Early Life and Miss Florida
Delta Ramona Leah Burke was born in Orlando, Florida to a single mother, Jean. Frederick Burke, an Orlando realtor, adopted her after marrying her mother; she has never met her biological father. Burke has two younger siblings: a brother, Jonathan; and a sister, Jennifer.
Burke graduated from Colonial High School in 1974, and won the senior superlative "Most Likely to Succeed." In 1972 she won the Miss Flame crown from the Orlando Fire Department and went on to become State Miss Flame. In her senior year of high school, she won the Miss Florida title for 1974; she was the youngest Miss Florida titleholder in pageant history. She was subsequently paired with Miss Georgia, Gail Nelson, in the 1975 Miss America pageant. Burke won a talent scholarship from the Miss America Organization, allowing her to attend a two-year study program at the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art.
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