{{Short description|Miss USA 1976}} {{Use mdy dates|date=March 2012}} {{Infobox pageant titleholder | name=Barbara Peterson | photo=Gerald Ford with Barbara Peterson 02 (cropped).jpg | caption=US President Gerald Ford meets with Peterson in 1976 | other_names = {{Hlist|Barbara Burwell|Barbara Peterson-Burwell}} | title=Miss Minnesota USA 1976<br>Miss USA 1976 | education = St. Olaf College (BA) | father = C. Donald Peterson | relatives = P. Kenneth Peterson (uncle) | birth_place= Edina, Minnesota, U.S. | competitions = Miss USA 1976<br>(Winner)<br>Miss Universe 1976<br>(Unplaced) | birth_date = {{birth date and age|1953|11|25}} | birth_name= Barbara Elaine Peterson | hair_color= Brown | spouse = {{marriage|Rodney P. Burwell|1982|2015|reason=died}} | children= 3 }} '''Barbara Elaine Peterson Burwell''' (née '''Peterson'''; born November 25, 1953<ref name="birth date"/>) is an American philanthropist and beauty pageant titleholder. After being crowned Miss Minnesota USA 1976, she competed at Miss USA 1976, becoming the first woman from Minnesota to win the title. Afterwards, she represented the United States at Miss Universe 1976, where she was unplaced.
As a philanthropist, Peterson is the president of the Burwell Family Foundation, based in Bloomington, Minnesota.
==Early life and education== Peterson was born in Edina, Minnesota to parents C. Donald Peterson and Gretchen Elaine Palen Peterson.<ref name="mother"/> Her family is of Swedish and German origin.<ref name="sarasota"/> Her father was an associate justice of the Minnesota Supreme Court, while her uncle was P. Kenneth Peterson, a former mayor of Minneapolis.<ref name="father"/><ref name="sarasota"/> Peterson was raised in Edina, and is one of six children; her four brothers and one sister include Todd Douglas, Scott Jeffrey, Craig Donald, Mark Bradley, and Polly Suzanne.<ref name="birth date"/>
Peterson attended Edina High School (Edina East then), and later received a Bachelor of Arts degree from St. Olaf College in Northfield, Minnesota, with a triple major in political science, communications, and American studies.<ref name="sarasota"/>
==Pageantry== [[File:Gerald Ford with Barbara Peterson 03.jpg|right|thumb|upright|US President Gerald Ford meets with Peterson in 1976]] Peterson had previously been crowned Queen of the Minneapolis Aquatennial and Miss Svenskarnas Dag, prior to competing in national pageantry.<ref name="sarasota"/> She later entered Miss Minnesota USA 1976, which she went on to win. As Miss Minnesota USA, Peterson was tasked with representing Minnesota at Miss USA 1976, held in Niagara Falls, New York. She advanced through the competition until ultimately being declared the winner, becoming the first woman from Minnesota to win the title.<ref name=toledo/>
After winning Miss USA, Peterson represented the United States at the Miss Universe 1976 pageant in Hong Kong.<ref name="times"/> Her national costume was Uncle Sam. In the competition, Peterson became the first American competitor not to advance to the semifinals, which would not be repeated again until Kimberly Pressler represented the United States at Miss Universe 1999.<ref name="mu1976"/><ref name="mu1999"/> Peterson later completed her reign as Miss USA after crowning Kimberly Tomes of Texas as Miss USA 1977, in Charleston, South Carolina on May 14, 1977.
In 1987, Peterson authored the book ''Becoming a Beauty Queen: the Complete Guide'' with her sister Polly Peterson Bowles, based on their experiences competing in pageantry.<ref name=book/> Peterson also served as a judge at the Miss USA 1990 competition.<ref name="usa1990"/>
==Personal life== Peterson was married to businessman Rodney P. Burwell until his death in 2015.<ref name="husband"/> They had three sons together: Rodney Peter, Blake Palmer, and Michael Craig.<ref name="birth date"/><ref name="tribune"/> As a philanthropist, she and her husband made donations to educational and charitable institutions through the Burwell Family Foundation, which she serves as the president of.<ref name="herald"/> Peterson resides in the Minneapolis–Saint Paul area.<ref name="huffington"/>
== References == {{reflist|colwidth=30em|refs=
<ref name="birth date">{{cite news|url=http://search.ancestry.com/search/db.aspx?dbid=8742&enc=1|title=Minnesota Birth Index, 1935–2002|publisher=Ancestry.com|accessdate=November 27, 2010}}</ref>
<ref name="tribune">{{cite news|title=A fashionable frolic|url=http://nl.newsbank.com/nl-search/we/Archives?p_product=MN&p_theme=mn&p_action=search&p_maxdocs=200&p_topdoc=1&p_text_direct-0=1124B54646BF0D00&p_field_direct-0=document_id&p_perpage=10&p_sort=YMD_date:D&s_trackval=GooglePM|accessdate=November 28, 2010|newspaper=Minneapolis Star-Tribune|date=June 15, 2006}}</ref>
<ref name="sarasota">{{cite news|title=Miss USA eyes following in judge-father's footsteps|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=5roqAAAAIBAJ&pg=5902,911780&dq=&hl=en|accessdate=November 28, 2010|newspaper=Sarasota Herald-Tribune|date=May 17, 1976}}</ref>
<ref name="father">{{cite news|title=C. Donald Peterson dies at 69; served on state Supreme Court |url=http://www.lawlibrary.state.mn.us/judges/memorials/CDonaldPetersonObit.pdf |accessdate=November 28, 2010 |newspaper=Minneapolis Star-Tribune |date=December 20, 1987 |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20110718221026/http://www.lawlibrary.state.mn.us/judges/memorials/CDonaldPetersonObit.pdf |archivedate=July 18, 2011 |df=mdy }}</ref>
<ref name="mother">{{cite news|title=Gretchen Peterson, dancer and pioneer descendant in a family of well-known names, dies at 79|url=http://www.startribune.com/templates/Print_This_Story?sid=11597211|accessdate=November 28, 2010|newspaper=Minneapolis Star-Tribune|date=February 6, 2003}}</ref>
<ref name=book> {{cite news |date=July 22, 1999 |accessdate=November 29, 2010 |title=Here he is: Michael Patrick Jann's beauty-pageant sendup ''Drop Dead Gorgeous'' lands the crown |first=Michael |last=Sragow |newspaper=Salon.com |url=http://www.salon.com/entertainment/col/srag/1999/07/22/jann }}{{dead link|date=October 2016 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref>
<ref name="huffington">{{cite news|title=Barbara Burwell Campaign Contributions and Donations|url=http://fundrace.huffingtonpost.com/neighbors.php?type=name&lname=Burwell&fname=Barbara|accessdate=November 28, 2010|work=The Huffington Post|archive-date=March 5, 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120305041907/http://fundrace.huffingtonpost.com/neighbors.php?type=name&lname=Burwell&fname=Barbara|url-status=dead}}</ref>
<ref name=toledo> {{cite news|newspaper=Toledo Blade|date=May 12, 1977|accessdate=November 28, 2010|first=John|last=Goudas|title=1976 Miss U.S.A steps down Saturday after year of travel |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=J84tAAAAIBAJ&dq=&pg=6832%2C6153364 }}</ref>
<ref name="husband">{{cite web |title=Rod Burwell honored with Entrepreneurial Award |url=http://www.moss-barnett.com/CM/Newsletters/EntrepreneurialAward.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110714115802/http://www.moss-barnett.com/CM/Newsletters/EntrepreneurialAward.pdf |url-status=dead |archive-date=July 14, 2011 |accessdate=November 29, 2010 |publisher=moss-barnett.com }}
{{cite web |title=Rodney P. Burwell | date=August 28, 2009 |url=http://issuu.com/centerforinnovation/docs/25thanniversary/11?zoomed=true&zoomPercent=52.9167385429245&zoomXPos=0.045248868778280604&zoomYPos=0.49825479930191974 |accessdate=November 29, 2010 |publisher=issuu.com }}
</ref>
<ref name="usa1990">{{cite news|title=Equal opportunity padding to debut at beauty pageant|url=https://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/sptimes/access/50198195.html?dids=50198195:50198195&FMT=ABS&FMTS=ABS:FT&type=current&date=Feb+23,+1990&author=&pub=St.+Petersburg+Times&desc=Equal+opportunity+padding+to+debut+at+beauty+pageant+Series:+PEOPLE&pqatl=google|archive-url=https://archive.today/20130131190638/http://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/sptimes/access/50198195.html?dids=50198195:50198195&FMT=ABS&FMTS=ABS:FT&type=current&date=Feb+23,+1990&author=&pub=St.+Petersburg+Times&desc=Equal+opportunity+padding+to+debut+at+beauty+pageant+Series:+PEOPLE&pqatl=google|url-status=dead|archive-date=January 31, 2013|accessdate=November 29, 2010|newspaper=St. Petersburg Times|date=Feb 23, 1990}}</ref>
<ref name="herald">{{cite news|title=UND receives donation of $10 million|url=http://nl.newsbank.com/nl-search/we/Archives?p_product=GF&s_site=grandforks&p_multi=GF&p_theme=realcities&p_action=search&p_maxdocs=200&p_topdoc=1&p_text_direct-0=12B1F788F45D6540&p_field_direct-0=document_id&p_perpage=10&p_sort=YMD_date:D&s_trackval=GooglePM|accessdate=November 29, 2010|newspaper=Grand Forks Herald|date=October 3, 2009}}</ref>
<ref name="times">{{cite news|title=Hong Kong is agog over beauty pageant|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1976/07/10/archives/hong-kong-is-agog-over-beauty-pageant.html|accessdate=November 29, 2010|newspaper=The New York Times|date=July 10, 1976|first=Fox|last=Butterfield}}</ref>
<ref name="mu1976">{{cite news|title=Las doce finalistas|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=EkIfAAAAIBAJ&dq=&pg=1859%2C12621993|accessdate=November 29, 2010|newspaper=La Nación|date=July 11, 1976|agency=Associated Press}}</ref>
<ref name="mu1999">{{cite news|title=10 finalists are named in Miss Universe competition|url=http://nl.newsbank.com/nl-search/we/Archives?p_product=ST&s_site=dfw&p_multi=ST&p_theme=realcities&p_action=search&p_maxdocs=200&p_topdoc=1&p_text_direct-0=0EAF9203D5E0F4A1&p_field_direct-0=document_id&p_perpage=10&p_sort=YMD_date:D&s_trackval=GooglePM|accessdate=November 29, 2010|newspaper=Fort Worth Star-Telegram|date=May 27, 1999|quote=The finalists were from Botswana, Ghana, India, Jamaica, Mexico, Philippines, Puerto Rico, South Africa, Spain and Venezuela.}}</ref>
}}
==External links== {{Portal|Biography}} *[https://web.archive.org/web/20101118134919/http://www.missuniverse.com/missusa/contestant_profiles/past Official Miss USA website – Past titleholders]
{{Miss Universe 1976 delegates}} {{Miss USA titleholders}} {{Miss Universe Organization titleholders |Year = 1976 |Miss Universe= {{flagicon|Israel}} Rina Messinger |Miss USA= {{flagicon|Minnesota|1957}} '''Barbara Peterson''' }} {{Minnesota pageant winners}}
{{Authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Peterson, Barbara}} Category:1953 births Category:20th-century American philanthropists Category:American people of German descent Category:American people of Swedish descent Category:Living people Category:Miss Universe 1976 contestants Category:Miss USA 1970s delegates Category:Miss USA winners Category:People from Edina, Minnesota Category:Philanthropists from Minnesota Category:St. Olaf College alumni Category:Edina High School alumni Category:20th-century American women philanthropists