Miss America 1937

Miss America 1937, the 11th Miss America pageant, was held at the Steel Pier in Atlantic City, New Jersey on Saturday, September 11, 1937.[1] Shortly after being presented as Miss America, the newly crowned 17-year-old winner, Bette Cooper, left Atlantic City and returned home. Once there, she missed scheduled appointments on her first day as Miss America, as well as a theater appearance and a trip to Hollywood.[2] Her father cited illness as the reason.[3] Though not placing in the top five, representatives from different areas of New York captured three of the semi-finalist positions.

Miss America 1937
DateSeptember 11, 1937
PresentersKing Neptune
VenueSteel Pier, Atlantic City, New Jersey
Entrants49
Placements16
WinnerBette Cooper
Bertrand Island

Results

Placements
Placement Contestant
Miss America 1937
1st Runner-Up
  •  Texas – Alice Emerick
2nd Runner-Up
3rd Runner-Up
4th Runner-Up
  •  Miami – Irmigard Dietel
Top 16

Awards

Best Evening Gown

Preliminary awards
AwardsContestantTitle
TalentPhyllis Randall California
Claire Jean Nevulis Massachusetts
Grace Travis New York City

Contestants
NameTitleHometownAgeTalentPlacementAwardsNotes
Lorraine Mayfield AtlantaAtlanta
Olga Strickland Augusta
May Vivian Miller BaltimoreBaltimore
Bette Cooper Bertrand IslandHackettstown17Vocal, "When the Poppies Bloom Again"WinnerBest Evening Gown Award
Josephine Beall Birmingham
Helen Fleiss BronxThe BronxTop 16
Evelyn Townley Buckeye LakeTop 16
Phyllis Randall CaliforniaHollywood20Vocal/Dance3rd Runner-upPreliminary Talent AwardSister of Miss North Carolina 1941, Joey Augusta Paxton
Betty Hunneycutt CharlotteCharlotteTop 16
Sally Lillian Frank CincinnatiCincinnati
Frances Greene ConnecticutMilford
Nickey Harriet DelawareHarrington
Mary P. Hollran Delray BeachDelray Beach
Helen Greene District of Columbia24Blues Vocal & Piano
Beryl Kober Eastern PennsylvaniaChalfont
Margaret Myers Eastern ShoresRock Hall
Dorothy Armstrong Empire StateWhitesboro
Frances Powell Jacksonville
Lucia Benton KansasNortonTop 16
Audrey Catherine Flaig KentuckyBellevue
Gertrude Rissie Miller LouisianaWinnsboroTop 16
Cornelia Campbell MaineSouth Portland
Claire Nevulis MassachusettsSouth BostonVocal/Tap DanceTop 16Preliminary Talent Award
Irmigard Dietel MiamiVocal4th Runner-up
Cecelia Rodge MinnesotaMinneapolis
Virginia Riley MississippiWest Point
Mary Sue Klein MoberlyMoberly
Ingram Starkey MontgomeryMontgomery
Ruth Lenore Jones NebraskaNebraska City
Grace Travis New York CityNew York CityVocalTop 16Preliminary Talent Award
Ruth Covington North CarolinaTap Dance, "Gonna Go"2nd Runner-up
Jean Fadden OhioClevelandTop 16
Kathryn Crase PhiladelphiaPhiladelphia
Malen Pietrantoni Puerto Rico
Dorothy May Eden Rhode IslandEast Providence18Dr. Dorothy May Eden Trayner Erinakes died at 97 on March 20, 2017 in San Luis Obispo, California.
Helen Frances Murphy RiversideRiverside
Oliver Henderson San Antonio
Carolyn Cumbie Savannah Beach
Wayring Smathers South CarolinaColumbia
Margaret Julia Jardon South JerseyBurlington
Wauneta Bates St. LouisSt. LouisTop 16
Kathryn H. Kendrick SunnybrookSunnybrook
Alice Emerick TexasFort WorthTap Dance1st Runner-up
Irene Alice Vanderburgh TroyWatervliet
Frances Lee Sultan VirginiaKecoughtanTop 16
Juliana Bernhardt WashingtonSeattle
Evelyn Raye Westchester CountyNew RochelleTop 16
Mary Ann McLaughlin WyomingRiverton

References
  1. United Press (1937-09-12). "17-Year-Old Jersey Blond is Miss America for 1937". Syracuse Herald. p. Two A.
  2. Hetrick, Christian (July 18, 2015). "The curse of Miss New Jersey". The Press of Atlantic City. Pleasantville, NJ: BH Media. Retrieved July 31, 2015.
  3. Associated Press (1937-09-13). "Bette Cooper, Tired and Ill, Leaves Atlantic City with First Boyfriend". Lewiston Daily Sun. p. 13.

Secondary sources
  • Saulino Osborne, Angela (1995). "Miss Americas and their Courts". Miss America The Dream Lives On. Taylor Publishing Company. ISBN 978-0-87833-110-9.
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