# Miss America 1962

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 | North Carolina – Maria Fletcher |
| 1st Runner-Up | Arkansas – Frances Jane Anderson |
| 2nd Runner-Up | Utah – Carolyn DeAnn Lasater |
| 3rd Runner-Up | Texas – Linda Jacklyn Loftis |
| 4th Runner-Up | Minnesota – Nancee Ann Parkinson |
| Top 10 | Alabama – Delores Hodgens  California – Susan Ann Henryson  Hawaii – Joan Whitney Vine  Montana – Joanna Katherine Lester  New Mexico – Myrtice Lee Conn |

### 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 Rey |
| Non-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

| State | Name | Hometown | Age | Talent | Placement | Awards | Note |
| Alabama | Delores Hodgens | Bessemer | 23 | Classical Piano, "Hungarian Rhapsody No. 12" | Top 10 | | |
| Alaska | Jean Ann Holm | Fairbanks | 19 | Monologue with Modeling | | | |
| Arizona | Susan Webb | Prescott | 19 | Original Dramatic Composition, "My Heritage: The Stars" | | | |
| Arkansas | Frances Anderson | Pine Bluff | 19 | Vocal, "I Enjoy Being a Girl" | 1st runner-up | Preliminary Lifestyle & Fitness Award | |
| California | Susan Henryson | Fresno | 19 | Vocal, "You've Got to See Momma Every Night" | Top 10 | Preliminary Talent Award Miss Congeniality | |
| Canada | Connie Gail Feller | Ottawa | 20 | | | | |
| Chicago | Nancy Kessler | Oak Park | 18 | Modern Dance | | | |
| Colorado | Jane McBurney | Denver | 18 | Piano, "Malagueña" | | | |
| Connecticut | Karen Sealise | Glastonbury | 18 | Sermon based on Sermon on the Mount | | | |
| Delaware | Robin Jane Whemper | Wilmington | 18 | Vocal & Dance, "That's What Makes Paris Paree" from April in Paris | | Non-finalist Talent Award | |
| District of Columbia | Scarlett Shinault | Silver Spring, MD | 20 | Vocal, "I Cain't Say No" | | Non-finalist Talent Award | |
| Florida | Sherry Grimes | Sarasota | 18 | Vocal, "My Man's Gone Now" | | | |
| Georgia | Glenda Brunson | Savannah | 18 | Spanish Dance | | | |
| Hawaii | Joan Whitney Vine | Honolulu | 18 | Vocal Medley, "Ah! Je Veux Vivre" & "Thou Swell" | Top 10 | | |
| Idaho | LaVerda Garrison | Nampa | 18 | Dramatic Monologue, "The Yellow Wallpaper" | | | |
| Illinois | Jacqueline Bingert | Winthrop Harbor | 21 | Tap Dance & India Ink Sketching | | | |
| Indiana | Kathleen Burke | Terre Haute | 18 | Musical Monologue & Fashion Show | | Non-finalist Talent Award | |
| Iowa | Patti Whalen | Clinton | 18 | Vocal Medley, "I Feel Pretty" & "Tonight" from West Side Story | | | |
| Kansas | Carolyn Jane Parkinson | Scott City | 20 | Musical Reading, "Hello Kansas" | | | |
| Kentucky | Lee Grigsby | Bardstown | 18 | Vocal, "Summertime" | | | |
| Louisiana | Lyndra Frances Pate | Shreveport | 20 | Vocal, "The House I Live in" | | | |
| Maine | Dawne Frances Christie | Gray | 21 | Piano, 'Hungarian Rhapsody No. 11" | | Non-finalist Talent Award | |
| Maryland | Patricia Ann Moon | Bethesda | 18 | Modern Jazz Dance | | | |
| Massachusetts | Nona Smith | Fairhaven | 18 | Dramatic Reading | | | |
| Michigan | Karen Southway | Wyoming | 18 | Vocal, "Someone to Watch Over Me" | | | |
| Minnesota | Nancee Parkinson | West St. Paul | 18 | Modern Calypso Jazz Dance | 4th runner-up | Preliminary Lifestyle & Fitness Award | |
| Mississippi | Annice Jernigan | New Albany | 21 | Piano Medley | | | |
| Missouri | Sarah Burns | Caruthersville | 20 | Vocal/Dance, "Put on a Happy Face" from Bye Bye Birdie | | | |
| Montana | Joanna Lester | Missoula | 20 | Vocal Medley, "Bewitched, Bothered, and Bewildered" & "There Once was a Man" from The Pajama Game | Top 10 | | |
| Nebraska | Nancy Lee Foreman | Albion | 20 | Dramatic Reading, "Such is Your Heritage" | | | |
| Nevada | Sherry Wagner | Reno | 19 | Tap Dance, "Oh Them Golden Slippers" | | | |
| New Hampshire | Annette Lambert | Claremont | 18 | Saxophone, "Valse Vanite" by Rudy Wiedoeft | | | |
| New Jersey | Marilyn Haufler | Watchung | 18 | Comedic Monologue | | | |
| New Mexico | Myrtice Conn | Clovis | 21 | Comedic Monologue, "Phonetic Punctuation" by Victor Borge | Top 10 | | |
| New York | Kathryn Moden | Buffalo | 20 | Dramatic Reading from A Midsummer Night's Dream | | | |
| New York City | Maryann Hillyer | New York City | 20 | Vocal, "The Song is You" | | | |
| North Carolina | Maria Fletcher | Asheville | 19 | Tap Dance to a recorded version of herself singing "Somebody Loves Me" | Winner | Preliminary Lifestyle & Fitness Award | |
| North Dakota | Diane Ulvedal | Grand Forks | 18 | Piano, "Gavotte in B Major" by Bach | | | |
| Ohio | Darlene Depasquale | Dayton | 18 | Comedy Skit, "Betty at the Baseball Game" | | | |
| Oklahoma | Dana Darlene Reno | Stigler | 20 | Oration with Indian Sign Language | | | |
| Oregon | Jody Bourne | Salem | 20 | Interpretive Ballet | | | |
| Pennsylvania | E. Lynn Maloney | King of Prussia | 20 | Charcoal Drawing Display & Pantomime Routine | | | |
| Puerto Rico | Rosita Giusti | | | | | Non-finalist Talent Award Miss Congeniality | |
| Rhode Island | Cheryl Hirst | Greenville | 18 | Ventriloquism & Organ, "This Can't be Love" | | Non-finalist Talent Award | |
| South Carolina | Janet McGee | Greenville | 20 | Vocal, "Ave Maria" | | | |
| South Dakota | Rejean Bowar | Faulkton | 21 | Piano, Vocal, & Narration of Original Monologue | | | |
| Tennessee | Rita Wilson | Humboldt | 20 | Vocal, "I'm Doing Alright for a Country Gal" | | | Previously National Sweetheart 1959 |
| Texas | Linda Loftis | Fort Worth | 19 | Classical Vocal, "Sempre Libera" from La traviata | 3rd runner-up | Preliminary Talent Award | |
| Utah | Carolyn DeAnn Lasater | Salt Lake City | 19 | Pantomime Dance, "My Life in a Day" | 2nd runner-up | Preliminary Talent Award | |
| Vermont | Janice Cole | Binghamton, NY | 18 | Dramatic Reading from Romeo and Juliet | | | |
| Virginia | Charlotte Thomas | Roanoke | 19 | Piano, "Malagueńa" | | | |
| Washington | Gail Hannuk | Aberdeen | 18 | Piano, "Warsaw Concerto" | | | |
| West Virginia | Carole Johnson | Rivesville | 21 | Vocal & Dance, "Hey, Look Me Over" from Wildcat & "You Can't Get a Man with a Gun" from Annie Get Your Gun | | | Later Miss West Virginia World 1962 |
| Wisconsin | Diane Anderson | Eau Claire | 19 | Violin & Ballet en Pointe, "The Swan" | | | |
| Wyoming | Mary Ott | Sheridan | 19 | Dramatic Reading, "The Bride" | | | |