Lu Parker

Frances Louise "Lu" Parker is an American actress, journalist and beauty pageant titleholder who won Miss USA 1994.

Early life

Born in Anderson, South Carolina, Parker attended the College of Charleston, where she was a sister of Alpha Delta Pi and received a Bachelor of Arts degree in English. She then went on to receive a Master of Arts in Education from The Citadel. After graduating, Parker taught English Literature at North Charleston High School.

Her first television broadcasting job was for WCSC-TV in Charleston, South Carolina, where she was an education reporter and fill-in anchor.

Pageant participation

After winning Miss South Carolina USA, Parker competed at Miss USA 1994. She came into the semi-finals in first place, having won all three preliminary competitions. After the semi-finals, she went into the Top 6 in second place. After the judges' question, she just made the cut in the final three in third place, eventually becoming the third South Carolinian to be crowned Miss USA. She continued on to compete in the 1994 Miss Universe Pageant in Manila, Philippines, where she placed among the top 6 finalists and finished 4th overall.