Sarah Palin Pageant Rival Lives In GA

This lady to the left is the reason why Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin lost the 1984 Miss Alaska pageant.

Maryline Blackburn was the WINNER of that pageant where Sarah Palin came in second. Ms. Blackburn now lives here in Smyrna, GA, but grew up in Fairbanks, Alaska.

“My first impression was, ‘Oh my god, she’s gorgeous, she’ll probably be the one who wins,” Blackburn, a recording artist, recalled Monday afternoon.

Second impression?

“She had this look about her, this look in her eyes that tells you she’s calculating, figuring out ‘How am I going to win this competition,’ ” Blackburn said. “There was a determination there.” And that became evident when she tripped you during the evening gown competition? “No,” Blackburn laughed. “Sarah would never do anything like that. In pageants, there’s pettiness and the little claws come out. But if Sarah was anything like that, she hid it very well.”

Instead, the flute player from small town Wasilla — also voted Miss Congeniality — wrote Blackburn a lovely note on the back of a group photo at pageant’s end: “I do love you. You’re more admired than even you know. And please keep God Number One. He’s got great things for you, baby. Love, Sarah Heath.”

Blackburn was Alaska’s first African American representative to the Miss America pageant. She had no idea that her old competition had become governor, let alone the veep prospect until her younger brother called her with the news last week.

“I’ve seen bits and pieces of her speech the other night and that look in her eyes is the look I saw 24 years ago – determined,” Blackburn said. “She’s a hellified speaker. She’s definitely polished.” But is she qualified to be vice president?

“That remains to be seen,” Blackburn said. “There’s not a lot of substance there, from the speech I’ve seen and what I’ve heard and read about who she is and what she’s done. I just don’t know.”

Surely you’ll vote for your ex-nemesis, though, right?

“No,” Blackburn said, “I am in the Obama camp.”