Miss America 1968

Miss America 1968
Date	September 9, 1967
Presenters	Bert Parks
Venue	Boardwalk Hall, Atlantic City, New Jersey
Broadcaster	NBC
Winner	Debra Dene Barnes Kansas

Miss America 1968, the 41st Miss America pageant, was held at the Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City, New Jersey on September 9, 1967 on NBC Network.

Results

Placements

Placement	Contestant
Miss America 1968	Kansas – Debra Dene Barnes
1st Runner-Up	Mississippi – Joan Stephanie Myers
2nd Runner-Up	Wisconsin – Barbara Burk Baugh
3rd Runner-Up	Rhode Island – Marilyn Gail Cocozza
4th Runner-Up	Florida – Dawn Lauree Cashwell
Top 10	Indiana – Mary Lynn Haglund Iowa – Lynda Jean Formanek Louisiana – Genevieve Roberta DelGallo Maryland – Ingrid Christine Larson Minnesota – Charlotte Ann Sims

Order of announcements

Top 10

1. Rhode Island
2. Minnesota
3. Mississippi
4. Maryland
5. Iowa
6. Indiana
7. Kansas
8. Louisiana
9. Florida
10. Wisconsin

Top 5

1. Florida
2. Kansas
3. Mississippi
4. Rhode Island
5. Wisconsin

Awards

Preliminary awards

Awards	Contestant
Lifestyle and Fitness	Kansas - Debra Dene Barnes Arkansas - Sharon Ann Evans Idaho - Kristine Inez Phillips
Talent	Florida - Dawn Lauree Cashwell Indiana - Mary Lynn Haglund Rhode Island - Marilyn Gail Cocozza

Other awards

Awards	Contestant
Miss Congeniality	Arkansas - Sharon Ann Evans (tie) Colorado - Tia Tyler (tie) New Hampshire - Sheila Scott (tie)
Non-finalist Talent	Colorado - Tia Tyler Massachusetts - Maria Lynn Chaffee Michigan - Toni Jo Abbenante New Mexico - Rosemary Brown New York - Kari Pedersen North Carolina - Sarah Stedman

Contestants

State	Name	Hometown	Age	Talent	Placement	Awards	Notes
Alabama	Becky Alford	Birmingham	20	Vocal, "Ain't This a Pretty Night" from Susannah
Alaska	Penny Thomasson	Spenard	19	Recitation & Song, "Let's Go to Alaska"
Arizona	Bea Willis	Phoenix	19	Vocal, "Wouldn't it be Loverly" from My Fair Lady
Arkansas	Sharon Evans	North Little Rock	20	Vocal/Dance, "Mame" from Mame		Miss Congeniality Preliminary Lifestyle & Fitness Award
California	Karen Pursell	Lindsay	22	Vocal, "Much More" from The Fantasticks
Colorado	Tia Tyler	Golden	20	Dramatic Reading, "Queendom Sequence" from You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown		Miss Congeniality Non-finalist Talent Award
Connecticut	Diane Bylo	Norwalk	21	Vocal, "Heaven Hop"
Delaware	Susan Alice Levens	Dover	18	Vocal, "Who Will Buy" from Oliver!
Florida	Dawn Cashwell	Pensacola	22	Baton Twirling, "Blue Tango"	4th runner-up	Preliminary Talent Award	Contestant at National Sweetheart 1963 representing Georgia
Georgia	Sandra McRee	Atlanta	19	Classical Vocal, "Caro Mio Ben"
Hawaii	Robin Engel	Honolulu	21	Piano, "Scherzo Humoristique: The Cat and the Mouse" by Aaron Copland			Sister of Georgia Engel
Idaho	Kristine Phillips	Rupert	19	Organ Medley, "Tico Tico", "Dark Eyes", & "The Shadow of Your Smile"		Preliminary Lifestyle & Fitness Award
Illinois	Kathryn Myers	Aurora	20	Dramatic Reading from Ion
Indiana	Mary Haglund	Indianapolis	19	Figure Skating, "Swan Lake" & "The Shadow of Your Smile"	Top 10	Preliminary Talent Award
Iowa	Lynda Jean Formanek	Belle Plaine	23	Character Portrayal from Alice's Adventures in Wonderland	Top 10
Kansas	Deborah Dene Barnes	Moran	20	Piano, "Born Free"	Winner	Preliminary Lifestyle & Fitness Award
Kentucky	Jo-Anne Clark	Louisville	19	Vocal/Guitar, "Unchained Melody"
Louisiana	Genevieve Del Gallo	New Orleans	21	Classical Vocal, "Un Bel Dì" from Madama Butterfly	Top 10
Maine	Linda Christine Livanda	Cape Elizabeth	19	Original Recitation & Dance, "Dance of the Decades"
Maryland	Ingrid Christine Larson	Ellicott City	20	Piano, "Doctor Gradus ad Parnassum"	Top 10
Massachusetts	Maria Lynn Chaffee	Waltham	18	Ballet & Jazz Toe Dance, "Do I Hear a Waltz?", "Georgy Girl", & "One of Those Songs"		Non-finalist Talent Award
Michigan	Toni Jo Abbenante	East Grand Rapids	19	Dramatic Reading, "Then You'll Remember Me" by Grace Atkinson		Non-finalist Talent Award
Minnesota	Charlotte Sims	St. Paul	19	Acrobatic Dance, "Ebb Tide"	Top 10
Mississippi	Joan Myers	Forest	20	Speech & Display of Original Art, "Doctor Zhivago"	1st runner-up
Missouri	Ronnee Brunk	St. Louis	19	Vocal, "I Feel a Song Coming On"
Montana	Linda Rhein	Helena	20	Original Piano Composition, "What the West Contributed to America"
Nebraska	Terry Lee Schmidt	Lincoln	18	Drawing & Reading, "What is a Girl?" by Alan Beck
Nevada	Vicky Landeck	Reno	18	Dramatic Reading, "Ruth, the Moabitess" by N.A. Truell
New Hampshire	Sheila Scott	North Hampton	19	Vocal, "We Need a Little Christmas"		Miss Congeniality
New Jersey	Linda Ann Wilmer	Laurel Springs	18	Classical Vocal, "Quando m'en vò" from La bohème
New Mexico	Rosemary Brown	Carlsbad	20	Vocal, "This is My Song"		Non-finalist Talent Award
New York	Kari Pedersen	Staten Island	21	Classical Vocal, "Vissi d'arte" from Tosca		Non-finalist Talent Award
North Carolina	Sarah Stedman	Asheboro	22	Piano, Fantaisie-Impromptu		Non-finalist Talent Award
North Dakota	Wanda Lou Lowry	Bismarck	18	Classical Vocal, "Je veux vivre" from Roméo et Juliette
Ohio	Pamela Robinson	Dayton	22	Vocal, "Oh, to be a Movie Star" from The Apple Tree			Previously Ohio's Junior Miss 1963 3rd runner-up at America's Junior Miss 1963
Oklahoma	Carolyn Denton	Muskogee	19	Vocal, "Sunshine, Lollipops, and Rainbows"
Oregon	Christine Beach	Pendleton	18	Vocal, "Just You Wait" from My Fair Lady
Pennsylvania	Doris Ann Lausch	Lancaster	20	Vocal, "Love in a Home" from Li'l Abner
Rhode Island	Marilyn Cocozza	North Providence	19	Piano/Vocal, "I Have Confidence" from The Sound of Music	3rd runner-up	Preliminary Talent Award	Previously Rhode Island's Junior Miss 1966
South Carolina	Peggy White	Fountain Inn	23	Organ Medley, "Spanish Flea" & "Flight of the Bumblebee"
South Dakota	Sally Jo Iverson	Branden	20	Original Reading, "Tomorrow's Game"
Tennessee	Linda Workman	Martin	18	Vocal, "I Don't Care"			Mother of Miss Tennessee 1995, Alison Shumate
Texas	Molly Grubb	Fort Worth	20	Ballet en Pointe, "La Périchole"
Utah	Patricia Soutas	Salt Lake City	20	Magic Act & Original Vocal, "Everyone Has Magic"
Vermont	Kathleen Rowley	Williston	19	Vocal Presentation of an Original Song, "The Bigness of Being Small"
Virginia	Barbara Yost	Roanoke	19	Piano, "Grande valse brillante in E-flat Major"
Washington	Lynda Kilp	White Center	19	Vocal Medley, "One Boy" & "A Lot of Livin' to Do" from Bye Bye Birdie
West Virginia	Helen Morgan	Lewisburg	19	Toe & Acrobatic Dance, "Teakwood Nocturne" by Roger Williams
Wisconsin	Barbara Burk Baugh	Brookfield	20	Vocal, "Mira" from Carnival!	2nd runner-up
Wyoming	Patricia Martínez	Torrington	18	Classical Vocal, "Les Filles de Cadix"

External links

• Miss America official website