Deborah Irene Bryant (born January 29, 1946) is an American beauty pageant titleholder from
Overland Park, Kansas
Overland Park ( ) is the second-most populous city in the U.S. state of Kansas. Located in Johnson County, Kansas, it is one of four principal cities in the Kansas City metropolitan area and the most populous suburb of Kansas City, Missouri. As ...
who was
Miss Kansas
The Miss Kansas competition is the pageant that selects the representative for the US state of Kansas in the Miss America pageant. Kansas has won the Miss America crown on three occasions.
Ayanna Hensley of Dodge City was crowned Miss Kansas ...
1965 and
Miss America 1966
Miss America 1966, the 39th Miss America pageant, was held at the Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City, New Jersey on September 11, 1965 on CBS, CBS Network.
Deborah Bryant became the first Miss Kansas to win the crown. The judges for this year's p ...
.
High school
Deborah Bryant attended
General H. H. Arnold High School in
Wiesbaden
Wiesbaden () is a city in central western Germany and the capital of the state of Hesse. , it had 290,955 inhabitants, plus approximately 21,000 United States citizens (mostly associated with the United States Army). The Wiesbaden urban area ...
,
Germany
Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...
, in the class of 1963.
Pageantry
Bryant was 19 years old when she won the preliminary swimsuit competition and, the next day, was announced as the winner of the crown. During her year of service, she spoke in support of "Project Concern" which provided medical support to undeveloped countries. She was the first
Miss Kansas
The Miss Kansas competition is the pageant that selects the representative for the US state of Kansas in the Miss America pageant. Kansas has won the Miss America crown on three occasions.
Ayanna Hensley of Dodge City was crowned Miss Kansas ...
to win the
Miss America crown. When she won
Miss America title, her father was serving in
Vietnam
Vietnam or Viet Nam ( vi, Việt Nam, ), officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam,., group="n" is a country in Southeast Asia, at the eastern edge of mainland Southeast Asia, with an area of and population of 96 million, making i ...
as a civil engineer with the Air Force.
The 1966
Miss America Pageant was the first pageant to be televised in
color
Color (American English) or colour (British English) is the visual perceptual property deriving from the spectrum of light interacting with the photoreceptor cells of the eyes. Color categories and physical specifications of color are assoc ...
.
Education
After graduating in the top ten of her high school graduating class, Bryant went on to attend
Columbia College on a full academic scholarship, during which time she represented Kansas in
Atlantic City on September 11, 1965, in the Miss America scholarship pageant.
Following her year of service as Miss America, Bryant continued her education as an English major (B.A.) at the
University of Kansas
The University of Kansas (KU) is a public research university with its main campus in Lawrence, Kansas, United States, and several satellite campuses, research and educational centers, medical centers, and classes across the state of Kansas. T ...
, graduating Cum Laude
Phi Beta Kappa
The Phi Beta Kappa Society () is the oldest academic honor society in the United States, and the most prestigious, due in part to its long history and academic selectivity. Phi Beta Kappa aims to promote and advocate excellence in the liberal ...
.
Philanthropy
Bryant remains active in community service for numerous charitable projects. She was a member of the Mesa Desert Club, which provides scholarships to qualified needy high school graduates, and was also a past member of the Phoenix Junior League.
Personal life
Bryant previously married Roderick Wilson in 1967. She gave birth to a daughter in 1972.
Bryant currently resides in Arizona with her husband, Brent Berge whom she married in 1975.
Berge has two children from a previous relationship. Together they had two more children and have four grandchildren.
Recognitions and honors
Bryant was named Kansan of the Year in 1965 by the Native Sons and Daughters of Kansas.
References
Living people
Miss America 1960s delegates
Miss America Preliminary Swimsuit winners
Miss America winners
People from Overland Park, Kansas
University of Kansas alumni
Columbia College (Missouri) alumni
1946 births
20th-century American people
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