Debra Dene Barnes (born September 6, 1947) is an American music educator and former beauty pageant participant who was crowned

Miss America Miss America is an annual competition that is open to women from the United States between the ages of 18 and 28. Originating in 1921 as a "bathing beauty revue", the contest is judged on competition segments with scoring percentages: ''Priva ...

1968.

Early life and education

Born Debra Dene Barnes, she was raised in Moran, Kansas. Upon graduation from high school, she attended the Kansas State College in

Pittsburg, Kansas Pittsburg is a city in Crawford County, Kansas, Crawford County, Kansas, United States, located in southeast Kansas near the Missouri state border. It is the most populous city in Crawford County and southeast Kansas. As of the 2020 United S ...

(now Pittsburg State University), where she majored in music. She then earned a Master's degree in Musical Performance, also from Kansas State College.

Pageantry

After winning the Miss Kansas pageant, she competed in the Miss America pageant. A talented pianist, she played the theme from '' Born Free'' as her talent entry. During her farewell address at the 1968 pageant, her speech was interrupted by protesters from

New York Radical Women New York Radical Women (NYRW) was an early second-wave radical feminist group that existed from 1967 to 1969. They drew nationwide media attention when they unfurled a banner inside the 1968 Miss America pageant displaying the words "Women ...

, who unfurled a bed sheet from the balcony that said "Women's Liberation" and began to shout "Women's Liberation!" and "No more Miss America!" as part of the

Miss America protest The Miss America protest was a demonstration held at the Miss America 1969 contest on September 7, 1968, attended by about 200 feminists and civil rights advocates. The feminist protest was organized by New York Radical Women and included put ...

. They were quickly removed by police but drew coverage by newspapers from across the United States.

Later career

Barnes is an associate professor of piano studies, elementary music, and staff accompanist at

Missouri Southern State University Missouri Southern State University (Missouri Southern, MSSU, or MoSo) is a public university in Joplin, Missouri. It was established in 1937 as Joplin Junior College. The university enrolled 4,087 students in Fall 2023. History Missouri Souther ...

Joplin, Missouri Joplin is a city in Jasper County, Missouri, Jasper and Newton County, Missouri, Newton counties in the southwestern corner of the U.S. state of Missouri. The bulk of the city is in Jasper County, while the southern portion is in Newton County. J ...

. She has over 35 years of piano teaching experience, in both private instruction and “class piano” format. Barnes is the worship leader at Faith Life Worship Center in

Carthage, Missouri Carthage is a city in Jasper County, Missouri, United States. The population was 15,522 as of the 2020 census. It is the county seat of Jasper County and is nicknamed "America's Maple Leaf City." History Jasper County was formed in 1841. ...

, where she has served for many years. Barnes won the Wadill Chamber Music Competition held at Pittsburg State University in March 2007. She performed Chopin's Concerto No. 2 in F Minor with the Southeast Kansas Symphony in April 2008.

Personal life

Barnes married her college sweetheart Mitchell Miles in 1969. They had two daughters before divorcing. She later married Bill Snodgrass.

References

Living people Miss America 1960s delegates Miss America Preliminary Swimsuit winners Miss America winners People from Allen County, Kansas 1947 births People from Carthage, Missouri People from Eudora, Kansas 20th-century American women educators 20th-century American educators {{US-pageant-bio-stub