jazz Dance, "I Hope I Get It" from A Chorus Line VirginiaVicky PulliamMartinsville21Semi-classical Vocal, "Art is Calling for Me" from The Enchantress by Victor Herbert WashingtonKristine WeitzMoses Lake19Jazz Vocal, "Summertime"Preliminary Lifestyle & Fitness Award
Non-finalist Talent Award West VirginiaCandy CohenHuntington24Tap Dance, "How High the Moon" WisconsinKeungsuk KimShorewood19Classical Piano, "Kabalevsky's Prelude"Top 10 WyomingKeri BorgaardCheyenne23Vocal Medley, "At the Crossroads" & "Hey, Look Me Over"
References
External links Miss America official website