Life after being in the spotlight as Miss America ”continues to be interesting,” says Debbye Turner. Make that Dr. Debbye Turner-she`s a veterinarian now.
There have been many changes for Turner, in Chicago recently as spokeswoman for Ralston Purina Co.`s ”Caring for Pets” program, an effort to increase the awareness of the need for responsible pet ownership.
”It was a hoot” to go from traveling in limousines as Miss America 1990 to administering pregnancy tests to cows while finishing veterinary school at the University of Missouri at Columbia.
But the transition wasn`t difficult, Turner says, because ”the truth of it is I don`t consider myself a beauty queen, and I didn`t go into the Miss America pageant to break into show business.” She did it, she says, to earn the $35,000 pageant scholarship money.
Comfortable as a role model, Turner is undertaking a 20-city tour for the ”Pets” program, appearing at schools to highlight what she calls the four Cs of pet ownership: commitment, (proper) care, contact (affection, attention) and compassion, by ”having a tender heart to the needs of our animals.”
And yes, she says she really does love animals, and grew up having grown up in a household of ”mostly cats, dogs, turtles, frogs, parakeets, you name it.” Right now she only has one cat, Snicker, a Siamese/Burmese mix.
She hasn`t practiced as a veterinarian but hopes to practice companion-animal internal medicine.
Although Turner says she`s ”not into stardom and fame,” she doesn`t dismiss becoming involved in television. She would love to do a show that includes animals.
”If it made sense and it was the right situation, I could very well take advantage of it,” she says.