Ebony update: Debbye Turner - former Miss America - Interview

Ebony, Feb, 1993

Former Miss America fulfills her dream of becoming a doctor of veterinary medicine

When former Miss America Debbye Turner removed her crown and placed it atop the head of the nation's new beauty queen in September 1990, it signaled the end of an eight-year quest to capture the coveted crown and marked her renewed pursuit of a career in veterinary medicine.

With only a semester remaining at the University of Missouri veterinary school, Turner had no problem trading her glittering evening gowns for a starched lab coat. Once she returned to veterinary school, she became the antithesis of her beauty queen image. On cold winter morinings, she donned blue jeans, bulky jackets and work boots while tending to some 200 to 300 cows on Missouri farms. For the most part, Turner and her classmates vaccinated livestock against disease, determined if cows were pregnant and examined bulls being sold at auction.

"When you're checking to see if a cow is pregnant, you don't use a test kit--you use your whole arm," the 27-year-old Turner says with a laugh. "My little joke was that I went from being up to my brow in work as Miss America to being up to my shoulder in cows. But it's all part of veterinary school."

Turner recalls being at a bulls sell where she had to measure the bulls to estimate their breeding capacity, a significant factor in determining its market value, she says.

A farmer walked by and saw her performing the procedure, Turner recalls. "He turned to his friend and said, 'Heck, if I had known Miss America was going to be here, I would have left my bull at home." I think it was more of an adjustment for other people that I came back to normal life than it was for me."

Turner dreamed of becoming a veterinarian from the time she was 13 years old. She spent summers at the office of a veterinarian who allowed her to hold animals during treatments, observe surgical procedures and look at organisms under a microscope. Her childhood dream came true when she walked across the stage to receive her veterinary medicine degree in May 1991.

"It was the culmination of a lifelong dream," Turner says proudly. "To walk across the stage and get my doctor's degree was the greatest thrill of my life."

A bigger thrill than winning the Miss America pageant?

"Miss America was a wonderful thing, but it wasn't a lifelong dream; it was something that came along the way and was a good way to win scholarship money. Although it was a big, important part of my life, it wasn't the biggest thrust of my efforts."

With her degree, solid scores on the national board examination and celebrity status, Turner had the makings of a successful veterinary practioner. But rather than hang out her doctor's shingle, she decided to see the world.

The week after graduation, Turner embarked on a year-long speaking tour that would take her to Christian churches, schools and veterinary conferences across the United States and across the Atlantic Ocean to South Africa and Rome, Italy.

In South Africa, Turner, a born-again Christian since the age of 7, shared her faith with hundreds of people during a three-week visit in September 1991. "I talked about how God's grace and mercy had provided me with the opportunity to serve as Miss America," she recalls. "I spoke of how, with all of my heart, I believe that God has a purpose and a blue-print for all of our lives. The greatest success that we can achieve in this life is to get to know the Lord in a personal way and find out what his purpose is for us."

The South African journey also afforded Turner a close-up view of the adverse conditions Black South Africans live under in the racially torn country. "I don't see how any Black person, any person of color, or any person who has been oppressed cannot empathize with what is happening there," she says softly.

After returning from South Africa, Turner slowed down long enough to buy a condominium in St. Louis before heading off on a year-long, 21-city speaking tour for a national campaign promoting responsible pet ownership and regular veterinary care.

So what advice does she have for potential pet owners? "The very first thing that a person should do before they go look for a pet is to evaluate their lifestyle," she says.

Turner advised people to consider a pet that best fits their existing lifestyle. For example, a homeowner with a large backyard can consider a large dog, while someone who lives in an apartment should think of a smaller pet.

Potential pet owners, Turner says, should also consider the time they'll have to spend with a pet, how children will get along with the animal and whether a pet would cause any family members' allergies to flare up.

Once the person has carefully considered owning a pet, Turner says, they should take the information to a veterinarian. "Talk to the veterinarian before you get the pet and allow him or her to give some wise counsel about what you can expect from each breed of pet."

Turner points out that it's important to have the house ready before bringing a pet home. "That way there is less opportunity for mistakes or accidents to happen," she says.