Miss USA 1956
| Miss USA 1956 | |
|---|---|
Bob Russell | |
| Venue | Long Beach Municipal Auditorium, Long Beach, California |
| Entrants | 43 |
| Winner | Carol Morris Iowa |
Miss USA 1956 was the 5th Miss USA pageant, held at Long Beach Municipal Auditorium, Long Beach, California on 18 July 1956.
At the end of the event, Carlene King Johnson of Vermont crowned Carol Morris as Miss USA 1956.[1] It is the first victory of Iowa in the pageant's history. Morris later competed at Miss Universe and won.[2]
Contestants from forty-three states and cities competed in the pageant. The competition was hosted by Bob Russell.
Results
Placements
| Placement | Contestant |
|---|---|
| Miss USA 1956 | |
| 1st runner-up |
|
| 2nd runner-up | |
| 3rd runner-up | |
| 4th runner-up | |
| Top 15 |
Contestants
Forty-three contestants competed for the title.[4]
| State/City | Contestant | Age[a] | Hometown | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Arizona | Maija Bertulson | 18 | Tucson | |
| Arkansas | Nancy McCollum | 19 | Stuttgart | |
| California | Shirlee Witty | 20 | Wilmington | |
| Colorado | Karen Keeler | 21 | Denver | |
| Connecticut | Dorothy Bailey | 19 | Bridgeport | |
| Delaware | Sandra McCabe | 18 | Selbyville | |
| District of Columbia | Joanne Holler | 21 | Washington | |
| Florida | Kim Meyer | 26 | Oceanway | |
| Georgia | Mary Ruff | 19 | Gainesville | |
| Illinois | Muriel Blair | 23 | Chicago | |
| Indiana | Beverly Mattox | 19 | Milroy | |
| Iowa | Carol Ann Laverne Morris | 19 | Ottumwa | Previously Miss Iowa 1954 Late won Miss Universe 1956[5] |
| Louisiana | Cecile Morris | 19 | Greenwell Springs | |
| Maryland | Charlene Holt | 28 | Annapolis | |
| Massachusetts | Elaine Murphy | 21 | Weston | |
| Miami Beach, Florida | Beverly Rogers | 20 | Miami | |
| Michigan | Barbara Sias | 19 | Detroit | |
| Minnesota | Marilyn Johnson | 18 | Minneapolis | |
| Missouri | Carol Thrower | 18 | Kemmett | |
| Nebraska | Shari Lewis | 19 | Lincoln | |
| Nevada | Marley Sanderson | 21 | Las Vegas | |
| New Hampshire | Rita Leclerc | 21 | Berlin | |
| New Jersey | Delores Winfield | 21 | Cranford | |
| New Mexico | Jackie Brown | 21 | Albuquerque | |
| New York | Kay Douglas | 18 | New York City | |
| North Carolina | Shirley Bagwell | 18 | Raleigh | |
| North Dakota | Mary Harroun | 19 | Bismarck | |
| Ohio | Eleanor Wood | 18 | Canton | |
| Oregon | Maralyn Turner | 19 | Portland | |
| Pennsylvania | Serena Kifer | 20 | Monaca | |
| Philadelphia, Pennsylvania | Miriam Uniman | 18 | Philadelphia | |
| Rhode Island | Sandra Vozella | 18 | Point Judith | |
| South Carolina | Betty Lane Cherry
|
20 | Orangeburg | Later |
| St. Louis, Missouri | Diana Stopke | 18 | St. Louis | |
| Tennessee | Stella Wilson | 19 | Covington | |
| Texas | Jo Dodson | 18 | Houston | |
| Utah | Cheryl Brown | 18 | Spanish Fork | |
| Vermont | Delores Wettack | 21 | Westminster
|
|
| Virginia | Audra Stark[7] | 21 | Virginia Beach | |
| Washington | June Svedin | 20 | Seattle | |
| West Virginia | Janet Cardi | 24 | Belle | |
| Wisconsin | Priscilla Perkins[8] | 20 | Milwaukee | |
| Wyoming | Marilyn Scott | 19 | Cheyenne |
Notes
- ^ Ages at the time of the pageant
References
- Toledo Blade. Toledo, Ohio. Associated Press. 19 July 1956. p. 2. Retrieved 15 May 2023 – via Google News Archive.
- Youngstown Vindicator. Warren, Ohio. 21 July 1956. p. 2. Retrieved 15 May 2023 – via Google News Archive.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o "Minister's daughter is U.S. representative". The Altus Times-Democrat. 19 July 1956. p. 8. Retrieved 10 October 2023 – via Google News Archive.
- Newspapers.com.
- St. Petersburg Times. St. Petersburg, Florida. 22 July 1956. p. 10-A. Retrieved 15 May 2023 – via Google News Archive.
- ^ Dale Linder-Altman, " It's happened before: Orangeburg queen also incorrectly labeled winner", The Times and Democrat, 22 December 2015.
- Newspapers.com.
- Newspapers.com.