Born in Haverhill, Massachusetts, United States, Sylvia Louise Hitchcock turned 69 on January 31, 2015. She died in Miami, Florida, USA on August 16, 2015.

Raised in Miami, Hitchcock attended Miami Palmetto Senior High School in Pinecrest, Florida, Miami Dade College in Miami and The University of Alabama in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, USA. In 1967, she won Miss Alabama USA, Miss USA and Miss Universe.

In 1970, Hitchcock married William Carson, the inventor of a fruit harvesting machine. They have three children namely Jonathan Hitchcock Carson, Christianne Hitchcock Carson and Will Hitchcock Carson.

Miss USA 1967

Hitchcock was a junior at The University of Alabama when she was crowned Miss Alabama USA 1967. On May 20, 1967, she represented Alabama at Miss USA 1967 and competed against 50 other candidates in Miami Beach, Florida.

Bob Barker and June Lockhart hosted the coronation ceremony. The winner and her runners-up were:

• Miss USA 1967: Sylvia Hitchcock (Alabama)
• 1st runner-up: Susan Bradley (California)
• 2nd runner-up: Cheryl Patton (Florida)
• 3rd runner-up: Jody Bonham (Wisconsin)
• 4th runner-up: Karen Hendrix (Missouri)

Miss Universe 1967

Representing Sweden, Margareta Arvidsson was 18 years old when she was crowned Miss Universe 1966 at the Miami Beach Auditorium in Miami Beach, Florida on July 16, 1966. She bested 57 other candidates.

On July 15, 1967, Arvidsson crowned Hitchcock as her successor at the Miami Beach Auditorium. It was the 16th edition of the international beauty pageant founded by Catalina Swimwear manufacturer Pacific Knitting Mills, which was based in California, USA.

Barker hosted the coronation ceremony, which aired on CBS. Bonaire was represented in the competition for the first time.

Including Hitchcock, 56 women competed for the Miss Universe 1967 crown. These were her fellow candidates:

1. Amalia Yolanda Scuffi (Argentina)
2. Ivonne Maduro (Aruba)
3. Christl Bartu (Austria ) 
4. Elizabeth Knowles (Bahamas)
5. Mauricette Sironval (Belgium) 
6. Cheryl Michele Smith (Bermuda)
7. Marcela Montoya García (Bolivia)
8. Cristina Landwier (Bonaire)
9. Carmen Silva De Barros Ramasco (Brazil) 
10. Donna Marie Barker (Canada) 
11. Ingrid Vila Riveros (Chile) 
12. Elsa María Garrido Cajiao (Colombia)
13. Rosa María Fernández (Costa Rica)
14. Imelda Thodé (Curacao)
15. Gitte Rhein Knudsen (Denmark)
16. Jeannette Rey García (Dominican Republic)
17. Jennifer Lynn Lewis (England)
18. Ritva Helena Lehto (Finland)
19. Anne Vernier (France)
20. Elina Salavarría (Free Cuba)  
21. Fee Von Zitzewitz (Germany)
22. Elia Kalogeraki (Greece) 
23. Hope Marie Navarro Alvarez (Guam) 
24. Irene Van Campenhout (Holland)
25. Denia María Alvorado Medina (Honduras)
26. Laura Arminda Da Costa Roque (Hong Kong)
27. Guðrún Pétursdóttir (Iceland)
28. Nayyara Mirza (India)
29. Patricia Armstrong (Ireland)
30. Batia Kabiri (Israel)
31. Paola Rossi (Italy)
32. Kayoko Fujikawa (Japan) 
33. Hong Jung-ae (Korea)
34. Marie-Jossee Mathgen (Luxembourg) 
35. Monkam Anne Lowe Siprasome (Malaysia) 
36. Valentina Vales Duarte (Mexico) 
37. Pamela McLeod (New Zealand) 
38. Gro Goskor (Norway)
39. Etsuko Okuhira (Okinawa) 
40. Mirna Norma Castillero (Panama)
41. María Eugenia Torres (Paraguay)  
42. Mirtha Calvo Sommaruga (Peru)
43. Pilar Delilah Veloso Pilapil (Philippines)
44. Ivonne Coll Mendoza (Puerto Rico) 
45. Lena MacGarvie (Scotland) 
46. Bridget Ong Mei-Lee (Singapore)  
47. Windley Ballenden (South Africa) 
48. Francisca Delgado Sánchez (Spain)
49. Eva-Lisa Svensson (Sweden)
50. Elsbeth Ruegger (Switzerland)
51. Ayse Yelda Gurani (Turkey) 
52. Mayela Berton Martínez (Uruguay)
53. María Elena Pérez Branger (Venezuela) 
54. Gail Garrison (US Virgin Islands)
55. Denise Elizabeth Page (Wales)

The following were originally listed as candidates but they withdrew from the competition:

• Gloria Abbott (Antigua)
• Patsy Earp (Australia)
• Seedevi de Zoysas Tewaitta Ragama (Ceylon)
• Claudia Hill (Dominica)
• Laura Baquero (Ecuador)
• Shirley McLawrence (Grenada)
• Maria Porras Rottman (Guatemala)
• Bone Jay (Guyana)
• Elham Warwar (Jamaica)
• Marlene Talih (Lebanon)
• Patricia Best (Malta)
• Naima Benjelloun (Morocco)
• Teresa Amaro (Portugal)
• Marcelle Alves (St. Vincent)
• Feryelle Jalal (Syria)
• Prapussorn Panichkul (Thailand)
• Patsy Wilson (Trinidad and Tobago)
• Rekhaia Dekhil (Tunisia)
• Slavenka Veselinovic (Yugoslavia)

Runner-up to Hitchcock was the candidate from Venezuela. The respective second, third and fourth runners-up were the candidates from England, Finland and Israel.