Miss America 1962, the 35th Miss America pageant, was held at the Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City, New Jersey on September 9, 1961, and was broadcast on CBS.
According to Nielsen ratings, the pageant is the highest rated Miss America telecast on record. It is also ranked among the top 100 television events of all time. Maria Fletcher became the first entry representing North Carolina to win the crown.
Results Placements Placement Contestant Miss America 1962 – Maria Fletcher1st Runner-Up – Frances Jane Anderson2nd Runner-Up – Carolyn DeAnn Lasater3rd Runner-Up – Linda Jacklyn Loftis4th Runner-Up – Nancee Ann ParkinsonTop 10 – Delores Hodgens – Susan Ann Henryson – Joan Whitney Vine – Joanna Katherine Lester – Myrtice Lee Conn
Order of announcements
Top 10
Top 5
Awards Preliminary awards Awards Contestant Lifestyle and Fitness Arkansas - Frances Jane Anderson Minnesota - Nancee Ann Parkinson North Carolina - Maria Fletcher Talent California - Susan Ann Henryson Texas - Linda Jacklyn Loftis Utah - Carolyn Deann Lasater
Other awards Awards Contestant Miss Congeniality California - Susan Ann Henryson Puerto Rico - Rosita Giusti Haito ReyNon-finalist Talent Delaware - Robin Jane Whemper District of Columbia - Scarlett Shinault Indiana - Kathleen Burke Maine - Dawne Frances Christie Puerto Rico - Rosita Giusti Rhode Island - Cheryl Hirst
Contestants
+StateNameHometownAgeTalentPlacementAwardsNote AlabamaDelores HodgensBessemer23Classical Piano, "Hungarian Rhapsody No. 12"Top 10 AlaskaJean Ann HolmFairbanks19Monologue with Modeling ArizonaSusan WebbPrescott19Original Dramatic Composition, "My Heritage: The Stars" ArkansasFrances AndersonPine Bluff19Vocal, "I Enjoy Being a Girl"1st runner-upPreliminary Lifestyle & Fitness Award CaliforniaSusan HenrysonFresno19Vocal, "You've Got to See Momma Every Night"Top 10Preliminary Talent Award
Miss Congeniality CanadaConnie Gail FellerOttawa20 ChicagoNancy KesslerOak Park18Modern Dance ColoradoJane McBurneyDenver18Piano, "Malagueña" ConnecticutKaren SealiseGlastonbury18Sermon based on Sermon on the Mount DelawareRobin Jane WhemperWilmington18Vocal & Dance, "That's What Makes Paris Paree" from April in ParisNon-finalist Talent Award District of ColumbiaScarlett ShinaultSilver Spring, MD20Vocal, "I Cain't Say No"Non-finalist Talent Award FloridaSherry GrimesSarasota18Vocal, "My Man's Gone Now" GeorgiaGlenda BrunsonSavannah18Spanish Dance HawaiiJoan Whitney VineHonolulu18Vocal Medley, "Ah! Je Veux Vivre" & "Thou Swell"Top 10 IdahoLaVerda GarrisonNampa18Dramatic Monologue, "The Yellow Wallpaper" IllinoisJacqueline BingertWinthrop Harbor21Tap Dance & India Ink Sketching IndianaKathleen BurkeTerre Haute18Musical Monologue & Fashion ShowNon-finalist Talent Award IowaPatti WhalenClinton18Vocal Medley, "I Feel Pretty" & "Tonight" from West Side Story KansasCarolyn Jane ParkinsonScott City20Musical Reading, "Hello Kansas" KentuckyLee GrigsbyBardstown18Vocal, "Summertime" LouisianaLyndra Frances PateShreveport20Vocal, "The House I Live in" MaineDawne Frances ChristieGray21Piano, 'Hungarian Rhapsody No. 11"Non-finalist Talent Award MarylandPatricia Ann MoonBethesda18Modern Jazz Dance MassachusettsNona SmithFairhaven18Dramatic Reading MichiganKaren SouthwayWyoming18Vocal, "Someone to Watch Over Me" MinnesotaNancee ParkinsonWest St. Paul18Modern Calypso Jazz Dance4th runner-upPreliminary Lifestyle & Fitness Award MississippiAnnice JerniganNew Albany21Piano Medley MissouriSarah BurnsCaruthersville20Vocal/Dance, "Put on a Happy Face" from Bye Bye Birdie MontanaJoanna LesterMissoula20Vocal Medley, "Bewitched, Bothered, and Bewildered" & "There Once was a Man" from The Pajama GameTop 10 NebraskaNancy Lee ForemanAlbion20Dramatic Reading, "Such is Your Heritage" NevadaSherry WagnerReno19Tap Dance, "Oh Them Golden Slippers" New HampshireAnnette LambertClaremont18Saxophone, "Valse Vanite" by Rudy Wiedoeft New JerseyMarilyn HauflerWatchung18Comedic Monologue New MexicoMyrtice ConnClovis21Comedic Monologue, "Phonetic Punctuation" by Victor BorgeTop 10 New YorkKathryn ModenBuffalo20Dramatic Reading from A Midsummer Night's Dream New York CityMaryann HillyerNew York City20Vocal, "The Song is You" North CarolinaMaria FletcherAsheville19Tap Dance to a recorded version of herself singing "Somebody Loves Me"WinnerPreliminary Lifestyle & Fitness Award North DakotaDiane UlvedalGrand Forks18Piano, "Gavotte in B Major" by Bach OhioDarlene DepasqualeDayton18Comedy Skit, "Betty at the Baseball Game" OklahomaDana Darlene RenoStigler20Oration with Indian Sign Language OregonJody BourneSalem20Interpretive Ballet PennsylvaniaE. Lynn MaloneyKing of Prussia20Charcoal Drawing Display & Pantomime Routine Puerto RicoRosita GiustiNon-finalist Talent Award
Miss Congeniality Rhode IslandCheryl HirstGreenville18Ventriloquism & Organ, "This Can't be Love"Non-finalist Talent Award South CarolinaJanet McGeeGreenville20Vocal, "Ave Maria" South DakotaRejean BowarFaulkton21Piano, Vocal, & Narration of Original Monologue TennesseeRita WilsonHumboldt20Vocal, "I'm Doing Alright for a Country Gal"Previously National Sweetheart 1959 TexasLinda LoftisFort Worth19Classical Vocal, "Sempre Libera" from La traviata3rd runner-upPreliminary Talent Award UtahCarolyn DeAnn LasaterSalt Lake City19Pantomime Dance, "My Life in a Day"2nd runner-upPreliminary Talent Award VermontJanice ColeBinghamton, NY18Dramatic Reading from Romeo and Juliet VirginiaCharlotte ThomasRoanoke19Piano, "Malagueńa" WashingtonGail HannukAberdeen18Piano, "Warsaw Concerto" West VirginiaCarole JohnsonRivesville21Vocal & Dance, "Hey, Look Me Over" from Wildcat & "You Can't Get a Man with a Gun" from Annie Get Your GunLater Miss West Virginia World 1962 WisconsinDiane AndersonEau Claire19Violin & Ballet en Pointe, "The Swan" WyomingMary OrrSheridan19Dramatic Reading, "The Bride"
References
External links Miss America official website