Kaye Lani Rae Rafko

Kaye Lani Rae Rafko Wilson (born August 26, 1963) is the winner of the 1988 Miss America Pageant. She is from Monroe, Michigan, where a street is now named for her.

Kaye Lani Rae Rafko
Rafko in 2007
Born (1963-08-26) August 26, 1963
Monroe, Michigan, United States
OccupationNurse
TitleMiss Monroe County 1987
Miss Michigan 1987
Miss America 1988
PredecessorKellye Cash
SuccessorGretchen Carlson
SpouseCharles Wilson
Children3

Biography

On September 19, 1987, Rafko was named as the Miss America 1988, after winning the Miss Michigan pageant of 1987.[1] In the Miss America competition her platform included help for hospice services and her talent was a Tahitian dancing performance. Rafko has participated in a number of fundraising activities and has been a vocal advocate for nursing and hospice programs. She has addressed medical professional organizations around the world on the topic of nursing, including groups in Malaysia, Paris, Rome, and Singapore.

Rafko is a registered nurse and is married to Charles (Chuck) Wilson. They have three children: Nick, Alana and Joe. Rafko is the executive director of Gabby's Ladder, a bereavement program for children and their families, an organization she founded after the death of her fourth child.[2] Other family included a younger brother, Nick, who played football at the University of Wisconsin–Madison from 1989 to 1993, and who was killed in a car accident on June 26, 1994.

Rafko is a cohost of Only in Monroe, a monthly public-access television program, which was taken over by Late Show host Stephen Colbert for the July 2015 episode, with Wilson and rapper Eminem appearing as guests.[3] She was also filmed in the 1989 documentary Roger & Me.

References
  1. Zibart, Eve (September 21, 1987). "Just What the Judges Ordered". The Washington Post.
  2. Kaye Lani Rae Rafko at IMDb
  3. Only In Monroe --- July 2015


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