Miss America 1945
| Miss America 1945 | |
|---|---|
| Date | September 8, 1945 |
| Presenters | Bob Russell |
| Venue | Boardwalk Hall, Atlantic City, New Jersey |
| Entrants | 39 |
| Placements | 13 |
| Winner | Bess Myerson New York City |
Miss America 1945, the 19th Miss America pageant, was held at Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City, New Jersey on September 8, 1945.[1] Two days prior to the actual selection and coronation, the night of the talent competition, the Army Air Force Veterans voted the eventual winner, Miss New York City (Bess Myerson) as their favorite beauty queen.[2]
Overview
Bess Myerson was the first Jewish-American and the first Miss New York[3] (competing as Miss New York City, a competition organized by a local radio station[4]) to win the Miss America Pageant as Miss America 1945.[5][6][7][4][8] As the only Jewish contestant, Myerson was encouraged by the pageant directors to change her name to "Bess Meredith"[6] or "Beth Merrick"[5] but she refused.[6][5] After winning the title (and as a Jewish Miss America), Myerson received few endorsements[6][5][7][8][4] and later recalled that "I couldn't even stay in certain hotels [...] there would be signs that read no coloreds, no Jews, no dogs. I felt so rejected. Here I was chosen to represent American womanhood and then America treated me like this."[6] She thus cut short her Miss America tour and instead traveled with the Anti-Defamation League. In this capacity, she spoke against discrimination in a talk entitled, "You Can't Be Beautiful and Hate."[6][5][7][8][4]
Results
Placements
| Final results | Contestant |
|---|---|
| Miss America 1945 | |
| 1st runner-up |
|
| 2nd runner-up |
|
| 3rd runner-up |
|
| 4th runner-up |
|
| Top 13 |
|
| Miss Congeniality |
|
Delegates
The Miss America 1945 delegates are:[9]
| City or State | Name | Hometown | Age | Talent | Placement | Awards | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Arkansas | Leslie Hampton | Lake Village | 18 | ||||
| Atlanta | Pauline Walker | Atlanta | 18 | ||||
| Birmingham | Frances Lanell Dorn | Birmingham | 18 | 2nd runner-up | Talent (tie)[10] | ||
| Boston | Claire Thibadeau | Cambridge | 19 | ||||
| California | Polly Ellis | Tarzana | 19 | Top 13 | |||
| Chicago | Louise Wieland | Chicago | 19 | Top 13 | |||
| Cincinnati | Virginia Lee Pleasant | Portsmouth | 20 | ||||
| Connecticut | Sylvia K. Shaw | Hartford | 20 | ||||
| Detroit | Barbara Lee Smith | Detroit | 20 | ||||
| District of Columbia | Dorothy Louise Powell | Washington, D.C. | 21 | Top 13 | |||
| Florida | Virginia Freeland | Miami | 19 | 3rd runner-up | |||
| Georgia | Doris Joyce Coker | Columbus | 18 | ||||
| Illinois | Beverly Ann Long | Joliet | 18 | ||||
| Indiana | Betty Anna Lackyear | Evansville | 20 | ||||
| Iowa | Jeanne Gordon | Des Moines | 19 | ||||
| Maine | Virginia Trask | Portland | 18 | ||||
| Maryland | Virginia Lee Van Sant | Cumberland | 20 | Top 13 | |||
| Massachusetts | Ruth Claire Thomas | Belmont | 18 | ||||
| Miami Beach | Rae Evelyn Crist | Miami Beach | 19 | ||||
| Michigan | Theresa Mary Sullivan | Detroit | 19 | ||||
| Minnesota | Arlene Anderson | Minneapolis | 19 | 4th runner-up | |||
| Mississippi | Harriet Jane Carr | Marks | 21 | ||||
| Missouri | Betty Ruth Ream | Hughesville | 19 | ||||
| New Hampshire | Margorie Lundfelt | Spofford Lake | 19 | ||||
| New Jersey | Matilda Agin | New Brunswick | 20 | ||||
| New Orleans | Helen Shively | New Orleans | 21 | ||||
| New York City | Bess Myerson | New York City | 21 | Miss America 1945 | Talent (tie)[11] Swimsuit[12] |
||
| New York[13] | June Jenkins | Elmont | 18 | ||||
| North Carolina | Dorothy Louise Johnson | Winston-Salem | 21 | Top 13 | |||
| Northern British Columbia | Georgina E. Patterson | British Columbia, Canada | 19 | Miss Congeniality | |||
| Ohio | Julia Ann Donahue | Oxford | 19 | ||||
| Pennsylvania | Timmy Weston | McKeesport | 18 | ||||
| Philadelphia | Gloria Bair | Philadelphia | 19 | Top 13 | |||
| Rhode Island | Mary Stevens | Cranston | 24 | ||||
| San Diego | Phyllis Mathis | San Diego | 19 | 1st runner-up | |||
| South Carolina | Margaret Neeley | Columbia | 19 | ||||
| Tennessee | Lee Harriet Henson | Chattanooga | 18 | Top 13 | |||
| Texas | Polly Below | Galveston | 18 | Top 13 | |||
| Utah | Dorothy F. Holohan | Salt Lake City | 21 | ||||
| Vermont | Mary Staikos | Burlington | 21 | ||||
| Wisconsin | Eileen Christy | Menomonie | 20 |
References
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- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
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- ↑ Miss New York History
External links
- Miss America 1945 - Miss America Organization
- Bess Myerson: Miss America 1945, Bess Myerson Dies At The Age Of 90 - CBS News, January 5, 2015.
