Terry Meeuwsen Friedrich | |
|---|---|
| Born | (1949-03-02)March 2, 1949 (age 76) De Pere, Wisconsin, U.S. |
| Alma mater | St. Norbert College |
| Occupation(s) | Television personality, author, singer, philanthropist |
| Years active | 1972–present |
| Organization | Orphan's Promise |
| Known for | Co-host,The 700 Club |
| Notable credit | A New Day (WTMJ-TV NBC News Local) (1978–1986) |
| Television | The 700 Club (1993–present) |
| Title | Miss Appleton 1972 Miss Wisconsin 1972 Miss America 1973 |
| Predecessor | Laurel Schaefer |
| Successor | Rebecca Ann King |
| Spouses | |
| Children | 7 |
Terry Anne Meeuwsen Friedrich (born March 2, 1949) is an American television personality, author, and singer. She is best known as the co-host of theChristian Broadcasting Network (CBN)'sThe 700 Club since 1993. Meeuwsen is the founder of Orphan’s Promise, a philanthropic organization leading charity efforts for orphans, especially advocating for help in Ukraine.
Meeuwsen was the 1972 Miss Appleton, 1972Miss Wisconsin[1][2] and the winner of theMiss America pageant in 1973, taking both the talent and swimsuit competitions.[3] She was the first Miss Wisconsin delegate to hold the Miss America title.[4]
Meeuwsen was born in 1949 inGreen Bay, Wisconsin to Joseph and Beverly (née Anderson). She was the eldest of four children. Her father worked for theWisconsin Public Service Corporation, while her mother worked for theWisconsin Telephone Company in her early years then worked until retirement for the Superintendent of Schools.[5]
AtDe Pere High School,[6] Meeuwsen was selected homecoming queen,[7] and was also a cheerleader for three years. She enrolled at the private liberal arts college,St. Norbert College in fall of 1967. She studied music and drama, but didn’t earn a degree.[8] Between 1969 and 1971, Meeuwsen performed and traveled with the singing groupThe New Christy Minstrels, but left the group to enter the Miss America pageant preliminary competitions.[9][10]
After winning the 1972 Miss Appleton and1972 Miss Wisconsin competitions, Meeuwsen competed in the1973 Miss America Competition. A fellow competitor includedCynthia Sikes (Miss Kansas; known at the time as Cindy Lee Sikes), who would later become an actress, starring on theNBCmedical dramaSt. Elsewhere. Meeuwsen also competed againstJane Badler, who would become an actress on the 1983 science-fiction miniseries,V. During the competition, Meeuwsen won both the Lifestyle and Fitness and Talent awards, before ultimately winning the title of Miss America 1973.
Following her reign as Miss America, Meeuwsen began television work atWTMJ-TV inMilwaukee in 1978, co-hosting (with Pete Wilson) a daily morning news and feature program, "A New Day." She left the station in 1986.[11]
In 1981, Meeuwsen accepted a position at The Christian Broadcasting Network (CBN) in Virginia Beach, VA, as co-host of United States Mornings ("USAM"), a proposed news and features program, with veteran newsman Brian Christie joining her as co-host. The 30-minute daily morning show was sold to network affiliates (ABC, CBS, NBC) for access via satellite as a lead-in to their popular morning network shows. (At the time, affiliates typically aired color bars from the previous night's sign-off until the morning network feed began; offering high-profile personality programming to early morning viewers soon led to networks developing their own proprietary lead-ins.)[citation needed]
After appearing onThe 700 Club several times in the late 1980s and early 1990s as a guest co-host, she became a permanent co-host in 1993,[12] sitting daily beside CBN founderPat Robertson. Since 2000, she has co-hosted the CBN show,Living the Life, with comedianLouise DuArt.[13] Both shows air onFreeform.
In her time atThe 700 Club, Meeuwsen has covered a range of interviews, especially stories of women such as death row inmateKarla Faye Tucker[14] andBarbara Bush.[15]
In 2006, Meeuwsen founded Orphan’s Promise, a non-profit organization benefitingorphans.[16] The organization operates in 69 countries around the world, including inUkraine, from where Meeuwsen and her husband adopted three children.[17] In 2022, it was reported that Orphan’s Promise has impacted 114,000 children worldwide.[18] Orphan's Promise is a part of the Christian Broadcasting Network’s goodwill arm.[19]
On September 12, 1995, Meeuwsen released the pop recording,Eyes of My Heart with Star Song Productions.[20] The album was produced by Cliff Downs.
In 1999, Meeuwsen toured with theAspiring Women Conference, featuring speakersTwila Paris, Lisa Bevere,Stormie Omartian and others.[21] In 2000, she toured with theWomen of Faith Group led bySheila Walsh.[citation needed]
Meeuwsen was married to sales manager, Thomas A. Camburn from 1974 until 1979.[22]
In 1981, Meeuwsen married her second husband, Andy Friedrich.[23] They were married until his death fromParkinson's disease on July 29, 2023 at the age of 76.[24][25] The couple has strongly advocatedadoption, and most of their children are adopted.[26] Their youngest three girls were adopted fromUkraine. The couple have seven children.
Meeuwsen began writing in the 1990s and has released several books since her first in 1996.[11][19] She co-authoredThe Millennium Hope (Answers to Your Most Critical Concerns) with her 700 Club colleague,Pat Robertson. In 2004 she narrated Robertson’s audio bookCourting Disaster: How The Supreme Court Is Usurping The Power Of Congress And The People.
Meeuwsen has contributed to books on adoption, a subject close to her family. She wrote the foreword for the book,Adopted in 2008. In 2011, Meeuwsen wrote the foreword for Mardie Caldwell and Heather Featherston's bookCalled to Adoption: A Christian's Guide to Answering the Call.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)| Awards and achievements | ||
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| Preceded by | Miss America 1973 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by Patti Jacobs | Miss Wisconsin 1972 | Succeeded by Linda Henderson |
| International | |
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| National | |
