Jacquelyn Mayer | |
|---|---|
| Born | August 20, 1942 Sandusky, Ohio, U.S. |
| Education | Northwestern University |
| Occupation(s) | Health care activist Motivational speaker Beauty pageant director |
| Title | Miss Vacationland 1962 Miss Ohio 1962 Miss America 1963 |
| Predecessor | Maria Fletcher |
| Successor | Donna Axum |
| Spouse | John Townsend |
| Children | 2 |
Jacquelyn Jeanne Mayer (born August 20, 1942) is an American actress and beauty queen who was crowned Miss Ohio 1962 and Miss America 1963 [1] and currently travels the United States as a motivational speaker, noted for her recovery from a near-fatal stroke suffered at age 28. [2]
Mayer graduated Sandusky High School in 1960, spending much of her senior year in Austria as an exchange student, and then attended Northwestern University, where a friend encouraged her to enter the Miss America contest for the scholarship money offered to the winner. [3] [4]
She was first crowned Miss Vacationland (representing her native Sandusky and Lake Erie Islands region) in 1962 - becoming the first ever winner of the crown, then went on to win the Miss Ohio pageant later that year. [5] On September 8, 1962, at Atlantic City's Boardwalk Hall, she was crowned Miss America 1963. [6] [7]
Mayer is an executive director of the Miss Vacationland pageant. [5]
In 1970, Mayer suffered a stroke [8] in the early hours following a Thanksgiving evening with her family. [9] She was rushed to the hospital and though surviving, spent the next seven years in rehabilitation needing to re-learn such simple tasks as the alphabet and basic motor functions. [10] [11] Thirty years later, having regained the ability to walk and speak, Mayer considered herself 90% recovered. [12] Firelands Regional Medical Center in Sandusky, formerly known as Providence Hospital, features the Jackie Mayer Rehab & Skilled Nursing Center. [4]
For over 20 years, Mayer has dedicated her life to assisting stroke survivors and their families. She has been a spokeswoman for the American Heart Association, [13] made educational films to raise stroke awareness, helped found the National Stroke Association, [14] and has appeared on Good Morning America and The Phil Donahue Show , and her story has been featured in magazines such as People and Family Circle .
She married John Townsend and has two children, Bill Townsend, a technology entrepreneur, [15] and Kelly Rostic, a former anchorwoman with NBC and Fox. [4] [16]
Beauty pageants
Halls of Fame
State/Local
Other