Miss America 1958

Miss America 1958
Former Miss America 1957 Marian McKnight kisses new Miss America 1958 Marilyn Van Derbur upon her victory
Date	September 7, 1957
Presenters	Bert Parks [1]
Venue	Boardwalk Hall, Atlantic City, New Jersey
Broadcaster	CBS
Entrants	51
Placements	10
Winner	Marilyn Van Derbur Colorado
←  1957 1959  →

Miss America 1958, the 31st Miss America pageant, was held at the Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City, New Jersey on September 7, 1957 on CBS. ^[1]

The winner, Marilyn Van Derbur, who was a Phi Beta Kappa scholar at the University of Colorado, performed a medley of the songs "Tenderly" and "Tea for Two" on the organ during the talent competition. ^[1] She later revealed it was the only thing she knew how to play. ^[2]

Results

Placements

Placement	Contestant
Miss America 1958	Colorado – Marilyn Van Derbur
1st Runner-Up	Georgia – Jody Shattuck [1]
2nd Runner-Up	Oklahoma – Nancy Denner [1]
3rd Runner-Up	California – Lorna M. Anderson [1]
4th Runner-Up	Florida – Dorothy Maria Steiner [1]
Top 10	Arizona – Lynn Freyse Missouri – Sara Cooper Nevada – Loni Gravelle North Carolina – Elaine Herndon Oregon – Judith Hansen [1]

Awards

Preliminary awards

Awards	Contestant
Lifestyle and Fitness	Arizona - Lynn Freyse Georgia - Jody Shattuck North Carolina - Elaine Herndon
Talent	Indiana - Gloria Ruth Rupprecht Missouri - Sara Cooper Oregon - Judith Hansen (tie) Pennsylvania - Jennie Rebecca Blatchford (tie)

Other awards

Awards	Contestant
Miss Congeniality	New Mexico - Glynnelle Hubbard
Non-finalist Talent	Alabama - Anna Stange Connecticut - Susan Lightbown Idaho - Carene Clark Kentucky - Jane Brock Nebraska - Catherine "Kay" Nielson Utah - Francine Louise Felt Vermont - Joan Hewitt

Contestants

State	Name	Hometown	Age	Talent	Placement	Awards	Notes
Alabama	Anna Stange	Birmingham		Monologue from Mourning Becomes Electra		Non-finalist Talent Award
Arizona	Lynn Freyse	Tucson		Dramatic Reading from The Country Girl	Top 10	Preliminary Lifestyle & Fitness Award	Later starred in the TV series Hazel
Arkansas	Suzanne Scudder	Hot Springs		Vocal
California	Lorna Anderson	Sacramento		Accordion, "Dark Eyes"	3rd runner-up
Canada	Joan May Fitzpatrick	Windsor
Chicago	Bette Lieb	Chicago		Dramatic Monologue from Romeo and Juliet
Colorado	Marilyn Van Derbur	Denver	20	Organ, "Tea for Two" & "Tenderly"	Winner
Connecticut	Susan Lightbown	Fairfield		Vocal, "Wouldn't it be Loverly" from My Fair Lady		Non-finalist Talent Award
Delaware	Kathleen Ann D'Attillio	Wilimington		Piano
District of Columbia	June Cook	Arlington, VA	20	Piano, "Rhapsody in Blue"
Florida	Dorothy Maria Steiner	Boca Raton		Dramatic Reading, "Such is Your Heritage"	4th runner-up
Georgia	Jody Shattuck	Atlanta	20	Vocal & Dance, "Namely You" from Li'l Abner	1st runner-up	Preliminary Lifestyle & Fitness Award
Hawaii	Sandra Lei Lauhiwa Forsythe	Honolulu		Hula
Idaho	Carene Clark	Pocatello		Classical Vocal from Die Fledermaus		Non-finalist Talent Award
Illinois	Jeannie Beacham	Downers Grove		Drama, "The Great Debates"
Indiana	Gloria Rupprecht	Valparaiso		Vocal/Comedy Skit, "My Hero"		Preliminary Talent Award
Iowa	Carol Fleck	Oskaloosa	19	Dance
Kansas	Georgiana Rundle	Axtell	21	Vocal, "Habanera" & "Getting to Know You"
Kentucky	Jane Brock	Liberty		Piano		Non-finalist Talent Award
Louisiana	Beverly Leigh Norman	Shreveport		Vocal, "My Own True Love"
Maine	Carol Ann Bartels	Bath		Drama/Art
Maryland	Nancy Elizabeth Norris	Silver Spring		Dramatic Monologue, "A Letter to my Parents"
Massachusetts	Daly Hirsch	Boston		Drama
Michigan	Valerie Strong	Williamsburg		Piano, "Brazil"
Minnesota	Ardyce Gustafson	St. Paul		Vocal Medley from My Fair Lady
Mississippi	Mary Allen	Yazoo City		Dance & Art Presentation
Missouri	Sara Cooper	Buckner		Charleston Dance	Top 10	Preliminary Talent Award	Daughter of Major League Baseball player, Walker Cooper
Nebraska	Catherine "Kay" Nielson	Lincoln		Dance		Non-finalist Talent Award	Later Miss Iowa USA 1959
Nevada	Loni Gravelle	Reno		Piano, "Piano Concerto in A Minor" by Edvard Grieg	Top 10
New Hampshire	Holly Arnel	New London		Drama
New Jersey	Janet Ressler	Union		Vocal
New Mexico	Glynnelle Hubbard	Farmington	19	Dance		Miss Congeniality
New York	Janet Corrigan	Huntington		Vocal, "True Love"
New York City	Astrid Papamichael	New York City		Vocal
North Carolina	Elaine Herndon	Durham		Vocal & Dance	Top 10	Preliminary Lifestyle & Fitness Award
North Dakota	Helen Winje	Minot		Vocal
Ohio	Linda Hattman	Mansfield		Ballet
Oklahoma	Nancy Denner	Alva		Poetry Recitation, "The Ballad of the Harp Weaver" by Edna St. Vincent Millay	2nd runner-up
Oregon	Judith Hansen	Astoria		Classical Vocal, "Mi Chiamano Mimi" from La bohéme	Top 10	Preliminary Talent Award
Pennsylvania	Jennie Rebecca Blatchford	Hollidaysburg		Baton Twirling, "St. Louis Blues" & "The Stars and Stripes Forever"		Preliminary Talent Award
Puerto Rico	Winnie Rodríguez
Rhode Island	Beatrice Turek	Providence		Art Display
South Carolina	Cecilia Colvert	Greenwood	18	Pantomime/Vocal, "C'est si bon" by Eartha Kitt			Mother of Miss South Carolina 1988, Anna Graham Reynolds
South Dakota	Patricia Miller	Mobridge		Vocal
Tennessee	Amanda Lee Whitman	Nashville		Trampoline/Tumbling, "The Third Man Theme"			Performed the first trampoline talent act in the Miss America competition
Texas	Carolyn Calvert	Austin		Monologue from Medea
Utah	Francine Louise Felt	Salt Lake City		Violin		Non-finalist Talent Award
Vermont	Joan Hewitt	Brattleboro		Art Presentation & Original Skit with original music		Non-finalist Talent Award
Virginia	Rebecca Lee Edmunds	Roanoke		Dance
West Virginia	Janice Sickle	Fairmont		Vocal & Dance
Wisconsin	Joan Hentschel	Wauwatosa	18	Interpretive Dance, "3:00 in the Morning"

References

1. "Tall Colorado Blonde Is Chosen New Miss America". The Tampa Tribune . Associated Press. 8 September 1957. p. 16. Retrieved 18 October 2023.
2. "1958 Miss America, Marilyn Van Derbur, speaks at the 12th Annual Lilies on the River benefit". May 19, 2016.

External links

• Miss America official website