# Miss America 1959

Miss America 1959, the 32nd Miss America pageant, was held at the Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City, New Jersey on September 6, 1958 on CBS.
Mary Ann Mobley, the first winner from Mississippi, became an actress, featured in two Elvis Presley films and many television series. Second runner-up Anita Bryant later gained fame as a singer, television spokesperson, and Christian activist against gay rights in the United States.

## Results
### Placements

| Placement | Contestant |
| Miss America 1959 | Mississippi – Mary Ann Mobley |
| 1st Runner-Up | Iowa – Joanne Lucille MacDonald |
| 2nd Runner-Up | Oklahoma – Anita Bryant |
| 3rd Runner-Up | California – Sandra Lee Jennings |
| 4th Runner-Up | North Carolina – Betty Lane Evans |
| Top 10 | Alabama – Lee Thornberry  Arkansas – Sally Miller  Connecticut – Billie June Turner  Texas – Mary Neil Hendricks  Utah – Janet Carolyn Secor |

### Awards
#### Preliminary awards

| Awards | Contestant |
| Lifestyle and Fitness | California - Sandra Lee Jennings Indiana - Anita Marie Hursh North Carolina - Betty Lane Evans |
| Talent | Alabama - Lee Thornberry Connecticut - Billie June Turner Mississippi - Mary Ann Mobley |

### Other awards

| Awards | Contestant |
| Miss Congeniality | Rhode Island - Ann Louise Willis |
| Non Finalist Classical/Semi Classical Vocalist Talent | South Carolina - Gene Lenoir Wilson |
| Non Finalist Instrumental Talent | Idaho - Bonnie Leila Baird |
| Non Finalist Dancer | Chicago - Audra Deckmann |
| Non Finalist Popular Vocal Talent | New Jersey - Marilyn Beryl Rockafellow |
| Overall Non Finalist Talent | Nebraska - Sherry Johnson New Hampshire - Mary Morin |

## Contestants

| State | Name | Hometown | Age | Talent | Placement | Awards |
| Alabama | Lee Thornberry | Birmingham | | Vocal/Dance, "Honey Bun" from South Pacific | Top 10 | Preliminary Talent Award |
| Alaska | Stuart Johnson | Douglas City | | Piano, "Alaska's Flag" | | |
| Arizona | Donna Riggs | Phoenix | | Vocal/Dance, "Teacher's Pet" | | Unspecified Special Scholarship |
| Arkansas | Sally Miller | Pine Bluff | | Classical Vocal, "Caro Nome" from Rigoletto | Top 10 | |
| California | Sandra Jennings | Riverside | | Piano, "Clair de Lune" | 3rd runner-up | Preliminary Lifestyle & Fitness Award |
| Canada | Danica d'Hondt | Vancouver | 19 | | | |
| Chicago | Audra Deckmann | Chicago | | Dance | | Non-finalist Talent Award |
| Colorado | Cynthia Cullen | Boulder | | Drama, "Queen on Being Sentenced to Death" | | |
| Connecticut | Billie June Turner | New Canaan | 20 | Ballet en Pointe from Les Sylphides | Top 10 | Preliminary Talent Award |
| Delaware | Nancy M. Williams | Wilmington | | Dance to musical selections from Gone with the Wind | | |
| District of Columbia | Lee Berkow | Washington, D.C. | 21 | Vocal, "Come Rain or Come Shine" | | |
| Florida | Dianne Tauscher | Orlando | | Ballet, "Canadian Sunset" | | |
| Georgia | Jeanette Ardell | Marietta | 18 | Archery | | |
| Hawaii | Georgietta Kahalelaukoa Parker | Honolulu | | Hula | | |
| Idaho | Bonnie Leila Baird | Heyburn | | Clarinet | | Non-finalist Talent Award |
| Illinois | Anita Ruth Olson | River Forest | | Piano, "Rhapsody in G Minor" by Johannes Brahms | | |
| Indiana | Anita Hursh | Goshen | | Piano, "Polonaise" by Frédéric Chopin | | Preliminary Lifestyle & Fitness Award |
| Iowa | Joanne MacDonald | Ames | 20 | Dramatic Recitation from The White Cliffs of Dover | 1st runner-up | |
| Kansas | Sharon Whitacre | Mission | 18 | Accordion, "3rd Movement of Concerto in A" by Pietro Deiro | | |
| Kentucky | Sandra Sue Smith | Harlan | | Pantomime/Dance, "Tweedle Dee" | | |
| Louisiana | Alberta Louise Futch | Hammond | | Fire Baton Twirling | | |
| Maine | Terry Suzanne Tripp | Lewiston | | Ballet | | |
| Maryland | Mary Roberta Page | Bethesda | | Chalk Sketch | | |
| Massachusetts | Patricia Nordling | Lexington | | Vocal/Piano, "Exactly Like You" | | |
| Michigan | Patience Pierce | Detroit | | Drama, "Meet Christobel" | | |
| Minnesota | Diane Albers | St. Paul | | Piano, "Allegro de Concierto" by Enrique Granados | | |
| Mississippi | Mary Ann Mobley | Brandon | 21 | Vocal Medley & Dance, "Un Bel Di" & "There'll be Some Changes Made" | Winner | Preliminary Talent Award |
| Missouri | Marjorie Critten | Kansas City | | Tap Dance, "Opus No. 1" | | |
| Nebraska | Sherry Johnson | Omaha | | Monologue | | Non-finalist Talent Award |
| Nevada | Judy Wadsworth | Sparks | | Dramatic Monologue from The Lark | | |
| New Hampshire | Mary Morin | Manchester | | Pantomime Routine | | Non-finalist Talent Award |
| New Jersey | Marilyn Beryl Rockafellow | New Monmouth | | Vocal | | Non-finalist Talent Award |
| New Mexico | Lois Wilson | Hobbs | 18 | Vocal | | |
| New York | Miriam Sanderson | Rensselaer | | French Vocal, "Serenade" by Sigmund Romberg | | |
| New York City | Bette June Piller | New York City | | Speech on Art | | |
| North Carolina | Betty Evans | Greenville | | Vocal, Piano, Skit, & Dance, "Wait 'til You See Her" | 4th runner-up | Preliminary Lifestyle & Fitness Award |
| North Dakota | Helen Korfhage | Grand Forks | | Classical Vocal, "If Thou Lov'st Me" | | |
| Ohio | Margaret Putman | Ada | | Dramatic Sketch, "Student Nurse" | | |
| Oklahoma | Anita Bryant | Tulsa | 18 | Vocal, "When the Boys Talk About the Girls" | 2nd runner-up | Popular singing star |
| Oregon | Mary Ellen Vinton | McMinnville | | Piano & Tap Dance, "I Won't Dance" | | |
| Pennsylvania | Rosalie Samley | Bethlehem | | Ballet, "I Won't Dance" | | |
| Rhode Island | Ann Willis | Cranston | | | | Miss Congeniality |
| South Carolina | Gene Wilson | Charleston | 18 | Vocal, "If I Loved You" | | Non-finalist Talent Award |
| South Dakota | Carolee Nelson | Irene | | Drama | | |
| Tennessee | Patricia Eaves | Cookeville | | Dramatic Monologue, "Viola's Ring Scene" from Twelfth Night | | |
| Texas | Mary Nell Hendricks | Arlington | | Vocal, "Getting to Know You" | Top 10 | |
| Utah | Janet Carolyn Secor | Salt Lake City | | Classical Ballet, "The Waltz" from The Sleeping Beauty | Top 10 | |
| Vermont | Sandra Sinclair | South Burlington | | Vocal & Dance, "Getting to Know You" | | |
| Virginia | Barbara Guthrie | Martinsville | | Drama | | |
| Washington | Anne Henderson | Spokane | | Pantomime & Charleston Dance | | |
| West Virginia | Sandra Boyd | Fairmont | | Vocal, "Money Honey" | | |
| Wisconsin | Kay Ross | West Allis | 24 | Art Presentation with Vocal & Dance | | |