Vonda Kay Van Dyke
Encyclopedia
Vonda Kay Van Dyke was crowned the 1965 Miss America
on September 13, 1964. Earlier in the year, she had taken a break as a 21-year-old junior at Arizona State University to become Miss Arizona
. She is unique among pageant winners in that she was and still is the only Miss America who was also Miss Congeniality.
Vonda Kay Van Dyke was born in Muskegon
, Michigan
. Her father, Dr. A.B. Van Dyke, was an osteopath. The family moved to Phoenix
, the seat of Maricopa County
, Arizona
, where Vonda attended the Phoenix Christian Junior/Senior High School
. In her senior year she entered a local America's Junior Miss
pageant, where she surprised the judges and her fellow competitors by performing ventriloquism
as her talent, which she later honed at the Phoenix amusement park, Legend City
. She was named Arizona's Junior Miss for 1961, and traveled with "Kurley-Q" to Mobile
, Alabama
, for the national finals, where she placed in the top ten. Her next major pageant was the 1962 Miss Phoenix competition. She did not win there, but remained persistent in her pursuit of a trip to Atlantic City
, New Jersey
, and her dedication bore fruit when she won the Miss Tempe crown in 1964, then Miss Maricopa County, then Miss Arizona, and finally Miss America, where she was the first contestant to use ventriloquism in the talent competition.
Van Dyke continued in the spotlight for some years after having relinquished her crown. In 1966 she wrote a Christian-themed teen advice book called That Girl in Your Mirror, in which she advised young women to become more beautiful by adopting "that inner sparkle that only Christ can give." Her official Miss America bio says that a million copies of the book were sold in hardcover. Other sources dispute the number. Whatever the precise sales number may have been, the book was successful enough to merit a follow-up called Dear Vonda Kay, which came out in 1967, and consisted of letters to Van Dyke and her replies. Van Dyke subsequently also recorded Here's Vonda Kay and some other albums of inspirational songs.
Van Dyke currently lives in Laguna Beach
, California
. She is the widow of David Tyler Scoates (October 26, 1934–May 6, 2000), a minister formerly of Florida
. She has one daughter from that marriage.
Miss America
The Miss America pageant is a long-standing competition which awards scholarships to young women from the 50 states plus the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico and the US Virgin Islands...
on September 13, 1964. Earlier in the year, she had taken a break as a 21-year-old junior at Arizona State University to become Miss Arizona
Miss Arizona
The Miss Arizona competition is the pageant that selects the representative for the state of Arizona in the Miss America pageant. Arizona has twice won the Miss America title.-Results summary:...
. She is unique among pageant winners in that she was and still is the only Miss America who was also Miss Congeniality.
Vonda Kay Van Dyke was born in Muskegon
Muskegon, Michigan
Muskegon is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 38,401. The city is the county seat of Muskegon County...
, Michigan
Michigan
Michigan is a U.S. state located in the Great Lakes Region of the United States of America. The name Michigan is the French form of the Ojibwa word mishigamaa, meaning "large water" or "large lake"....
. Her father, Dr. A.B. Van Dyke, was an osteopath. The family moved to Phoenix
Phoenix, Arizona
Phoenix is the capital, and largest city, of the U.S. state of Arizona, as well as the sixth most populated city in the United States. Phoenix is home to 1,445,632 people according to the official 2010 U.S. Census Bureau data...
, the seat of Maricopa County
Maricopa County, Arizona
-2010:Whereas according to the 2010 U.S. Census Bureau:*73.0% White*5.0% Black*2.1% Native American*3.5% Asian*0.2% Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander*3.5% Two or more races*12.7% Other races*29.6% Hispanic or Latino -2000:...
, Arizona
Arizona
Arizona ; is a state located in the southwestern region of the United States. It is also part of the western United States and the mountain west. The capital and largest city is Phoenix...
, where Vonda attended the Phoenix Christian Junior/Senior High School
Phoenix Christian Junior/Senior High School
Phoenix Christian High School is a private, non-denominational Christian junior and senior high school located in Central Phoenix. It was the first Christian high school in the state of Arizona when it was founded.-History:...
. In her senior year she entered a local America's Junior Miss
America's Junior Miss
Distinguished Young Women, formerly known as America's Junior Miss, is a national non-profit organization that provides scholarship opportunities to high school senior girls. Depending on the schedule of the various state and local programs, young women are eligible during the summer preceding...
pageant, where she surprised the judges and her fellow competitors by performing ventriloquism
Ventriloquism
Ventriloquism, or ventriloquy, is an act of stagecraft in which a person manipulates his or her voice so that it appears that the voice is coming from elsewhere, usually a puppeteered "dummy"...
as her talent, which she later honed at the Phoenix amusement park, Legend City
Legend city
Legend City was an amusement park that existed on the border of Phoenix and Tempe, Arizona from its opening in 1963 to its closing and demolition in 1983.-History:...
. She was named Arizona's Junior Miss for 1961, and traveled with "Kurley-Q" to Mobile
Mobile, Alabama
Mobile is the third most populous city in the Southern US state of Alabama and is the county seat of Mobile County. It is located on the Mobile River and the central Gulf Coast of the United States. The population within the city limits was 195,111 during the 2010 census. It is the largest...
, Alabama
Alabama
Alabama is a state located in the southeastern region of the United States. It is bordered by Tennessee to the north, Georgia to the east, Florida and the Gulf of Mexico to the south, and Mississippi to the west. Alabama ranks 30th in total land area and ranks second in the size of its inland...
, for the national finals, where she placed in the top ten. Her next major pageant was the 1962 Miss Phoenix competition. She did not win there, but remained persistent in her pursuit of a trip to Atlantic City
Atlantic City, New Jersey
Atlantic City is a city in Atlantic County, New Jersey, United States, and a nationally renowned resort city for gambling, shopping and fine dining. The city also served as the inspiration for the American version of the board game Monopoly. Atlantic City is located on Absecon Island on the coast...
, New Jersey
New Jersey
New Jersey is a state in the Northeastern and Middle Atlantic regions of the United States. , its population was 8,791,894. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York, on the southeast and south by the Atlantic Ocean, on the west by Pennsylvania and on the southwest by Delaware...
, and her dedication bore fruit when she won the Miss Tempe crown in 1964, then Miss Maricopa County, then Miss Arizona, and finally Miss America, where she was the first contestant to use ventriloquism in the talent competition.
Van Dyke continued in the spotlight for some years after having relinquished her crown. In 1966 she wrote a Christian-themed teen advice book called That Girl in Your Mirror, in which she advised young women to become more beautiful by adopting "that inner sparkle that only Christ can give." Her official Miss America bio says that a million copies of the book were sold in hardcover. Other sources dispute the number. Whatever the precise sales number may have been, the book was successful enough to merit a follow-up called Dear Vonda Kay, which came out in 1967, and consisted of letters to Van Dyke and her replies. Van Dyke subsequently also recorded Here's Vonda Kay and some other albums of inspirational songs.
Van Dyke currently lives in Laguna Beach
Laguna Beach, California
Laguna Beach is a seaside resort city and artist community located in southern Orange County, California, United States, approximately southwest of the county seat of Santa Ana...
, California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
. She is the widow of David Tyler Scoates (October 26, 1934–May 6, 2000), a minister formerly of Florida
Florida
Florida is a state in the southeastern United States, located on the nation's Atlantic and Gulf coasts. It is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the north by Alabama and Georgia and to the east by the Atlantic Ocean. With a population of 18,801,310 as measured by the 2010 census, it...
. She has one daughter from that marriage.