# Miss America 1951

Miss America 1951, the 24th Miss America pageant, was held at Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City, New Jersey on September 9, 1950. Traditionally, since a majority of Miss America's reign occurred during the year following her coronation, the pageant referred to her title with the upcoming year. Thus, Yolande Betbeze, who was crowned in September 1950, was called Miss America 1951. This practice continued until 2006, when pageant activities moved from September to January. From that point, the title year aligned with the year in which the titleholder won. This change also occurred recently in 2024, and it marked the transition from Atlantic City, the pageant's long-time base, to its new home in Las Vegas, Nevada.

## Results
### Placements

| Placement | Contestant |
| Miss America 1951 | Alabama – Yolande Betbeze † |
| 1st Runner-Up | South Dakota – Irene O’Connor |
| 2nd Runner-Up | Florida – Jane Ruth Crockett |
| 3rd Runner-Up | Arkansas – Mary Jennings |
| 4th Runner-Up | Oklahoma – Louise O’Brien |
| Top 16 | California – Joanne Durant  Chicago – Marjorie H. Adams  Connecticut – Renee Dianne Roy  District of Columbia – Sandra Joanne Stahl  Greater Philadelphia – Janice Murray  Nevada – Tosca Carolyn Masini  New Jersey – June Elizabeth Stephens  New York City – Phyllis Anita Battleson  North Carolina – Carolyn Edwards  Texas – Margaret Sue Sommers  Washington – Karlyne LaRae Abele |

### Awards
#### Preliminary awards

| Awards | Contestant |
| Lifestyle and Fitness | Alabama - Yolande Betbeze†  Arkansas - Mary Jennings  California – Joanne Durant |
| Talent | South Dakota - Irene O'Conner  Connecticut - Renee Dianne Roy  District of Columbia - Sandra Joanne Stahl |

#### Other awards

| Awards | Contestant |
| Miss Congeniality | Hawaii - Dell'finn Kalaupaona Poaha |

## Contestants

| Title | Name | Hometown | Age | Talent | Placement | Awards | Notes |
| Alabama | Yolande Betbeze | Mobile | 21 | Classical Vocal, "Caro Nome" from Rigoletto | Winner | Preliminary Lifestyle and Fitness Award | Betbeze's refusal to pose in a swimsuit after her win lead to the pull-out of swimsuit sponsor Catalina & ultimately the creation of the Miss USA pageant |
| Alaska | Maxine Cothern | Fairbanks | | Speech, "Alaska" | | | |
| Arizona | Kathryn Lunsford | Phoenix | | Modern Dance | | | |
| Arkansas | Mary Jennings | Hot Springs | | Classical Vocal, "Un Bel Dì" from Madama Butterfly | 3rd Runner-up | Preliminary Lifestyle and Fitness Award | Was a featured soprano with the New York City Opera Judged the Miss America 1989 and Miss America 1991 pageants |
| California | Joanne Durant | San Diego | | Vocal/Poetry Recitation, "Alice Blue Gown" | Top 16 | Preliminary Lifestyle and Fitness Award | |
| Canada | Margaret Eleanore Bradford | Windsor | | | | | |
| Chicago | Marjorie Adams | Chicago | | Monologue, "To the Lovely Margaret" | Top 16 | | |
| Colorado | Barbara Norrish | Longmont | | Violin | | | |
| Connecticut | Renee Roy | Hartford | | Comedy Sketch of a Cosmetic Demonstration and Vocal/Dance, "Charley, My Boy" | Top 16 | Preliminary Talent Award | Later Miss New York City USA 1954 |
| Delaware | Lorna Edwardson | Dover | | Classical Vocal, "Un Bel Dì" from Madama Butterfly | | | |
| District of Columbia | Sandra Stahl | | 21 | Classical Vocal, "The Bell Song" from Lakmé | Top 16 | Preliminary Talent Award | |
| Florida | Janet Ruth Crockett | St. Petersburg | | Vocal & Pantomime from The Perils of Pauline | 2nd Runner-up | | |
| Georgia | Louise Thomas | Fitzgerald | | | | | |
| Greater Philadelphia | Janice Murray | Philadelphia | | Classical Vocal, '''O Don Fatale" from Don Carlos | Top 16 | | |
| Hawaii | Dell'Finn Kala'upaona Po'aha | Honolulu | | | | Miss Congeniality | |
| Idaho | Barbara Norton | Burley | | Vocal, "A Heart That's Free" from Two Weeks with Love | | | |
| Illinois | Catherine Kleinschmidt | Granite City | | Vocal, "Come to the Fair" | | | |
| Indiana | Pat Berry | Indianapolis | | Vocal, "I'm Falling in Love with Someone" from Naughty Marietta | | | |
| Iowa | Mary Virginia Lines | Clarinda | 18 | Piano/Marimba, "Stardust" | | | |
| Kansas | Anabel Baker | Wichita | | Dramatic Monologue from Macbeth | | | |
| Kentucky | Mary Louise Osborne | Wheelwright | | Drama | | | |
| Louisiana | Rowena Taliaferro | Winnsboro | | | | | |
| Maine | Jane Harragan | Millinocket | | Dramatic Monologue, "The Corn is Green" | | | |
| Maryland | Ann Uri | Baltimore | | Vocal/Piano | | | |
| Massachusetts | Britta Berg | Boston | | | | | |
| Michigan | Bette Lou Pittman | Owosso | | Monologue, "I Like Americans" | | | |
| Minnesota | Jeanne Traun | Minneapolis | | Vocal | | | |
| Mississippi | Annie Roberts | Hattiesburg | | | | | |
| Missouri | Beverly Rotroff | Kansas City | | Vocal/Piano | | | |
| Montana | Donna Marie Buls | Missoula | | | | | |
| Nebraska | Jinx Burrus | Crete | | Baton Twirling | | | |
| Nevada | Tosca Masini | Sparks | | Comedy Characterization | Top 16 | | |
| New Hampshire | Betty Laurie | Concord | | | | | |
| New Jersey | June Stephens | Ship Bottom | | Comic Sketch, "The Older Set" | Top 16 | | |
| New Mexico | Martha Rose Wilson | Santa Fe | | | | | |
| New York | Marilyn Reynolds | Syracuse | | Vocal, "I'll Take Romance" | | | |
| New York City | Phyllis Battleson | New York City | | Classical Vocal, "Mon cœur s'ouvre à ta voix" | Top 16 | | |
| North Carolina | Carolyn Edwards | Leaksville | | Monologue, "Rumba" by Dorothy Parker | Top 16 | | |
| North Dakota | Joan Teets | Minot | | Comedy Monologue, "Touch of Norway" | | Non-finalist Talent Award | |
| Ohio | Irene Farren | Grand River | | Fashion Design | | | |
| Oklahoma | Louise O'Brien | Tulsa | | Vocal, "'Twas Only an Irishman's Dream" | 4th Runner-up | | |
| Oregon | Elizabeth Ann Baker | Monmouth | | Classical Piano, Clair de Lune | | | |
| Pennsylvania | Emilie Longacre | Phoenixville | | Vocal, "You're My Everything" | | | |
| Puerto Rico | Evangelina Moragón | | | | | | |
| South Carolina | Carolyn Fowler | Lyman | 17 | Vocal, "Why Don't You Fall in Love with Me" | | | |
| South Dakota | Irene O'Connor | Burbank | | Dramatic Monologue, "Dedication of the White Armor" from Saint Joan | 1st Runner-up | Preliminary Talent Award | |
| Tennessee | Greta Graham | Memphis | | Organ, "Tico-Tico no Fubá" | | | |
| Texas | Margaret Sommers | Dallas | | Classical Vocal, "Jealousy" | Top 16 | | |
| Utah | Joanne Hinard | Provo | | East Indian Dance | | | |
| Vermont | Eleanor Kangas | Springfield | | | | | |
| Virginia | Gloria Fenderson | Petersburg | | | | | |
| Washington | Karlyne Abele | Des Moines | | Dramatic Reading, "The Flag" | Top 16 | | |
| Wisconsin | Gloria Lange | Milwaukee | 20 | Operatic Vocal, "Donkey Serenade" from The Firefly | | | |
| Wyoming | Lenore Hoffman | Cheyenne | | | | | |