Sharlene Wells
| Sharlene Wells Hawkes | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Born |
Sharlene Wells March 16, 1964 Asunción, Paraguay |
| Alma mater | Brigham Young University |
| Occupation | Singer |
| Title | Miss Utah Valley 1984 Miss Utah 1984 Miss America 1985 |
| Predecessor | Suzette Charles |
| Successor | Susan Akin |
| Spouse(s) | Robert A. Hawkes |
Sharlene Wells Hawkes (born 16 March 1964), from Salt Lake City, Utah, was Miss America 1985.
Hawkes (née Wells), was born in Asunción, Paraguay and spent most of her childhood in Mexico, Chile and Ecuador. She was the first foreign-born, bilingual Miss America. She spent most of her teenaged years in Buenos Aires, Argentina. When she won the Miss America title, her parents were living in Holladay, Utah, a suburb of Salt Lake City. Being crowned Miss America was seen by some as an antidote to the scandal associated with the prior year's winner. In 1985, Deseret Book published a biography of Wells, written by Sheri Dew.
Hawkes is a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church). She attended Brigham Young University (BYU), from which she graduated in 1988 with a bachelor's degree in communications.
The choice of Wells as Miss America was widely seen as a way to overcome the scandal connected with her predecessor. Wells publicly stated her support for the reelection of Ronald Reagan, support for pro-life positions, opposition to pre-marital sex, and opposition to the Equal Rights Amendment.
Hawkes is the author, or co-author, of several books. This includes a book written by Hawkes and Barbara Barrington Jones entitled The Inside Outside Beauty Book (1989), Living in but not of The World (1997), and Kissing a Frog: Four Steps to Finding Comfort Outside Your Comfort Zone. She is also a singer and has released albums called When We Will All Believe (1994) and Songs of the Morning Stars (1996).
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