Ada Perkins
| Beauty pageant titleholder | |
| Born |
Ada Cecille Perkins Flores September 7, 1959 Ponce, Puerto Rico |
|---|---|
| Died |
May 24, 1980 (aged 20) San Juan, Puerto Rico |
| Height | 5 ft 7 in (1.70 m) |
| Hair color | Blonde |
| Eye color | Hazel |
| Title(s) |
Miss San Juan 1978 Miss Puerto Rico 1978 |
| Major competition(s) |
Miss Teen International 1978 (3rd place) Miss Puerto Rico 1978 (Winner) Miss Universe 1978 |
Ada Cecille Perkins Flores[note 1] (September 7, 1959 – May 24, 1980) was a Puerto Rican beauty queen who represented the island in the Miss Universe 1978 pageant.
In 1980, Puerto Rico was moved by the media news coverage of her death which resulted from the injuries sustained in an automobile accident in San Juan.[1]
Early years
Perkins, the oldest of three siblings, was born in Ponce, Puerto Rico to Oswald Evan Perkins from San Juan and Ada Flores Sanchez. She received her primary and secondary education at St. John's School in the Condado area and later at the Academia Del Perpetuo Socorro (Academy of the Perpetual Help) in Miramar. She graduated from high school in 1977 and enrolled at the Universidad del Sagrado Corazon (Sacred Heart University) where she was studying journalism.[1]
Model and beauty contestant
Perkins was a model who participated in television commercials for various companies, among them: "Chicklets Adams", "Texaco", "Salem cigarette" and for the "INDULAC" (Dairy Producers Industry of Puerto Rico). In 1978, she represented Puerto Rico in the Miss Teen International beauty pageant held in Oranjestad, Aruba. Perkins came in 3rd place.[2]
In May of that same year, Perkins represented the city of San Juan in the Miss Puerto Rico contest and won the title.[3] Miss Puerto Rico is the official national preliminary to the Miss Universe international pageant. Each year the event is held to select the representative from the island to the contest. In the inbox above, Perkins is pictured with the Miss Puerto Rico sash and crown which she was entitled to wear during her reign.[1]
She then traveled to Acapulco, Mexico where she represented Puerto Rico in the first Miss Universe pageant hosted by that country. Margaret Gardiner from South Africa won the title of Miss Universe that was held on July 21, 1978.[4]
In 1979, Perkins crowned her successor to the title, Audrey Teresa López (Miss Mayaguez) in an event which included the presence of actor Erik Estrada.
Death
In 1980, she and her boyfriend, Luis A. Ballester were involved in an automobile accident which occurred while they were heading towards her home in Punta las Marias, San Juan. She died in San Juan, Puerto Rico as a result of the injuries sustained.[5]
Notes
- ↑ This name uses Spanish naming customs: the first or paternal family name is Perkins and the second or maternal family name is Flores.
See also
References
- 1 2 3 "Make Your Life Prime Time: How to Have It All Without Losing Your Soul"; author: Maria Celeste Arraras; page 26; Publisher: Atria Books; ISBN 1-4165-8581-8; ISBN 978-1-4165-8581-7
- ↑ Miss Intercontinental Titleholders
- ↑ Miss Puerto Rico Archived February 9, 2008, at the Wayback Machine.
- ↑ Pageantmania. "Miss Universe Delegates 1978". Archived from the original on 2009-10-24.
- ↑ Related on YouTube
| Awards and achievements | ||
|---|---|---|
Preceded by María del Mar Rivera |
Miss Puerto Rico 1978 |
Succeeded by Teresa López |