Marilyn Van Derbur

Marilyn Elaine Van Derbur was born on June 16, 1937, in Denver, Colorado. She came from a family involved in the Denver mortuary business. Van Derbur attended East High School, graduating in 1955. She continued her education at the University of Colorado, where she earned a degree in English literature, graduating with Phi Beta Kappa honors in 1960.

During her sophomore year at the University of Colorado, Van Derbur was selected to represent Pi Beta Phi in the Miss University of Colorado pageant. In May 1957, she was crowned Miss University of Colorado. Following this, in July 1957, she competed in and won the title of Miss Colorado. Her success continued, leading to her crowning as Miss America on September 7, 1957, in Atlantic City, New Jersey. After her reign, she moved to New York City and became the television spokeswoman for AT&T’s The Bell Telephone Hour and hosted 10 episodes of Candid Camera. She also worked as the television hostess for the Miss America Pageant for five years.

In 1975, Van Derbur established the Marilyn Van Derbur Motivational Institute, producing a series of motivational films for business meetings and conventions. At the age of 53, she publicly disclosed her experiences with child incestuous abuse by her father, which occurred from ages 5 to 18. This story gained national attention, featuring on the cover of People magazine in June 1991. She and her husband provided initial funding for an adult incest survivor program at The Kempe Center, and she founded the Survivors United Network. In 2021, she announced plans to auction her Miss America crown to benefit Denver Public Schools, further demonstrating her commitment to supportive causes.