“I thought I would grow up and marry Elvis,” admits Karen Foster, not a little bashfully. “I know; he died when I was twelve. But he always meant something special to me. My dad would say, 'There's an old Elvis movie on TV,' and we'd sit together and watch.” Growing up in Lufkin, Texas, Karen was incredibly close to her family. The Foster family bonded heavily over sports, and would often pump adrenaline into a Sunday family outing. Karen has especially fond memories of her family’s dirt biking adventures. “It's a neat family thing, sort of like taking a hike together, except you're on motorcycles,” explains the curly blonde-haired beauty. “My brother had one with training wheels.” Brown-eyed Karen may be a sweet Southern belle, but like any good girl, she has a naughty side, too—in Miss Foster’s case, it comes in the form of a competitive spirit. Her childhood bedroom was filled with trophies, all won in twirling competitions—clearly Karen was a force, complete with baton, to be reckoned with. “It's close to rhythmic gymnastics—it has the elements of dance and acrobatics, plus you've got the baton to worry about,” explains all-natural Miss Foster. “But what it teaches you is that you just don't become a twirler. You learn to be responsible, to organize your time, to work toward a goal.” Miss Foster always reaches her goal, no matter how hard she has to work to achieve it. During the seven years she was enrolled in karate courses, she always placed within the top three in tournaments; in school, she graduated within the top ten of her class out of hundreds of students. The world ‘overachiever’ does not begin to define Miss Foster, who also studied accounting and computer science at the University of Houston. It came as no surprise to those closest to her when she was chosen to be our Miss October 1989. “I'm always going to have a brain, but now is the time to see what I can do with these looks,” says our busty Playmate. When Karen Foster puts her mind to something, nothing can stop her.