Donna Axum was born on January 3, 1942 in El Dorado, Arkansas, USA. She was married to J. Bryan Whitworth, Gus Franklin Mutscher and Michael Alan Buckley. She died on November 4, 2018 in Fort Worth, Texas, USA.
Her second husband Gus Franklin Mutscher is a former Speaker of the Texas House of Representatives, having served from 1969-1972. He was one of several Texas politicians indicted in the Sharpstown bank stock fraud scandal.
Her Miss America scholarship was used to complete her Bachelor degree in 1966, and Masters degree at the University of Arkansas at Fayetteville in Speech/Drama, Radio/TV/film in 1969.
Axum first married Michael Alan Buckley and had one child, Lisa.