Tawny Little (née Godin; born September 15, 1956), Miss America 1976 and Miss New York 1975, is an American television personality.[1][2]

Tawny Little
Godin at a 1976 state dinner
Born
Tawny Elaine Godin

(1956-09-15) September 15, 1956 (age 68)
Occupation(s)Anchorwoman; talk show host
TitleMiss New York 1975
Miss America 1976
PredecessorShirley Cothran
SuccessorDorothy Benham
Spouses
Miles Little, M.D.
(m. 1977; div. 1981)
(m. 1983; div. 1986)
Don Corsini
(m. 1986; div. 1999)
Rick Welch
(m. 2000; died 2014)
Children3

Early life and education

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Godin as Miss America 1976

Godin was born in Portland, Maine. She was raised in Yonkers, New York and Toronto, Ontario, Canada.[3] She became involved with the Miss New York pageant to raise tuition for Skidmore College but dropped out after she became Miss America.[3] She later studied at the University of Southern California.[4]

Career

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Little was a reporter and anchor with three Los Angeles television stations beginning in 1977 with KABC-TV.[4] At KABC-TV, she served as a reporter, Eyewitness News anchor and co-host with a number of shows such as AM Los Angeles, Eye on LA, Hollywood Close-up and The Love Report.[4] After leaving KABC in 1992, Little joined KCAL-TV as a news anchor for Prime 9 News.[5] Later, from 1995 to 1999, she became a co-anchor with KCOP-TV's UPN News 13.[6][4] Little also appeared in a few films and television shows including Rocky II, T.J. Hooker, Hart to Hart and Benson.

Personal life

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President Gerald Ford meets with Godin and her fiancé Miles Little in 1976.

She was a contestant on The $128,000 Question starring Mike Darow back in 1977 on the subject Shakespeare. On her final win, she won $8,000.

She changed her name to Little after marrying her first husband Miles Little, a neurosurgeon in Los Angeles (1977–1981).[3] After her divorce from Little, she married The Dukes of Hazzard star John Schneider (1983–1986).[3] This marriage also ended in divorce.[7]

In 1986, Little married Don Corsini, general manager of KCBS-TV and KCAL-TV, with whom she had two sons, Joseph John, "J.J.", (born 1987) and Chris (born 1989).[7] She and Corsini divorced in 1999. She then married Los Angeles–based lawyer Rick Welch, with whom she had one son, Cole. They remained married until Welch's death in October 2014.[8]

References

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  1. ^ Nir, Sarah Maslin (7 January 2015). "Crowns Amid Controversies" – via NYTimes.com.
  2. ^ Vespa, Mary (March 22, 1976). "Miss America, Tawny Godin, Puts a Ring on Her Finger and Steps on Some Toes". People.
  3. ^ a b c d "Dukes' Star John Schneider and Ex-Miss America Tawny Little Hazzard a Marriage". People.com.
  4. ^ a b c d Miss America 1976 Archived 2010-02-04 at the Wayback Machine
  5. ^ McDougal, Dennis (1992-03-14). Tawny Little Will Be Reteamed With Jerry Dunphy on KCAL Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 2020-09-20.
  6. ^ Variety Staff (1999-11-30). Little ankles KCOP post Variety. Retrieved 2020-09-20.
  7. ^ a b Tauber, Michelle; Neill, Mike; Russell, Lisa; Fowler, Joanne; Dam, Julie; Tresniowski, Alex; Miller, Samantha; Dougherty, Steve; Yu, Ting (October 16, 2000). "American Beauties: 80 Years". People.
  8. ^ "Richard Welch Obituary – Los Angeles, CA | Los Angeles Times". Legacy.com. Retrieved 2018-12-11.
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