Sylvia Hitchcock

Sylvia Hitchcock

Beauty pageant titleholder
Born	Sylvia Louise Hitchcock January 31, 1946 Haverhill, Massachusetts, U.S.
Other names	Sylvia Carson
Died	August 16, 2015 (aged 69)
Height	5 ft 7 in (1.70 m)
Hair color	Brown
Eye color	Brown
Title(s)	Miss Alabama USA 1967 Miss USA 1967 Miss Universe 1967
Major competition(s)	Miss Alabama USA 1967 (Winner) Miss USA 1967 (Winner) Miss Universe 1967 (Winner)
Spouse	William Carson (m. 1970)
Children	3

Sylvia Louise Hitchcock-Carson (January 31, 1946 – August 16, 2015) was an American model and beauty queen who held the Miss Alabama USA, Miss USA, and Miss Universe titles in 1967.

Personal life

Hitchcock was born in Haverhill, Massachusetts and grew up on a chicken farm in Miami, Florida.^[1][2] She attended Palmetto High School, Miami-Dade Junior College and studied art at the University of Alabama.^[3][4]A junior at the University when she won the Miss USA title, Hitchcock chose not to complete her degree.^[5]Sylvia was a member of Chi Omega Sorority.

Hitchcock married William Carson, the inventor of a fruit harvesting machine, in 1970. They had three children, Jonathan, Christianne and Will, and seven grandchildren.^[4]

Career

Hitchcock, who had previously competed in local pageants in Florida, represented Alabama at the Miss USA 1967 pageant. She was chosen as one of the fifteen best in swimsuit and won the Miss USA title on May 22.^[6] In July she became the first Miss USA to win the Miss Universe title since Linda Bement in 1960.^[3]

After relinquishing her title she tried modeling in New York City but became disillusioned with the city and returned to Miami where she worked for a television station.^[4] In 1972 she was one of a panel of twelve judges for the Miss Universe 1972 pageant won by Kerry Anne Wells.^[7]

Death

She resided in Lake Wales, Florida until her death from cancer on August 16, 2015. She was 69 years old.^[8][9][10]

References

1. "New Miss USA sees no big disadvantages from beauty". Herald-Tribune. 1967-05-22.
2. "Miss USA Not the Prettiest". The Evening Independent. 1967-05-22.
3. "Miss Universe is first from USA since 1960". The Lewiston Daily Sun. 1967-07-17.
4. Gessner, Miriam (1977-03-06). "Former Miss USA Uses Intelligence, Common Sense to Make Good Impression". Lakeland Ledger.
5. Turner, Steve (1983-10-07). "Miss Universe '67 in '83 Remains Picture of Poise". Lakeland Ledger.
6. Tucker, William (1967-05-18). "Oregon, Virginia Lead Miss USA Beauty Pack". The Miami News.
7. "Aussie Beauty is Winner". The Victoria Advocate. 1972-07-30.
8. Grogan, Mike (2005-12-15). "Dream Village's Christmas Gala in Loughman Raises More Than $15,000 for Charity". The Reporter. Retrieved August 18, 2015.
9. Muerte de Sylvia Hitchcock, laprensa.hn; accessed August 18, 2015.(Spanish)
10. "Sylvia Hitchcock, former Miss Universe from USA, is no more", thegreatpageantcommunity.com, August 17, 2015; accessed August 18, 2015.

External links

• Sylvia Hitchcock at the Internet Movie Database