Miss America 1952

Miss America 1952
Date	September 8, 1951 (1951-09-08)
Venue	Boardwalk Hall, Atlantic City, New Jersey
Entrants	51
Placements	15
Winner	Colleen Kay Hutchins Utah
←  1951 1953  →

Miss America 1952, the 25th Miss America pageant, was held at the Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City, New Jersey on September 8, 1951. At age 25 (the maximum age that an entrant may be), Colleen Kay Hutchins ^[1] is the second-oldest contestant to capture the crown (Debra Sue Maffett, Miss America 1983, is the oldest by a few months). ^{[2] [3]}

The first Miss Utah to win the crown, Hutchins, who died in 2010, was the mother of pro basketball player and executive Kiki Vandeweghe and grandmother of tennis player Coco Vandeweghe.

Results

Placements

Placement	Contestant
Miss America 1952	Utah – Colleen Kay Hutchins†
1st Runner-Up	Indiana – Carol Mitchell
2nd Runner-Up	North Carolina – Lu Long Ogburn
3rd Runner-Up	Arkansas – Charlotte Simmen
4th Runner-Up	Florida – Mary Elizabeth Godwin
Top 10	Chicago – Adrianne Falcon Maryland – Georgia Reed Oklahoma – Bobbie Jene Simmons South Carolina – Joyce Earle Perry South Dakota – Marlene Margaret Rieb
Top 15	Alabama – Jeanne Moody Mississippi – Jessie Wynn Morgan New Hampshire – Colleen Phyllis Gallant Tennessee – Jean Harper West Virginia – Phyllis Lee Walker

Awards

Preliminary awards

Awards	Contestant
Lifestyle and Fitness	Arkansas - Charlotte Simmen North Carolina - Lu Long Ogburn South Dakota - Marlene Margaret Rieb
Talent	Alabama - Jeanne Moody North Carolina - Lu Long Ogburn Utah - Colleen Kay Hutchins

Other awards

Awards	Contestant
Miss Congeniality	Hawaii - Claire Katherine Heen (tie) Puerto Rico - Otilia Jimenez (tie)

Contestants

Title	Name	Hometown	Age	Talent	Placement	Awards	Notes
Alabama	Jeanne Moody	Cherokee	21	Dramatic Skit, "Sorry, Wrong Number"	Top 10	Preliminary Talent Award
Arkansas	Charlotte Simmen	Little Rock		Vocal & Art Exhibition	3rd Runner-up	Preliminary Lifestyle and Fitness Award
California	Patricia Lehman	Sacramento		Piano
Canada	Marjorie Alma Kelly	Courtland
Chicago	Adrianne Falcon	Chicago		Vocal & Dance	Top 10
Colorado	Jo London	Aurora		Dramatic Monologue
Connecticut	Beverly Buriant	Bridgeport		Drama			Later Miss Connecticut USA 1953
Delaware	Suzanne Parrott	Dover		Piano
District of Columbia	June Klein		21	Vocal
Florida	Mary Elizabeth Godwin	Gainesville		Pantomime, "Betty Boop"	4th Runner-up
Georgia	Carol Frances Taylor	Alma	20	Monologue
Greater Philadelphia	Margaret Ramsdale	Philadelphia		Vocal, "Danny Boy"
Hawaii	Claire Katherine Heen	Honolulu		Hula		Miss Congeniality
Idaho	Phyllis Ralstin	Nezperce		Operatic Vocal, "My Hero" from The Chocolate Soldier
Illinois	Doris King	Granite City		Dance
Indiana	Carol Mitchell	Rochester		Chalk Talk & Marionette Exhibition	1st Runner-up
Iowa	Nancy Jane Norman	Shenandoah	19	Vocal, "Romance" from The Desert Song
Kentucky	Dottye Nuckols	Bowling Green		Vocal
Louisiana	Jeanne Thompson	Baton Rouge		Dance			Later Miss Louisiana USA 1952 & 1953, the only woman ever to compete at Miss USA twice
Maine	Beverly Ann Emery	Auburn		Classical Vocal from The Student Prince
Maryland	Georgia Reed	Baltimore		Vocal, "Love is Where You Find it" from The Kissing Bandit	Top 10
Massachusetts	Mildred Almeida	New Bedford		Fashion Modeling
Michigan	Delores Maria Berruezo	St. Clair Shores		Dance			First Latina Miss Michigan
Minnesota	Katherine Rose Clark	Minneapolis	20	Classical Vocal, "The Jewel Song" from Faust			Kathryn Rose Clark, a native of La Crosse, Wis., was a student the MacPhail School of Music in Minneapolis, Minn. for three years at the time of her state victory.
Mississippi	Jessie Morgan	Newton		Ballet	Top 15
Missouri	Carol Romann	St. Charles		Bassoon
Montana	Patricia McGinty	Great Falls		Classical Vocal, "Mon cœur s'ouvre à ta voix" from Samson and Delilah
Nebraska	Geraldine Elseman	Omaha		Dramatic Monologue
Nevada	Donna Sollars	Reno		Vocal & Ukulele, "Has Anybody Seen My Gal?" & "Can't Help Lovin' Dat Man"
New Hampshire	Coleen Gallant	Laconia		Water Skiing	Top 15
New Jersey	Bernice Massi	Camden
New York	Louise Orlando	Syracuse		Vocal
New York City	Sandy Scott	New York City		Vocal
North Carolina	Lu Ogborn	Smithfield		Piano, "Malagueña"	2nd Runner-up	Preliminary Talent Award Preliminary Lifestyle and Fitness Award
North Dakota	Marilyn Walker	Minot		Painting Display
Ohio	Ruth Howell	Apple Creek		Drama
Oklahoma	Bobby Jene Simmons	Oklahoma City		Classical Vocal, "Je Veux Vivre" from Roméo et Juliette	Top 10
Oregon	Audrey Mistretta	Astoria		Vocal
Pennsylvania	Clare Lippert	Tarentum		Vocal, "Lullaby of Broadway"
Puerto Rico	Otilia Jimenez					Miss Congeniality
South Carolina	Joyce Perry	Conway		Comedy Vocal, "Sewing Machine"	Top 10
South Dakota	Marlene Rieb	Parkston		Baton Twirling	Top 10	Preliminary Lifestyle and Fitness Award
Tennessee	Jean Harper	Memphis		Vocal, "Smoke Gets in Your Eyes"	Top 15		Later Miss Tennessee USA 1952 and 1st Runner-up at Miss USA 1952
Texas	Glenda Holcomb	Odessa		Dramatic Monologue
Utah	Colleen Kay Hutchins	Salt Lake City	25	Dramatic Monologue, "Elizabeth the Queen" by Maxwell Anderson	Winner	Preliminary Talent Award
Vermont	Peggy Gilbert	Rutland		Dance
Virginia	Shirley Bryant	Norfolk		Vocal
Washington	Darlene Shaffer	Seattle		Dress Design
West Virginia	Phyllis Walker	Charleston		Drama	Top 15
Wisconsin	Sheila Murphy	Marshfield	18	Monologue
Wyoming	Patricia Seabeck	Casper		Monologue

References

1. Noland, Claire (2010-03-24). "Colleen Kay Hutchins, Miss America 1952, dies at 83". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 2025-12-05.
2. "Atlantic City Launches King-Size Utah Miss". Salt Lake Tribune . New York Times News Service. September 10, 1951. p. 1.
3. "Utah Girl, 25, 5 Feet 10 Tall, Miss America". Long Beach Press-Telegram . Associated Press. September 9, 1951. p. 1.

Secondary sources

• Saulino Osborne, Angela (1995). "Miss Americas and their Courts". Miss America The Dream Lives On. Taylor Publishing Company. ISBN   0-87833-110-7.

External links

• Miss America official website