# Shirley Cothran > Mediated Wiki article. Canonical URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Shirley_Cothran > Markdown URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Shirley_Cothran.md > Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shirley_Cothran > Source revision: 1313944615 > License: Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/) {{Short description|American model}} {{BLP sources|date=May 2009}} {{Infobox person |name = Shirley Cothran |image = Shirley Cothran, 1975 Miss America.jpg |image_size = |alt = |caption = |birth_name = |birth_date = {{birth date and age|1952|09|18}} |birth_place = [Denton County, Texas](/source/Denton_County%2C_Texas), U.S. |death_date = |death_place = |death_cause = |nationality = |citizenship = |other_names = |known_for = |education = |alma_mater = [North Texas State University](/source/North_Texas_State_University)
[Texas Woman’s University](/source/Texas_Woman%E2%80%99s_University) |occupation = Author and professional speaker |years_active = |title = Miss Texas 1974
[Miss America 1975](/source/Miss_America_1975) |term = |predecessor =[Rebecca Ann King](/source/Rebecca_Ann_King) |successor =[Tawny Godin](/source/Tawny_Little) |spouse = {{marriage|Richard Barret|1976}} |children = 4 |website = [http://shirleymissa.com/ Official website] }} '''Shirley Cothran Barret''' (born September 18, 1952, [Denton County, Texas](/source/Denton_County%2C_Texas)) is an American beauty pageant titleholder from Texas, winning [Miss America 1975](/source/Miss_America_1975). ==Early life and education== She graduated from [Denton High School](/source/Denton_High_School) in 1970 and was the second [Miss America](/source/Miss_America) from that high school as [Phyllis George](/source/Phyllis_George) was crowned Miss America before her in 1971. She later attended [North Texas State University](/source/North_Texas_State_University) and earned her bachelor of science in elementary education and her master's degree in guidance counseling.{{cite web |first=Judy |last=Klemesrud |title=For Miss America '75 the Questions Get Tougher |url=http://www.missamerica.org/our-miss-americas/1970/1975.aspx |work= The New York Times |date=September 9, 1974 }} Cothran later used the scholarship money she earned from her Miss America win towards her Ph.D. in early childhood education and family counseling.{{citation needed|date=July 2020}} ==Life and career== left|thumb|Postcard of Cothran as Miss America 1975 She was crowned [Miss Texas](/source/Miss_Texas) 1974 and won the [Miss America 1975](/source/Miss_America_1975) title.{{cite web |publisher=Miss America |title=Our Miss Americas: 1975 Shirley Cothran |url=http://www.missamerica.org/our-miss-americas/1970/1975.aspx }} She currently tours as a [motivational speaker](/source/motivational_speaker) and still resides in [Texas](/source/Texas). She appeared, with her husband and three sons, on the television game show [Family Feud](/source/Family_Feud) in the season 19 episodes 62 and 64. ==Personal life== Cothran married Richard Barret in 1976 and has four children: David, Julia, John, and Mark.{{Cite web|url=http://shirleymissa.com/about.htm|title=Shirley Cothran Barret PhD Former Miss America, Author, Professional Speaker|website=shirleymissa.com}} Her daughter Julia is the oldest of her children. Though not maintaining as nearly as high of a public profile as fellow Texas-origin Miss America winner [Phyllis George](/source/Phyllis_George), Cothran did resonate with some younger women in the 1970s, described by the ''[New York Times](/source/New_York_Times)'', along with George, in 1978 as a symbol "to younger Women of Texas tenacity and grace under pressure."{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1978/02/24/archives/to-be-plain-in-texas-is-a-fate-worse-than-death-the-texas.html|title=To Be Plain in Texas Is a Fate Norse Than Death’|first=Anna|last=Quindlen|publisher=New York Times|date=February 24, 1978|accessdate=September 14, 2025}} However, Cothran made clear that she wished to raise her children “as much of a Texan as anyone.” She was openly supportive of the [Equal Rights Amendment](/source/Equal_Rights_Amendment) and spoke in favor of [abortion](/source/abortion)s which were related to rape or danger to a mother's life.{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1974/09/09/archives/for-miss-america75-the-questions-get-tougher-masters-degree.html|title=For Miss America ’75 the Questions Get Tougher|first=Judy|last=Klemesrud|publisher=New York Times|date=September 9, 1974|accessdate=September 14, 2025}} ==References== {{Reflist}} ==External links== *[http://www.shirleymissa.com/ Official website] {{s-start}} {{s-ach}} {{succession box | before=[Rebecca Ann King](/source/Rebecca_Ann_King) | title=[Miss America](/source/Miss_America) | years=1975 | after=[Tawny Godin](/source/Tawny_Little) }} {{succession box | before=Judy Mallett | title=[Miss Texas](/source/Miss_Texas) | years=1974 | after=Phyllis Barger }} {{s-end}} {{MissAmericas 1960–1979}} {{Miss America}} {{Miss America 1975 Delegates}} {{Texas pageant winners}} {{Authority control}} {{DEFAULTSORT:Cothran, Shirley}} Category:Miss America winners Category:People from Fort Worth, Texas Category:American motivational speakers Category:Living people Category:1953 births Category:Miss America Preliminary Swimsuit winners Category:Miss America 1975 delegates {{Texas-bio-stub}} {{US-pageant-bio-stub}} --- Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Shirley Cothran](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shirley_Cothran) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shirley_Cothran?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.