Maria Fletcher
Maria Fletcher | |
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Postcard of Fletcher as Miss America 1962 | |
Born | Maria Beale Fletcher (1942-06-23) June 23, 1942 (age 82) Asheville, North Carolina, United States |
Alma mater | Vanderbilt University |
Title | Miss Asheville 1961 Miss North Carolina 1961 Miss America 1962 |
Predecessor | Nancy Fleming |
Successor | Jacquelyn Mayer |
Children | 2 |
Maria Beale Fletcher (born June 23, 1942) is an American beauty pageant contestant who was Miss America 1962.[1]
Early life and education
Fletcher was born to dancing duo Charles "Beale" and Margaret Gatley Fletcher, who were the founders of the Fletcher School of Dance and the Land of the Sky Civic Ballet. She has one brother, Walter, and two sisters, Margaret and Bonnie.[2]
She is from Asheville, North Carolina, and was a graduate of A.C. Reynolds High School. She worked as a Radio City Music Hall Rockette prior to winning the Miss America crown.[3] After winning Miss America, Fletcher used her earned scholarship towards a degree in French from Vanderbilt University.[4]
Pageantry
She was the Miss America preliminary competition swimsuit winner, and her overseas tour included visits to 31 Army hospitals and Servicemen's Clubs. For the talent competition, she tap danced to a recording of herself singing “Somebody Loves Me.”[5] She remains as of 2022[update] the only Miss North Carolina to be crowned Miss America.
Career
During the late 1960s, Fletcher served as co-host of The Noon Show on Nashville, Tennessee, television station WSM.
References
- ^ Neufeld, Rob (January 15, 2015). "Portrait of the past: Miss America parade". Citizen Times.
- ^ "Oral History Register for Beale Fletcher, 1914-1994 and Peggy Fletcher". University of North Carolina at Asheville. Archived from the original on 2008-04-11.
- ^ "Miss America History 1962". Archived from the original on 2006-09-23. Retrieved 2006-12-31.
- ^ Tauber, Michelle; Neill, Mike; Russell, Lisa; Fowler, Joanne; Dam, Julie; Tresniowski, Alex; Miller, Samantha; Dougherty, Steve; Yu, Ting (October 16, 2000). "American Beauties: 80 Years". People.
- ^ "Our First Miss America". NC DNCR blog. September 9, 2013.
Awards and achievements | ||
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Preceded by Nancy Fleming | Miss America 1962 | Succeeded by Jacquelyn Mayer |
Preceded by Ann Herring | Miss North Carolina 1961 | Succeeded by Susan Woodall |
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- Margaret Gorman (1921)
- Mary Campbell (1922)
- Mary Campbell (1923)
- Ruth Malcomson (1924)
- Fay Lanphier (1925)
- Norma Smallwood (1926)
- Lois Delander (1927)
- Marian Bergeron (1933)
- Henrietta Leaver (1935)
- Rose Coyle (1936)
- Bette Cooper (1937)
- Marilyn Meseke (1938)
- Patricia Donnelly (1939)
- Frances Marie Burke (1940)
- Rosemary LaPlanche (1941)
- Jo-Carroll Dennison (1942)
- Jean Bartel (1943)
- Venus Ramey (1944)
- Bess Myerson (1945)
- Marilyn Buferd (1946)
- Barbara Jo Walker (1947)
- BeBe Shopp (1948)
- Jacque Mercer (1949)
- Yolande Betbeze (1951)
- Colleen Kay Hutchins (1952)
- Neva Jane Langley (1953)
- Evelyn Margaret Ay (1954)
- Lee Meriwether (1955)
- Sharon Ritchie (1956)
- Marian McKnight (1957)
- Marilyn Van Derbur (1958)
- Mary Ann Mobley (1959)
- Lynda Lee Mead (1960)
- Nancy Fleming (1961)
- Maria Fletcher (1962)
- Jacquelyn Mayer (1963)
- Donna Axum (1964)
- Vonda Kay Van Dyke (1965)
- Deborah Bryant (1966)
- Jane Anne Jayroe (1967)
- Debra Dene Barnes (1968)
- Judith Anne Ford (1969)
- Pamela Eldred (1970)
- Phyllis Ann George (1971)
- Laurie Lea Schaefer (1972)
- Terry Meeuwsen (1973)
- Rebecca Ann King (1974)
- Shirley Cothran (1975)
- Tawny Elaine Godin (1976)
- Dorothy Benham (1977)
- Susan Perkins (1978)
- Kylene Barker (1979)
- Cheryl Prewitt (1980)
- Susan Powell (1981)
- Elizabeth Ward (1982)
- Debra Maffett (1983)
- Vanessa Williams / Suzette Charles (1984)
- Sharlene Wells (1985)
- Susan Akin (1986)
- Kellye Cash (1987)
- Kaye Lani Rae Rafko (1988)
- Gretchen Carlson (1989)
- Debbye Turner (1990)
- Marjorie Judith Vincent (1991)
- Carolyn Suzanne Sapp (1992)
- Leanza Cornett (1993)
- Kimberly Clarice Aiken (1994)
- Heather Whitestone (1995)
- Shawntel Smith (1996)
- Tara Dawn Holland (1997)
- Katherine Shindle (1998)
- Nicole Johnson (1999)
- Heather French (2000)
- Angela Perez Baraquio (2001)
- Katie Harman (2002)
- Erika Harold (2003)
- Ericka Dunlap (2004)
- Deidre Downs (2005)
- Jennifer Berry (2006)
- Lauren Nelson (2007)
- Kirsten Haglund (2008)
- Katie Stam (2009)
- Caressa Cameron (2010)
- Teresa Scanlan (2011)
- Laura Kaeppeler (2012)
- Mallory Hagan (2013)
- Nina Davuluri (2014)
- Kira Kazantsev (2015)
- Betty Cantrell (2016)
- Savvy Shields (2017)
- Cara Mund (2018)
- Nia Franklin (2019)
- Camille Schrier (2020)
- Emma Broyles (2022)
- Grace Stanke (2023)
- Madison Marsh (2024)
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