Wendy Dascomb

Wendy Jane Dascomb is an American model and beauty pageant titleholder best known for winning the Miss USA 1969 title. By winning the pageant, she became the first woman representing the state of Virginia to be crowned Miss USA.

Dascomb was born on January 7, 1950, in Metairie, Louisiana. Following her high school graduation, she enrolled at Stratford College in Danville, Virginia, where she studied liberal arts with plans to become a special education teacher. She later attended the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, earning a degree in comparative religion and philosophy.

Her pageantry career began in 1969 during her freshman year of college when faculty members convinced her to enter the Miss Piedmont beauty pageant. After winning that contest, she qualified for and won the Miss Virginia USA 1969 title.

As Miss Virginia USA, Dascomb competed at the Miss USA 1969 pageant in Miami Beach, Florida. She advanced to the top fifteen and top five before being crowned the winner. As Miss USA, she received a prize package that included $5,000 in cash and traveled to over one hundred cities across South America, Europe, and other regions working as an ambassador and model.

Dascomb subsequently represented the United States at the Miss Universe 1969 pageant in Miami Beach, where she placed in the top fifteen. At the conclusion of her reign, she crowned Deborah Shelton as Miss USA 1970. During her farewell address, Dascomb delivered an impromptu speech detailing her disillusionment with beauty pageants, stating they were focused on commercial selling. She later remarked that while she was not the best Miss USA, she was the most honest, expressing eagerness to return to college.

In 1972, Dascomb wrote an article about her pageant experiences for the inaugural issue of Ms. magazine, on which she was also featured on the cover. In a 2011 interview with Time, she noted that her alignment with the hippie subculture, outspoken views against the Vietnam War, and support for women's rights often put her at odds with pageant organizers who expected scripted responses.

Since the 1990s, Dascomb has lived on a farm in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, with her husband, Jay Bryan. Their family includes five children—three from Dascomb's first marriage and two from Bryan's previous marriage—as well as six grandchildren.