Glamour(glamor) Puss Blog

The Mrs. United States 2001 was held at the Orleans Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas, August 1-2, 2001. The new Mrs. United States 2001, Dana Lee Opsincswho competed as Mrs. West Virginia. Dana is seen on the right with new pageant friend Mrs. Colorado US Brenda Baeckler (who provided the photo).

The first runner-up was Mrs. Rhode Island Mary Nelson; second runner-up was Mrs. Michigan Renee Drummonds; third runner-up was Mrs. Nebraska, Sherri Ellsworth; and fourth runner-up was Mrs. Minnesota, Kimberly Noisi.

The new Miss Rodeo America 2001 is Tara Graham, Miss Rodeo Colorado. Tara graduated from Colorado State University with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Speech Communication, with a minor in English. She received a Colorado Teaching License having completed her student teaching in Speech and English. Tara’s next educational goal is to attend law school and specialize in Equine Law. Some of her interests include water skiing, Tae-Bo, reading, snow skiing, and softball, in addition to volunteering in activities involving horses and children.

The new Miss Colorado 2001 is Kelly McKee, who competed as Miss Rocky Mountain. She is a 21 year-old senior at the University of Colorado – Boulder. Kelly performed a lyrical ballet to Linda Eder’s “Someone Like You” for her talent presentation. Her platform is Adoption. This was Kelly’s second attempt at winning the Miss Colorado title.

“I realize I have a lot of work to do this year,” Kelly said, adding that being Miss Colorado is not about her but is about serving other people and promoting her platform – “Adoption with LUV (learning, understanding and venturing). She said she was surprised to win because she didn’t do too well in the 2000 competition. But she turned that experience into a positive. After last year’s Colorado event, she traveled to Atlantic City, N.J., for the 2000 Miss America Pageant to learn from the best.

The new Miss Connecticut 2001 is Marissa Perez, who competed as Miss Fairfield County. Her platform is “Alcohol Abuse Prevention” and she sang “This Time Around” in the talent competition. She won the swimsuit preliminary. This was Marissa’s fourth attempt to win the title. She was first runner-up in last year’s pageant and in 1999, and fourth runner up in 1998. Melissa is also the former Miss Connecticut Teen USA ’96. Currently she works for ESPN in the international soccer division.

The first runner up was Miss New Milford Annie Wolaver; second runner up was Miss Greater New Haven Susan Rushing; third runner up was Miss Greater Milford Kim Bennett; and fourth runner up was Miss Long Island Sound Krisanne Forte.

The new Miss Arizona 2001 is Kapri Rose, 19, who competed as Miss Gilbert. Capri competed at the Miss Arizona pageant for the first time this year. She played “Fantaisie Impromptu” by Chopin on the piano for her talent. Her platform is “Down’s Syndrome: A Child First, A Disability Second.” Kapri is a junior at Brigham Young University where she is a pre-dental major.

The first runner up was Miss Desert Vista Nicole LaMarche; second runner up was Miss Tuscon Vanessa VanHartesveldt; third runner up was Miss Chandler Katherine Kennedy; and fourth runner up was Miss Valley of the Sun Kristle Jensen.