| Subject: 40 Years ago |
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Date Posted: 00:21:00 05/18/24 Sat
Author Host/IP: syn-097-095-094-190.res.spectrum.com/97.95.94.190
"Flying down to Lakeland....F.L.A. with Miss USA!!"
That was the opening theme song that CBS viewers heard when the live telecast of the Miss USA pageant aired exactly 40 years ago tonight, on Thursday, May 17, 1984, broadcasted from Lakeland, Florida. It was the second time that the central Florida city hosted a nationally televised pageant, after the first-ever Miss Teen-USA pageant was staged there at the Lakeland Civic Center, which also hosted the third and final pageant, the 1985 Miss USA pageant.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Miss_USA_1984
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=41vKOfAad8Q
At that time, the 1984 Miss USA pageant saw the most former Miss America contestants compete together for the same crown, three, which coincidentally and amazingly, all three were the top three finalists in the pageant.
Miss USA 1984:
Mai Therese Shanley of New Mexico (Miss New Mexico 1983)
1st Runner-up:
Kelly Lea Anderson of West Virginia (Miss West Virginia 1982)
2nd Runner-up:
Desiree Denise Daniels of Tennessee (Miss Tennessee 1982/first runner-up to Miss America 1983)
Of course, during that time, Vanessa Williams was the reigning Miss America 1984, and two months later, Suzette Charles assumed the Miss America title after Vanessa resigned on July 23, 1984. Suzette and Vanessa had competed with Mai during the 1983 Miss America pageant. All three (who came from three "New" states (New Jersey, New Mexico, and New York) would end-up with national pageant titles in 1984.
Moments after the 1984 Miss USA pageant, Mai (who is half Irish and half Taiwanese) was asked about her victory and she showed the gaggle media reporters a tiny four-leaf clover that was sewn into her white evening gown, saying "Ah, the luck of the Irish."
NOTE: Mai was able to compete and win the 1984 Miss New Mexico-USA pageant in February 1984 in Las Cruses (which she obviously won), because she concluded her Miss New Mexico (America) reign three months earlier when that state Miss America pageant was held those years in November.
Sadly, it was shortly after the 1984 Miss USA pageant that Miss Montana-USA 1984, Kristi Lynn Boyce Ogren, was killed in a vehicle accident in western Montana along with her father Erick Ogren on July 14, 1984, just five days after the 1984 Miss Universe pageant was held when Mai Shanely was a top ten semi-finalist.
Kristi's modest grave-stone has a photo of her as Miss Montana-USA 1984 wearing her prized state pageant crown. As of now, unless anyone can identify any others, Kristi is the only Miss USA contestant from 1984 to pass away.
http://www.findagrave.com/memorial/84565522/kristi-lynn-ogren
But 1984 had a great and entertaining Miss USA pageant telecast, complete with outgoing Miss USA 1983, Julie Lyne Hayek surrounded with oranges in a swimming pool, and the 53 contestants (from the 50 states, D.C., Miss Teen-USA 1983 and Miss Teen-USA 1984) "Puttin' On the Ritz" with famed dancers Tommy Tune and Twiggy. Tommy would return to dance with Miss USA contestants in 1986 and 1989.
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