Miss USA 1978
Miss USA 1978, the 27th Miss USA pageant, was televised live by CBS from the Gillard Municipal Auditorium in Charleston, South Carolina on April 29, 1978.
The pageant was won by Judi Andersen of Hawaii, who was crowned by outgoing titleholder Kimberly Tomes of Texas. Andersen was the third woman from Hawaii to win the Miss USA title, and went on to place as 1st runner-up to Margaret Gardiner of South Africa at Miss Universe 1978.Results
Placements
Special awards
- Hawaii wins competition for the third time.
- Massachusetts earns the 1st runner-up position for the first time.
- Texas earns the 2nd runner-up position for the first time.
- Indiana earns the 3rd runner-up position for the first time.
- New Mexico earns the 4th runner-up position for the second time. The last time it placed this was in 1968.
- States that placed in semifinals the previous year were California, Hawaii, New Mexico, Texas and Virginia.
- California placed for the twenty-second consecutive year.
- Texas placed for the fourth consecutive year.
- New Mexico placed for the third consecutive year.
- Hawaii and Virginia made their second consecutive placement.
- Florida and Indiana last placed in 1975.
- Alaska last placed in 1972.
- Pennsylvania last placed in 1971.
- Massachusetts and Utah last placed in 1966.
- Oklahoma last placed in 1965.
- Georgia and Minnesota break an ongoing streak of placements since 1976.
Delegates
The Miss USA 1978 delegates were:
- Alabama - Eva Jo Stancil
- Alaska - Barbara Samuelson
- Arizona - Jacquie Crutchfield
- Arkansas - Donna Funderburk
- California - Donna Adrian
- Colorado - Linda Potestio
- Connecticut - Martha Szabo
- Delaware - Donna Lewis
- District of Columbia - Wanda Clineman
- Florida - April Shaw
- Georgia - Larinda Matthews
- Hawaii - Judi Andersen
- Idaho - Suzette Sanford
- Illinois - Suzanne Piche
- Indiana - Jayme Buecher
- Iowa - Michelle Daley
- Kansas - Diddy Bell
- Kentucky - Linda Woodruff
- Louisiana - Tauny Hanes
- Maine - Catherine Ledue
- Maryland - Rhonda Koch
- Massachusetts - Diane Pollard
- Michigan - April Patrick
- Minnesota - Janey Gohl
- Mississippi - Wanda Gatlin
- Missouri - Paula Taylor
- Montana - Susan Riplett
- Nebraska - Shari Reimers
- Nevada - Rochelle Jameson
- New Hampshire - Barbara Miller
- New Jersey - Sheryl Ann Hoehn
- New Mexico - Marlena Garland
- New York - Darlene Javits
- North Carolina - Kathryn Norman
- North Dakota - Theresa Olson
- Ohio - Sheila Anderson
- Oklahoma - Nancy Lippold
- Oregon - Julie Heater
- Pennsylvania - Sandy Dell
- Rhode Island - Sharon McGarry
- South Carolina - Kathryn Threatt
- South Dakota - Nadene Oppold
- Tennessee - Suzanna Timberlake
- Texas - Barbra Horan
- Utah - Margo Flynn
- Vermont - Nancy Wierzbicki
- Virginia - Robin Shadle
- Washington - Barbara Bogar
- West Virginia - Deborah Davis
- Wisconsin - Cynthia Paulson
- Wyoming - Kathryn Flitner
Judges
- LeRoy Neiman
- Barbara Peterson
- Theodore Bikel
- Eileen Ford
