Slide Show by Year
| Year | Name |
| 1959-60 | Beverly Hansen Lidgard |
| 1960-61 | Joanne Baker/Erma Neff |
| 1961-62 | Mary Mondry |
| 1962-63 | Cherie Hamilton |
| 1963-64 | Christie Flinchbaugh |
| 1964-65 | Patricia Barber |
| 1965-66 | Marlene Lemons |
| 1966-67 | Sharon Michaelson |
| 1967-68 | Barbara Brown Lumen |
| 1968-69 | Terri French |
| 1969-70 | Patrice O'Grady |
| 1970-71 | Janet Campbell |
| 1971-72 | Janet Hackwith |
| 1972-73 | Vickie Diann Holder |
| 1973-74 | Robin Roberts Corbett |
| 1974-75 | Karen Ness |
| 1975-76 | Sandy Sheilds |
| 1976-77 | Terri Daniels |
| 1977-78 | Karen Alkman Goldfuss |
| 1978-79 | Kelly Jordan |
Miss California/Miss America Franchise
The Miss America Pageant was organized in 1921 by a group of Atlantic City merchants and civic leaders. It was known, at that time, as the Atlantic City Bathing Beauty Contest and was intended to be a special event designed to extend the summer season by one week.
In 1990, the Miss America Organization instituted the personal platform concept, as part of the competition, with each local and state titleholder choosing an issue of importance to herself and society. Through in-depth interviewing during local and state competitions, contestants are evaluated on their commitment to their individually chosen issue.
Today, the Miss America Pageant and its 1,500 local and state pageants comprise the largest single source of scholarship funds available to young women in the world and is the nation's leading achievement program. Annually, an estimated $32 million dollars is awarded to the more than 30,000 young women who participate in the Miss America Programs.
An estimated 300,000 volunteers donate more than 6 million hours every year to the local, state, and national pageants. This unique organization provides scholarship awards at every level of competition.
Garden Grove joined the Miss America/Miss California Pageant family in 1980 and is an official preliminary to the Miss America Pageant. The Garden Grove Scholarship Organization produces the Miss Garden Grove Scholarship pageant to provide over $5,000 in scholarships each hear to it's contestants and to give one young woman the opportunity to advance to the Miss California state pageant held in Fresno in June.
In 1981, Dolores Bedard placed first runner-up to Miss California. In 1993, Jennifer Nunes placed second runner-up and in 1994, Jennifer Hanson was the first Miss Garden Grove to be named Miss California. She went on to compete in the Miss America Pageant and was honored with a talent award. Last year, Heather Myers, Miss Garden Grove 1998 placed in the top ten at the state finals in Fresno.
Miss Garden Grove contestants have concentrated on the most significant questions facing America today: family values; mentoring; the affect of domestic violence on society; ways to motivate young people to service; and many others.