Q. Can you tell us a little bit about yourself besides being a former Miss Minnesota and a Miss USA runner-up?
A. I was born in North Dakota, actually and moved here when I was about 13. Shortly after moving here I was approached by a woman that asked me to participate in the Miss American Teenager Pageant. I won the Miss Minnesota Teenager title and competed in Palisades Park, New Jersey for the national title. No luck there:) It was about 8 years later that I participated in the MIss Minnesota USA Pageant. The woman that met me and got me into the teen one just called one day and asked if I would be interested to do this again.
This kicked off a very successful modeling career for me in the Twin Cities (I never did the NewYork or Europe thing....too much of a hometown girl, I guess) I attended college and modeled and then I married my first husband, Steve Duncan, had two children. Steve and Matt
(They are now 26 and 29)
I was divorced and then met a former high school friend, Dave Irvin, and we were married two years later. I think I was in my early thirties. Who keeps track? I had our first of two boys, Jake and Sam, at the age of 41 and 42.
I am now the mom of two very busy boys. My husband and I are very involved in basketball and baseball and football. He is a coach and I am a Super Fan. We live in Bloomington, Minneota. I am back in college trying to get a degree in Hospital Administration. My priorities right now are God, family and trying to finish my education in that order.
My most favorite thing in the world is going to my cabin and enjoying the outdoors.
Q. Can you tell us about any goal or goals that you might have had during your pageant years which you have now accomplished?
A. The goals I set for myself weren't too lofty. I really always wanted to just be a wife and mother. As I see the end of the road to that career, I have set a new goal of completing my education and hopefully working in the health care field with the Elderly community. I really like working with Seniors. I will be one myself very soon and I have the AARP card to prove it:)
Q. The Miss USA Pageant today is very different from the one that you participated in back in 1977. Did you spend a lot of time preparing for it and what sort of preparations did you do to stay focus and be ready for such a life-changing event?
A. I have to say that I didn't do alot of preparing for pageants. I was caught up in the whirlwind. I was working, going to school and just being a 20 year old girl and this just happened without alot of planning. I guess for me that made it even more fun because I never knew what to expect and there was so much happening so fast and it was way more glamour than I was used to. I was very surprised to go as far as I did and I often say that after the announcement of being in the top twelve I kind of went into blackout mode. Yikes. Pretty scary.
Q. Who or what has been your inspiration to achieve success at a very young age?
A. I think the fact that I didn't grow up with much money at all and the daughter of a single mom was the guiding factor for me. I just took every opportunity that came along and didn't think about it much or look back. I was just very engaged in the moment and life has always been such an adventure for me. My mother and my grandmother were huge influences to me, though because they were a constant in my life and they didn't make things easy which really helped me handle lots of life's challenges.
Q. Is there anything else that you would like everyone to know about you?
A. I am a person of huge faith but that didn't come along until my thirties or so. I don't do anything anymore without God stepping out in front of me to guide the way. Gone is the girl that just charged in to life with abandon. I have had too many things happen to me to be thankful for and have had so many things wonderful in my life that I just can't credit it to chance anymore. I have been truly blessed by God.
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We'd like to express our deepest gratitude to Debra Irvin for taking the time to do this interview. It's been our pleasure to have had this opportunity. Once again, we can't thank you enough for sharing your rare video of this pageant. Good luck and best wishes to you and your family.
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