Amanda Jones (Miss USA)
Encyclopedia
Amanda Jones is a former beauty queen from Evanston, Illinois
who has held the Miss USA
1973 title.
Jones was crowned Miss Illinois USA
1973 and later represented Illinois
in the Miss USA
1973 pageant held in New York City
. She won the Miss USA title and was crowned by outgoing titleholder Tanya Wilson
. Her prizemoney included a $7,500 cash prize and a $7,500 appearance contract. She was the third of four delegates from Illinois to win the Miss USA title. The year following her win she crowned fellow Illinois' titleholder Karen Morrison
as the new Miss USA, only the second time that a state had won consecutive titles.
In July Jones competed in the Miss Universe
1973 pageant in Athens, Greece where she placed 1st runner-up to Margarita Moran of the Philippines
.
Jones was an aspiring local commercial model, and only applied for the Miss Illinois USA
pageant at the behest of her modelling agent. Despite her attempts to get out of this pageant Jones not only competed but won. She again was reluctant to compete in the Miss USA pageant which she won. Jones took on her responsibilities on her terms. Unlike previous titleholders, Jones was an outspoken supporter of Women's Lib
and had marched in peace rallies. She declared she was pro-choice on abortion
and against the Vietnam War
.
She appears under a pseudonym in Studs Terkel
's 1980 book American Dreams: Lost & Found where she recalled
Jones studied at the University of Colorado
but dropped out in 1971 to pursue an acting career.
Evanston, Illinois
Evanston is a suburban municipality in Cook County, Illinois 12 miles north of downtown Chicago, bordering Chicago to the south, Skokie to the west, and Wilmette to the north, with an estimated population of 74,360 as of 2003. It is one of the North Shore communities that adjoin Lake Michigan...
who has held the Miss USA
Miss USA
The Miss USA beauty contest has been held annually since 1952 to select the United States entrant in the Miss Universe pageant. The Miss Universe Organization operates both pageants, as well as Miss Teen USA...
1973 title.
Jones was crowned Miss Illinois USA
Miss Illinois USA
The Miss Illinois USA pageant is a competition that selects the representative for the state Illinois in the Miss USA pageant.Illinois is one of the most successful states in the competition. It is one of only four states to have won four or more Miss USA titles and one of only three states to...
1973 and later represented Illinois
Illinois
Illinois is the fifth-most populous state of the United States of America, and is often noted for being a microcosm of the entire country. With Chicago in the northeast, small industrial cities and great agricultural productivity in central and northern Illinois, and natural resources like coal,...
in the Miss USA
Miss USA
The Miss USA beauty contest has been held annually since 1952 to select the United States entrant in the Miss Universe pageant. The Miss Universe Organization operates both pageants, as well as Miss Teen USA...
1973 pageant held in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
. She won the Miss USA title and was crowned by outgoing titleholder Tanya Wilson
Tanya Wilson
Tanya Wilson is a beauty queen from Honolulu, Hawaii who held the Miss USA 1972 title.Wilson placed second runner-up in the Miss Nevada pageant in 1969 and also competed in 1970. After moving to Honolulu with her mother, Wilson won the Miss Hawaii USA title in early May 1972...
. Her prizemoney included a $7,500 cash prize and a $7,500 appearance contract. She was the third of four delegates from Illinois to win the Miss USA title. The year following her win she crowned fellow Illinois' titleholder Karen Morrison
Karen Morrison
Karen Jean Morrison-Comstock is a beauty queen from St. Charles, Illinois who held the Miss USA 1974 title.-Pageants:Comstock entered the Miss Illinois USA pageant at the suggestion of her modeling agency who owned the franchise and her sister who encouraged her to participate. Paula Zahn, an...
as the new Miss USA, only the second time that a state had won consecutive titles.
In July Jones competed in the Miss Universe
Miss Universe
Miss Universe is an annual international beauty contest that is run by the Miss Universe Organization. The pageant is the most publicized beauty contest in the world with 600 million viewers....
1973 pageant in Athens, Greece where she placed 1st runner-up to Margarita Moran of the Philippines
Philippines
The Philippines , officially known as the Republic of the Philippines , is a country in Southeast Asia in the western Pacific Ocean. To its north across the Luzon Strait lies Taiwan. West across the South China Sea sits Vietnam...
.
Jones was an aspiring local commercial model, and only applied for the Miss Illinois USA
Miss Illinois USA
The Miss Illinois USA pageant is a competition that selects the representative for the state Illinois in the Miss USA pageant.Illinois is one of the most successful states in the competition. It is one of only four states to have won four or more Miss USA titles and one of only three states to...
pageant at the behest of her modelling agent. Despite her attempts to get out of this pageant Jones not only competed but won. She again was reluctant to compete in the Miss USA pageant which she won. Jones took on her responsibilities on her terms. Unlike previous titleholders, Jones was an outspoken supporter of Women's Lib
Feminist movement
The feminist movement refers to a series of campaigns for reforms on issues such as reproductive rights, domestic violence, maternity leave, equal pay, women's suffrage, sexual harassment and sexual violence...
and had marched in peace rallies. She declared she was pro-choice on abortion
Abortion
Abortion is defined as the termination of pregnancy by the removal or expulsion from the uterus of a fetus or embryo prior to viability. An abortion can occur spontaneously, in which case it is usually called a miscarriage, or it can be purposely induced...
and against the Vietnam War
Vietnam War
The Vietnam War was a Cold War-era military conflict that occurred in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. This war followed the First Indochina War and was fought between North Vietnam, supported by its communist allies, and the government of...
.
She appears under a pseudonym in Studs Terkel
Studs Terkel
Louis "Studs" Terkel was an American author, historian, actor, and broadcaster. He received the Pulitzer Prize for General Non-Fiction in 1985 for The Good War, and is best remembered for his oral histories of common Americans, and for hosting a long-running radio show in Chicago.-Early...
's 1980 book American Dreams: Lost & Found where she recalled
Jones studied at the University of Colorado
University of Colorado at Boulder
The University of Colorado Boulder is a public research university located in Boulder, Colorado...
but dropped out in 1971 to pursue an acting career.