Miss America 1961

34th Miss America pageant

Miss America 1961
Nancy Anne Fleming, Miss America 1961
Date	September 10, 1960
Presenters	Bert Parks
Venue	Boardwalk Hall, Atlantic City, New Jersey
Broadcaster	CBS
Entrants	54
Placements	10
Winner	Nancy Fleming Michigan
← 1960 1962 →

Miss America 1961, the 34th Miss America pageant, was held at the Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City, New Jersey on September 10, 1960, on CBS.

The telecast was watched by a reported 85 million viewers. Nancy Fleming, the winner as Miss Michigan, later became a television personality and the wife of Jim Lange, host of TV's The Dating Game.

Results

Placements

Placement	Contestant
Miss America 1961	Michigan – Nancy Fleming[1]
1st Runner-Up	California – Suzanne Marie Reamo[2]
2nd Runner-Up	North Carolina – Ann Farrington Herring[2]
3rd Runner-Up	District of Columbia – Ruth Rea[2]
4th Runner-Up	Indiana – Tommye Lou Glaze[2]
Top 10	Alabama – Teresa Rinaldi Idaho – Marlene Rae Coleman Massachusetts – Brenda Corvo South Carolina – Edith Sandra Browning Utah – Marian Faye Walker

Order of announcements

Top 10  Alabama  California  District of Columbia  Idaho  Indiana  Massachusetts  Michigan  North Carolina  South Carolina  Utah

Top 5  California  District of Columbia  Indiana  Michigan  North Carolina

Awards

Preliminary awards

Award	Contestant
Lifestyle and Fitness	District of Columbia – Ruth Rea Michigan – Nancy Fleming South Carolina – Edith Sandra Browning
Talent	Alabama – Teresa Rinaldi (tie) Michigan – Nancy Fleming (tie) Indiana – Tommye Lou Glaze Utah – Marian Faye Walker

Other awards

Award	Contestant
Miss Congeniality	New York – Susan Jane Talbert
Non-finalist Talent	Canada – Iris Elaine Thurwell Chicago – Margaret McDowell Illinois – Vicky Joyce Nutter Maine – Sally Ann Robinson Mississippi – Patricia McRaney Oregon – Rosemary Doolen Texas – Mary Cage Moore[1]

Contestants

State	Name	Hometown	Age	Talent	Placement	Awards	Notes
Alabama	Teresa Rinaldi	Birmingham	21	Vocal, "Addio" from La bohème	Top 10	Preliminary Talent Award
Alaska	June Bowdish	Anchorage	22	Dramatic Monologue from St. Joan
Arizona	Georgia Garbarino	Flagstaff	18	Modern Dance, "An American in Paris"
Arkansas	Claudette Smith	Star City	18	Vocal			Mother of Miss Arkansas 1991, Heather Hunnicut
California	Suzanne Reamo	La Mesa	20	Vocal, "Love is Where You Find it"	1st runner-up
Canada	Iris Elaine Thurwell	Northtown		Vocal		Non-finalist Talent Award
Chicago	Margaret McDowell	Evanston	21	Dramatic Reading		Non-finalist Talent Award
Colorado	Anne Walker	Littleton	18	Dance
Connecticut	Wendy Mitchell	New Haven	18	Vocal, "Just in Time"
Delaware	Deborah Dunkenfield Benoit	Wilmington	21	Composite Expression of Special Training
District of Columbia	Ruth Rea	Chevy Chase, MD	18	Vocal, "A Little Brains, A Little Talent" from Damn Yankees	3rd runner-up	Preliminary Lifestyle & Fitness Award
Florida	Kathy Magda	Fort Lauderdale	19	Dramatic Monologue from Our Town
Georgia	Sandra Tally	Homerville	18	Piano, "Deep Purple"
Hawaii	Gabriella Haleakala'l	Honolulu	20	Hula
Idaho	Marlene Coleman	Pocatello	18	Vocal, "If I Were on the Stage"	Top 10		Contracted laryngitis and was unable to perform her talent during the national telecast
Illinois	Vicky Joyce Nutter	Vandalia	18	Presentation of Fashion Designs		Non-finalist Talent Award
Indiana	Tommye Glaze	Culver	21	Classical Vocal, "Una Voce Poco Fa" from The Barber of Seville	4th runner-up	Preliminary Talent Award
Iowa	Sally Neville	Davenport	18	Dramatic Reading, "Mother on a Moment's Notice"
Kansas	Gayla Leigh Shoemake	El Dorado	19	Original Dramatic Interpretation, "Rude Awakening"
Kentucky	Alice Chumbley	Jamestown	21	Dramatic Monologue from The Country Girl
Louisiana	Judith Ann Coday	Baton Rouge	20	Vocal
Maine	Sally Ann Robinson	Enfield	20	Monologue/Piano		Non-finalist Talent Award
Maryland	Robin Carole Davis	Hyattsville	18	Vocal, "I Cain't Say No"
Massachusetts	Brenda Crovo	Reading	20	Vocal Medley, "Bill" & "Can't Help Lovin' Dat Man" from Show Boat	Top 10
Michigan	Nancy Fleming	Montague	18	Presentation of Dress Design	Winner	Preliminary Lifestyle & Fitness Award Preliminary Talent Award
Minnesota	Jean Elverum	Fairbault	22	Vocal, "Romany Life" from The Fortune Teller
Mississippi	Patricia McRaney	McComb	20	Speech & Art Presentation		Non-finalist Talent Award
Missouri	Dusene Vunovich	Kansas City	19	Vocal, "Honey Bun" from South Pacific
Montana	Lois Marie Volkel	Missoula	18	Classical Vocal, "Voi lo Sapete" from Cavalleria rusticana
Nebraska	Cheryl Ann Jacke	Shelton	18	Vocal
Nevada	Nancy Bowen	McGill	19	Humorous Reading & Piano
New Hampshire	Drina Bouchard	Rochester	18	Cha-cha-cha Interpretation
New Jersey	Ann Barber	Westfield	18
New Mexico	Carolyn Moore	Carlsbad	18	Caricature Drawing
New York	Susan Talbert	Ogdensburg	19	Dance		Miss Congeniality
New York City	Sherrylyn Patecell	New York City
North Carolina	Ann Herring	Winston-Salem	19	Vocal, "The Lonely Goatherd" from The Sound of Music	2nd runner-up
North Dakota	Carol Olson	Fargo	21	Dramatic Monologue from Mary Stuart
Ohio	Alice McClain	Marion	18	Vocal, "Summertime" & "I Got Plenty of Nothin'"
Oklahoma	Donna Kay Creed	Enid	20	Vocal, "The Sound of Music"
Oregon	Rosemary Doolen	Salem	19	Vocal, "A Heart That's Free"		Non-finalist Talent Award
Pennsylvania	Priscilla Mae Hendricks	Shillington	19	Original Display of Art Work
Rhode Island	Sally Saabye	Warwick	18	Piano/Pantomime
South Carolina	Edith Sandra Browning	Greenwood	19	Comic Dance/Pantomime, "I Wish I Could Shimmy Like my Sister Kate"	Top 10	Preliminary Lifestyle & Fitness Award
South Dakota	Janet Barber	Britton	18	Dramatic Interpretation, "Casual Approach to Violence"
Tennessee	Jenny Thomas	Nashville	19	Modern Ballet, Porgy and Bess
Texas	Mary Cage Moore	Laredo	18	Spanish Dance with music by Manuel de Falla		Non-finalist Talent Award
Utah	Marian Faye Walker	Salt Lake City	27	Classical Vocal, "The Waltz Aria" from Mireille	Top 10	Preliminary Talent Award
Vermont	Anne Masino	Randolph	18	Accordion, "China Boy"
Virginia	Catherine Birch	Staunton	19	Classical Ballet			Later married magician John A. Daniel
Washington	Connie Hughes	Bellingham	18	Original Monologue
West Virginia	Mary Hoback	Bluefield	18	Original Dramatic Reading
Wisconsin	Karen Fahrenbach	Racine	21	Classical Ballet en Pointe, The Sleeping Beauty
Wyoming	Sharon Luond	Cheyenne	18	Dramatic Monologue from Wingless Victory by Maxwell Anderson

References

1. "Michigan Girl Miss America". The Cincinnati Enquirer. Associated Press. 11 Sep 1960. p. 1. Retrieved 17 November 2023.
2. "Miss America To Go to College When Reign Ends". Philadelphia Daily News. United Press International. 12 Sep 1960. p. 8. Retrieved 17 November 2023.

External links

• Miss America official website

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