Miss Puerto Rico
|
|
The Miss Puerto Rico beauty pageant has been held since the 1950s. The winner of the contest represents Puerto Rico at the Miss Universe contest each year.
The election of Miss Puerto Rico begins the year before the winner goes on to participate in the Miss Universe pageant. Each of the 78 Puerto Rican cities may choose a representative who then enters the Miss Puerto Rico finals, traditionally held at a San Juan area hotel.
Marisol Malaret, Miss Puerto Rico 1970, became, that same year, the first Puerto Rican to win the Miss Universe contest. Three other Miss Puerto Ricos, Deborah Carthy-Deu 1985), Dayanara Torres (1993) and Denisse Quinones (2001, have also been chosen Miss Universe winners.
Many others were finalists in the Miss Universe contest, including:
- Laurie Sympson (1987), who may have lost the Miss Universe pageant when she answered one of Bob Barker's questions with a yes, finished fourth.
(*Joyce Giraud (2000), who may have lost the Miss Universe pageant when she remarked that women are the best!, finished third.
Anna Santisteban was the contest's president until her death in 2003. She was succeeded by Magali Febles, who became the first person to occupy the presidency of two such contests when she acquired the Miss Dominican Republic contest, also in 2003.
Miss Puerto Rico titlists since 1952 are:
1952: Marilia Levy—Lares 1953: Wanda Irizarry 1954: Lucy Santiago 1955: Carmen Laura Betancourt 1956: Paquita Vivo 1957: Mapita Mercado 1958-60: NO CONTESTS 1961: Enid del Valle 1962: Ana Celia Sosa 1963: Jeanette Blascoechea 1964: Yolanda Rodríguez Machín 1965: Gloria Cobain Diaz 1966: Carol Bajandas 1967: Ivonne Coll 1968: Marlene Carrasquillo 1969: Aida Betancourt—Santurce 1970: Marisol Malaret Contreras—Santurce 1971: Beba Franco—San Juan 1972: Bárbara Torres—Santurce 1973: Gladys Vanessa Colón Diaz—Orocovis 1974: Sonia Stege—San Juan 1975: Lorell del Carmen Carmona—Aibonito 1976: Elizabeth Zayas—Salinas 1977: María del Mar Rivera—Ponce 1978: Ada Flores Perkins—San Juan 1979: Teresa López—Mayagüez 1980: Agnes Tañón—Caguas 1981: Carmen Lotti—Guaynabo 1982: Lourdes Mantero Hormazabal—Juncos 1983: Carmen Batiz—Trujillo Alto 1984: Sandra Beauchamp—Mayagüez 1985: Deborah Carthy-Deu—San Juan —became Miss Universe, succeeded by— Aileen Ramírez—San Germán 1986: Elizabeth Robison Latalladi—San Germán 1987: Laurie Tamara Simpson—San Juan 1988: Isabel Pardo—Guaynabo 1989: Catalina Villar—Salinas 1990: María Luisa Fortuno—Guaynabo 1991: Lizzette Bouret—Toa Alta 1992: Daisy García—Bayamón 1993: Dayanara Torres Delgado—Toa Alta 1994: Brenda Esther Robles Cortés—Isabela 1995: Desirée Lowry—Corozal 1996: María del Rocio Arroyo—Lares 1997: Lydia Guzmán—Lares 1998: Ymak Farrah Fagundo Soto—Cabo Rojo 1996: Sarybel Velilla Cabeza—Toa Alta 1997: Ana Rosa Brito Suárez—San Juan 1998: Joyce Marie Giraud—Aguas Buenas 1999: Brenda Liz López—Lares 2000: Zoraida Isabel Fonalledas—Guaynabo 2001: Denise Marie Quiñones August—Lares —became Miss Universe, succeeded by —Joanna Treviño—Añasco 2002: Isis Marie Casalduc González—Utuado 2003: Carla Tricoli Rodríguez—Vieques 2004: Alba Giselle Reyes Santos—Cidra 2005: Cynthia Olavarria
There have been two name changes for the title of the Puerto Rican beauty pageant winner. The title was first Miss Puerto Rico, then Miss Universe Puerto Rico, and is currently Miss Puerto Rico Universe. The title name changes accompanied changes in ownership of the pageant.