Whitestone first participated in Shelby County Junior Miss program . While not actually a beauty pageant , the experience gave her the confidence to begin entering pageants . Her first year in the Miss America system , she won the Miss Jacksonville State University title , and went on to be Miss Alabama . She stood next to Miss Virginia ( Culen Johnson ) in the finals of the Miss America 1995 pageant . When the first runner-up was announced , she could not hear the host Regis Philbin but could read his lips . Surprised , she looked to her fellow contestant for confirmation that she had won
Miss America 1995
Miss America 1995
Heather Whitestone