# Miss America 1961

Miss America 1961, the 34th Miss America pageant, was held at the Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City, New Jersey on September 10, 1960, on CBS.
The telecast was watched by a reported 85 million viewers. Nancy Fleming, the winner as Miss Michigan, later became a television personality and the wife of Jim Lange, host of TV's The Dating Game.

## Results
### Placements

| Placement | Contestant |
| Miss America 1961 | Michigan – Nancy Fleming |
| 1st Runner-Up | California – Suzanne Marie Reamo |
| 2nd Runner-Up | North Carolina – Ann Farrington Herring |
| 3rd Runner-Up | District of Columbia – Ruth Rea |
| 4th Runner-Up | Indiana – Tommye Lou Glaze |
| Top 10 | Alabama – Teresa Rinaldi  Idaho – Marlene Rae Coleman  Massachusetts – Brenda Corvo  South Carolina – Edith Sandra Browning  Utah – Marian Faye Walker |

### Awards
#### Preliminary awards

| Award | Contestant |
| Lifestyle and Fitness | District of Columbia – Ruth Rea  Michigan – Nancy Fleming  South Carolina – Edith Sandra Browning |
| Talent | Alabama – Teresa Rinaldi (tie)  Michigan – Nancy Fleming (tie)  Indiana – Tommye Lou Glaze  Utah – Marian Faye Walker |

### Other awards

| Award | Contestant |
| Miss Congeniality | New York – Susan Jane Talbert |
| Non-finalist Talent | Canada – Iris Elaine Thurwell  Chicago – Margaret McDowell  Illinois – Vicky Joyce Nutter  Maine – Sally Ann Robinson  Mississippi – Patricia McRaney  Oregon – Rosemary Doolen  Texas – Mary Cage Moore |

## Contestants

| State | Name | Hometown | Age | Talent | Placement | Awards | Notes |
| Alabama | Teresa Rinaldi | Birmingham | 21 | Vocal, "Addio" from La bohème | Top 10 | Preliminary Talent Award | |
| Alaska | June Bowdish | Anchorage | 22 | Dramatic Monologue from St. Joan | | | |
| Arizona | Georgia Garbarino | Flagstaff | 18 | Modern Dance, "An American in Paris" | | | |
| Arkansas | Claudette Smith | Star City | 18 | Vocal | | | Mother of Miss Arkansas 1991, Heather Hunnicut |
| California | Suzanne Reamo | La Mesa | 20 | Vocal, "Love is Where You Find it" | 1st runner-up | | |
| Canada | Iris Elaine Thurwell | Northtown | | Vocal | | Non-finalist Talent Award | |
| Chicago | Margaret McDowell | Evanston | 21 | Dramatic Reading | | Non-finalist Talent Award | |
| Colorado | Anne Walker | Littleton | 18 | Dance | | | |
| Connecticut | Wendy Mitchell | New Haven | 18 | Vocal, "Just in Time" | | | |
| Delaware | Deborah Dunkenfield Benoit | Wilmington | 21 | Composite Expression of Special Training | | | |
| District of Columbia | Ruth Rea | Chevy Chase, MD | 18 | Vocal, "A Little Brains, A Little Talent" from Damn Yankees | 3rd runner-up | Preliminary Lifestyle & Fitness Award | |
| Florida | Kathy Magda | Fort Lauderdale | 19 | Dramatic Monologue from Our Town | | | |
| Georgia | Sandra Tally | Homerville | 18 | Piano, "Deep Purple" | | | |
| Hawaii | Gabriella Haleakala'l | Honolulu | 20 | Hula | | | |
| Idaho | Marlene Coleman | Pocatello | 18 | Vocal, "If I Were on the Stage" | Top 10 | | Contracted laryngitis and was unable to perform her talent during the national telecast |
| Illinois | Vicky Joyce Nutter | Vandalia | 18 | Presentation of Fashion Designs | | Non-finalist Talent Award | |
| Indiana | Tommye Glaze | Culver | 21 | Classical Vocal, "Una Voce Poco Fa" from The Barber of Seville | 4th runner-up | Preliminary Talent Award | |
| Iowa | Sally Neville | Davenport | 18 | Dramatic Reading, "Mother on a Moment's Notice" | | | |
| Kansas | Gayla Leigh Shoemake | El Dorado | 19 | Original Dramatic Interpretation, "Rude Awakening" | | | |
| Kentucky | Alice Chumbley | Jamestown | 21 | Dramatic Monologue from The Country Girl | | | |
| Louisiana | Judith Ann Coday | Baton Rouge | 20 | Vocal | | | |
| Maine | Sally Ann Robinson | Enfield | 20 | Monologue/Piano | | Non-finalist Talent Award | |
| Maryland | Robin Carole Davis | Hyattsville | 18 | Vocal, "I Cain't Say No" | | | |
| Massachusetts | Brenda Crovo | Reading | 20 | Vocal Medley, "Bill" & "Can't Help Lovin' Dat Man" from Show Boat | Top 10 | | |
| Michigan | Nancy Fleming | Montague | 18 | Presentation of Dress Design | Winner | Preliminary Lifestyle & Fitness Award Preliminary Talent Award | |
| Minnesota | Jean Elverum | Fairbault | 22 | Vocal, "Romany Life" from The Fortune Teller | | | |
| Mississippi | Patricia McRaney | McComb | 20 | Speech & Art Presentation | | Non-finalist Talent Award | |
| Missouri | Dusene Vunovich | Kansas City | 19 | Vocal, "Honey Bun" from South Pacific | | | |
| Montana | Lois Marie Volkel | Missoula | 18 | Classical Vocal, "Voi lo Sapete" from Cavalleria rusticana | | | |
| Nebraska | Cheryl Ann Jacke | Shelton | 18 | Vocal | | | |
| Nevada | Nancy Bowen | McGill | 19 | Humorous Reading & Piano | | | |
| New Hampshire | Drina Bouchard | Rochester | 18 | Cha-cha-cha Interpretation | | | |
| New Jersey | Ann Barber | Westfield | 18 | | | | |
| New Mexico | Carolyn Moore | Carlsbad | 18 | Caricature Drawing | | | |
| New York | Susan Talbert | Ogdensburg | 19 | Dance | | Miss Congeniality | |
| New York City | Sherrylyn Patecell | New York City | | | | | |
| North Carolina | Ann Herring | Winston-Salem | 19 | Vocal, "The Lonely Goatherd" from The Sound of Music | 2nd runner-up | | |
| North Dakota | Carol Olson | Fargo | 21 | Dramatic Monologue from Mary Stuart | | | |
| Ohio | Alice McClain | Marion | 18 | Vocal, "Summertime" & "I Got Plenty of Nothin'" | | | |
| Oklahoma | Donna Kay Creed | Enid | 20 | Vocal, "The Sound of Music" | | | |
| Oregon | Rosemary Doolen | Salem | 19 | Vocal, "A Heart That's Free" | | Non-finalist Talent Award | |
| Pennsylvania | Priscilla Mae Hendricks | Shillington | 19 | Original Display of Art Work | | | |
| Rhode Island | Sally Saabye | Warwick | 18 | Piano/Pantomime | | | |
| South Carolina | Edith Sandra Browning | Greenwood | 19 | Comic Dance/Pantomime, "I Wish I Could Shimmy Like my Sister Kate" | Top 10 | Preliminary Lifestyle & Fitness Award | |
| South Dakota | Janet Barber | Britton | 18 | Dramatic Interpretation, "Casual Approach to Violence" | | | |
| Tennessee | Jenny Thomas | Nashville | 19 | Modern Ballet, Porgy and Bess | | | |
| Texas | Mary Cage Moore | Laredo | 18 | Spanish Dance with music by Manuel de Falla | | Non-finalist Talent Award | |
| Utah | Marian Faye Walker | Salt Lake City | 27 | Classical Vocal, "The Waltz Aria" from Mireille | Top 10 | Preliminary Talent Award | |
| Vermont | Anne Masino | Randolph | 18 | Accordion, "China Boy" | | | |
| Virginia | Catherine Birch | Staunton | 19 | Classical Ballet | | | Later married magician John A. Daniel |
| Washington | Connie Hughes | Bellingham | 18 | Original Monologue | | | |
| West Virginia | Mary Hoback | Bluefield | 18 | Original Dramatic Reading | | | |
| Wisconsin | Karen Fahrenbach | Racine | 21 | Classical Ballet en Pointe, The Sleeping Beauty | | | |
| Wyoming | Sharon Luond | Cheyenne | 18 | Dramatic Monologue from Wingless Victory by Maxwell Anderson | | | |