Donna Axum Whitworth was born January 3, 1942 in El Dorado, Union County, Arkansas to Idelle and Hurley B. Axum. He father was a banker. Whitworth grew up in El Dorado and attended El Dorado High School. During her senior year, Whitworth won her first title as, Miss Union County in 1958. After graduating high school Whitworth enrolled at the University of Arkansas, Fayetteville and pledge to the Delta Delta Delta sorority. While at the University of Arkansas Whitworth became a founding member of the Uarkettes singing group. From 1960-1963, Whitworth entered several pageants and won many including Miss Hospitality Pageant, Miss University of Arkansas, Miss Dixie Pageant, and Forestry Queen Pageant.

In the summer of 1963, Whitworth entered the Miss Arkansas Pageant and was awarded the title, which allowed her to go to Atlantic City, New Jersey to compete for the Miss America Pageant. Whitworth was crowned Miss American 1964. Using her Miss America scholarship, Whitworth retuned to the University of Arkansas, Fayetteville and completed her Bachelor of Arts in speech and drama in 1966, and received her Master of Arts in speech and drama in 1969.

Building upon her degrees Whitworth taught speech at Texas Tech University in Lubbock, Texas as well as Blinn College in Brenham, Texas. She also presented seminars on beauty and women’s issues and produced and co-hosted the Noon television show in Austin, Texas, in the 1970s.

In 1984, she married J. Bryan Whitworth. Together they have five children and ten grandchildren.

Throughout her career, Whitworth was named one of University of Arkansas’s Distinguished Alumni in 1988 and was named to the Fulbright College of Arts and Sciences Distinguished Alumni Academy in 2000. She is a Charter and Gold member of the University of Arkansas Chancellor’s Society and the National Development Council. She served on the Arkansas Alumni Foundation and the Arkansas Alumni Association Board of Directors and is a life member of the University of Arkansas Alumni Association. Furthermore, she established an endowed scholarship fund for University of Arkansas students who graduate from Arkansas high schools and show financial need. She has served the university on the Executive Committee for the Campaign to Restore Old Main and the steering committee of its Campaign for the Twenty-First Century. Additionally, Whitworth gave a substantial donation which led to the creation and dedication in 2003 of the 10,000-square-foot Donna Axum Fitness Center in the University of Arkansas’s Health, Physical Education, and Recreation Building.