Karen Jean Morrison-Comstock (born August 4, 1954) is an American model and beauty pageant titleholder who was crowned Miss USA 1974. She represented her country at

Miss Universe 1974 Miss Universe 1974 was the 23rd Miss Universe pageant, held on 21 July 1974 at the Folk Arts Theater in Pasay City, Philippines. It was the first Miss Universe pageant to ever be held in the Philippines, and in extension, Asia. Margarita Moran ...

and placed Top 12.

Pageants

Comstock entered the

Miss Illinois USA The Miss Illinois USA pageant is a competition that selects the representative for the state Illinois in the Miss USA pageant. It is directed by Vanbros and Associates and is previously directed by D&D Productions from 2001 to 2014 before bec ...

pageant at the suggestion of her modeling agency who owned the franchise and her sister who encouraged her to participate.

Paula Zahn Paula Ann Zahn (; born February 24, 1956) is an American journalist and newscaster who has been an anchor at ABC News, CBS News, Fox News, and CNN. She currently produces and hosts the true crime documentary series '' On the Case with Paula Zahn' ...

, an acquaintance of Comstock also competed and placed in the top five. She won and a month later represented her state in the

Miss USA Miss USA is an American beauty pageant that has been held annually since 1952 to select the entrant from United States in the Miss Universe pageant. The Miss Universe Organization operated both pageants, as well as Miss Teen USA, until 2020. ...

pageant, held in

Niagara Falls, New York Niagara Falls is a City (New York), city in Niagara County, New York, United States. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the city had a total population of 48,671. It is adjacent to the Niagara River, across from the city of Niagar ...

on May 18, 1974. Comstock won the nationally televised pageant and was crowned by Amanda Jones, also of Illinois. She was crowned in a custom-made white chiffon gown made by Alyce Hamm of Alyce Designs. Her prize winnings included $7,500 cash, a $7,500 appearance contract, $3,000 in scholarships as well as a new car, color television, stereo and clothing. At the time Comstock was one of the tallest contestants ever to win a major beauty pageant. Comstock represented the United States in the

Miss Universe Miss Universe is an annual international major beauty pageant that is run by a Thailand and Mexican-based Miss Universe Organization.Natalie Tadena (July 2, 2015"Donald Trump's Miss USA Pageant Lands on Reelz Cable Channel". ''The Wall Stree ...

pageant broadcast from

Manila Manila, officially the City of Manila, is the Capital of the Philippines, capital and second-most populous city of the Philippines after Quezon City, with a population of 1,846,513 people in 2020. Located on the eastern shore of Manila Bay on ...

in the

Philippines The Philippines, officially the Republic of the Philippines, is an Archipelagic state, archipelagic country in Southeast Asia. Located in the western Pacific Ocean, it consists of List of islands of the Philippines, 7,641 islands, with a tot ...

two months after winning her national title. This was only the third time that the pageant had been held outside the United States, and the first held in Asia. Continuing the strong history of the United States in this pageant, Comstock placed in the semi-finals. The pageant was won by

Amparo Muñoz Maria de Amparo Muñoz y Quesada (21 June 1954 – 27 February 2011) was a Spanish actress, model and beauty queen who won the Miss Universe 1974 competition in Manila, Philippines, being the first and only Spaniard Miss Universe titleholder to ...

of Spain. During her reign she traveled extensively and met celebrities, including

Jack Lemmon John Uhler Lemmon III (February 8, 1925 – June 27, 2001) was an American actor. Considered proficient in both dramatic and comic roles, he was known for his anxious, middle-class everyman screen persona in comedy-drama films. He received num ...

Bobby Vinton Stanley Robert Vinton (born April 16, 1935) is an American singer and actor, who hosted his own self-titled TV show in the late 1970s. As a teen idol, he became known as "The Polish Prince", as his music paid tribute to his Polish heritage. One ...

Omar Sharif Omar Sharif (, ; born Michel Yusef Dimitri Chalhoub ; 10 April 1932 – 10 July 2015) was an Egyptian actor, generally regarded as one of his country's greatest male film stars. He began his career in his native country in the 1950s. He is bes ...

and

Joe Namath Joseph William Namath (; ; born May 31, 1943), nicknamed "Broadway Joe", is an American former professional American football, football quarterback who played in the American Football League (AFL) and National Football League (NFL) for 13 seaso ...

Personal life

Comstock attended Haines Junior High School and St. Charles High School. She was a freshman at the

University of Wisconsin A university () is an institution of tertiary education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. ''University'' is derived from the Latin phrase , which roughly means "community of teachers and scholars". Uni ...

when she won the Miss USA title but left to pursue modeling in

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

. In 1976 she returned home to Illinois, embraced fundamentalist Protestant

Christianity Christianity is an Abrahamic monotheistic religion, which states that Jesus in Christianity, Jesus is the Son of God (Christianity), Son of God and Resurrection of Jesus, rose from the dead after his Crucifixion of Jesus, crucifixion, whose ...

and toured the United States representing a non-profit organization called Sharing Ministries. She later married Gordon Comstock and has four children.

References

External links

Miss Illinois USA official websiteMiss USA official website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Morrison-Comstock, Karen 1955 births Living people Miss Universe 1974 contestants Miss USA winners People from St. Charles, Illinois