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CYNTHIA COOK
Cook won the hearts of Georgia with her original
ventriloquist act in 1971. She became Miss Georgia of 1971, won the
nod of the Miss America judges as a talent winner, and placed in the
Top Ten finalists at the Miss America Pageant. |
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BARBARA JEAN CRANDALL
Miss Michigan and Miss America talent winner in
1984. Crandall has appeared as a professional ventriloquist
with Ronnie Milsap, the Beach Boys, Meadowlark Lemon, Tom Hall, and
Gary Morris. |
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MEGHAN MILLER
Bio of Meghan
The first Miss America’s Outstanding Teen for 2006
is a talented ventriloquist and Texas high-school scholastic whiz.
Meghan said she was inspired to learn ventriloquism
after watching a pageant contestant perform an act when she was just
3 years old. Now she uses the method to speak in schools. "I sat in
front of the mirror for hours on end trying to figure it out. I
started performing at 7, and I've been going strong ever since," she
said. |
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PAIGE PARNELL
Paige Phillips Parnell was selected as Miss Alabama
in 1980 and first runner-up in the Miss America Pageant the same
year at the age of 17.
Paige Parnell is also listed on the
Ventriloquists of the 21st Century
page. |
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SANDY RINGS
Miss Kansas of 1971, Rings competed in the Miss
America contest in 1972. Although she did not become Miss America,
she did win the talent competition with her ventriloquist skills.
She later became a professional vent with her puppet, Rollo the
Rabbit. |
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VONDA VAN DYKE
Figure: Kurley Q (made by Frank Marshall).
Paul Stadelman taught ventriloquism to Van Dyke.
1965: Vonda is an accomplished singer, entertainer
and speaker. Vonda's polished singing voice won her the Miss Arizona
and Miss America crown when she was a 21-year-old junior at Arizona
State University. She had several firsts. Among those firsts were:
she was the first ventriloquist to appear on the Miss America
stage, was the first and only Miss America to win Miss
Congeniality, and was the first to speak about her faith on national
television.
She has recorded several albums and published numerous books,
including "That Girl in Your Mirror" which has sold over one million
hardcover copies. |
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MARLA WYNNE
Miss Pennsylvania of 1990 was a finalist in
the 1991 Miss America Pageant. |
