April 3, 1961

Grace Elizabeth Ward, who was to become Miss Arkansas in 1981 and was chosen as Miss America in 1982, was born in Ozark (Franklin County). Ward changed her name to Elizabeth Ward Gracen after she went into acting because another Elizabeth Ward was already a member of the Screen Actors Guild. In 1992, she became the first former Miss America to appear nude on a Playboy magazine cover. Gracen has appeared in a number of films, television series, and made-for-television movies and has also done voice acting.