Sue Ann Downey Named Miss USA

June 4, 1965 - Sue Ann Downey, a 20-year-old blonde from Columbus, Ohio, was named Miss U.S.A. of 1965 tonight in Miami Beach. 

The retiring Miss U.S.A., Bobbi Johnson, placed the crown on her head, leaned over, and whispered, “Congratulations.”

“This is the most marvelous thing that has ever happened to me,” Sue Ann cried.

The first runner-up to Miss Ohio was Miss Arizona, Jane Nelson, 21, of Tularosa, N.M. She attends school in Arizona.

Miss Downey, a student at Ohio State University, won $5,000 in cash and $5,000 in contracts. She will represent the United States in the Miss Universe pageant next month.

The daughter of John Downey, a warehouse operator in Columbus, Miss Downey is oriented towards an artist’s life but said, “My father does not wholly agree with my views.”

Each of the five finalists was asked a different question by one of the judges. Miss Downey was asked: “If you saw a friend cheating on a test, would you report it?”“No, if they want to cheat, I think it’s their business,” she replied, “but I couldn’t do so myself.”

Earlier in the program, actor Troy Donahue urged the contestants to avoid the “beatnik” status and attempt to “be themselves and to act out their lives.”

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