Terri Lea Britt (née Utley; born 1961) is an American beauty queen and motivational speaker from Arkansas who was crowned Miss USA in 1982.
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Early life
As a young woman, Britt was involved in the American Legion Auxiliary Girls State program. She was also vice-president of the Cabot High School class of 1980.
Miss USA
Britt won her first major pageant title, Miss Arkansas USA, in early 1982. She went on to win the title Miss USA in the nationally televised pageant held in Biloxi, Mississippi in May 1982. She was twenty years old at the time.
Britt went on to represent the United States in the Miss Universe pageant in Lima, Peru in July of the same year. In that pageant, she finished as fourth runner-up to Karen Dianne Baldwin of Canada.
Britt’s most recognizable feature was her short haircut, which differentiated her from the long-haired beauty queens of her generation. She is also remembered for her exuberant reaction when she was announced as the new Miss USA, as she had the next-to-lowest preliminary score among the semi-finalists. Source