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

(1956-09-15) September 15, 1956 (age 67)
Portland, Maine, U.S.
Occupation(s)Anchorwoman; talk show host
TitleMiss New York 1975
Miss America 1976
PredecessorShirley Cothran
SuccessorDorothy Benham
Spouses
Miles Little, M.D.
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​
(m. 1977; div. 1981)​
​
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(m. 1983; div. 1986)​
Don Corsini
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(m. 1986; div. 1999)​
Rick Welch
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(m. 2000; died 2014)​
Children3

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

Early life and education

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

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

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

  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.

External links


Miss America titleholders
Miss America 1976, state titleholders
New York pageant winners
Categories