Debbye Turner
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| Beauty pageant titleholder | |
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| Born | Debbye Turner September 19, 1965 Honolulu, Hawaii, United States |
|---|---|
| Title(s) | Miss Missouri 1989 Miss America 1990 |
| Major competition(s) |
Miss America 1990 (winner) |
Debbye Turner-Bell (born September 19, 1965 in Honolulu, Hawaii) is an American veterinarian, talk show host, former beauty queen and winner of the 1990 Miss America pageant three days before her 24th birthday.
Debbye Turner, raised in Jonesboro, Arkansas, was first runner-up at the Miss Arkansas Pageant, a state preliminary competition for the Miss America program in 1988. In the summer of 1989, she won the Miss Missouri title and went on to win the 1990 Miss America crown. Turner was the third African-American national titleholder and the first Miss Missouri to be crowned Miss America.[1]
Turner transferred from Arkansas State University, and attended Columbia University in MO. In 1991, she received her Doctor of Veterinary Medicine degree from the University of Missouri College of Veterinary Medicine.[2] She became a spokesperson for Purina and pursued a career in veterinary medicine before going into television.
Turner's first hosting job came at St. Louis' NBC affiliate KSDK, on a show called Show Me St. Louis in 1995. Six years later, Turner joined CBS News as a reporter and contributor on The Early Show, a position she still holds on its current incarnation CBS This Morning. Turner was also a fill-in anchor on the CBS Morning News..
She has also appeared on Animal Planet's Cats 101 and Dogs 101 series.
Turner is a singer, pianist, and skilled percussionist, evidenced by her marimba rendition of '"Flight of the Bumblebee"' in the talent portion of the 1990 Miss America contest. She is a member of Alpha Kappa Alpha sorority.
Debbye Turner's older sister, Suzette Turner, is married to Houston megachurch pastor Kirbyjon Caldwell.
[edit] References
- ^ "Miss America 1990 Debbye Turner: A Profile of Success". Pageantrymagazine.com. 1989-09-16. http://www.pageantrymagazine.com/magazine/features/2000/d00/debturnerd00webint.html. Retrieved 2011-02-01.
- ^ Hendricks, Nancy. "Debbye Turner (1965– )". Encyclopedia of Arkansas. http://www.encyclopediaofarkansas.net/encyclopedia/entry-detail.aspx?entryID=2607. Retrieved 2011-01-08.
[edit] External links
- Turner's official website
- Turner biography at The Encyclopedia of Arkansas History and Culture
| Preceded by Heather Smith |
Miss Missouri 1989 |
Succeeded by Pat Meusburger |
| Preceded by Melissa Aggeles |
National Sweetheart 1988 |
Succeeded by Mairead O'Connor |
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