# Miss America 1946

Miss America 1946, the 20th Miss America pageant, was held at the Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City, New Jersey on September 7, 1946.
The winner, Marilyn Buferd, later became an actress, as did fourth runner-up Carol Ohmart and one of the 16 finalists, future Oscar and Emmy Award winner Cloris Leachman.

## Results
### Placements

| Placement | Contestant |
| Miss America 1946 | California – Marilyn Buferd |
| 1st Runner-Up | Arkansas – Rebecca Jane McCall |
| 2nd Runner-Up | Atlanta – Janey Miller |
| 3rd Runner-Up | Louisiana – Marguerite Eileen McClelland |
| 4th Runner-Up | Utah – Carol Ohmart |
| Top 16 | Chicago – Cloris Leachman  Cincinnati – LaVonne Bond  Connecticut – Joan Elizabeth Turner  Florida – Jacquelyn Marie Jennings  Illinois – Patricia Jean Fry Louisville – Patricia Alden Fenton  New York – Violet Mellar  New York City – Eileen Henry  Pennsylvania – Eleanor D. Kramer  West Virginia – Norma Lee Salisbury  Wisconsin – Antoine Bernice Lunde |

### Awards

unreferenced section

#### Preliminary awards

| Awards | Contestant |
| Lifestyle and Fitness | Arkansas - Rebecca Jane McCall Atlanta - Janey Miller (tie) California - Marilyn Buferd New York City - Eileen Henry (tie) |
| Talent | Alabama - Emma Dale Nunnally Atlanta - Janey Miller Pennsylvania - Eleanor D. Kramer |

### Other awards

| Awards | Contestant |
| Miss Congeniality | New York - Violet Mellar |

## Contestants

| Title | Name | Hometown | Age | Talent | Placement | Awards | Notes |
| Alabama | Emma Dale Nunnally | | | | | Preliminary Talent Award | |
| Arkansas | Rebecca McCall | Blytheville | | Vocal, "Put the Blame on Mame" | 1st Runner-up | Preliminary Lifestyle & Fitness Award | |
| Atlanta | Janey Miller | Atlanta | | Classical Vocal, "Vissi d'arte" | 2nd Runner-up | Preliminary Lifestyle & Fitness Award Preliminary Talent Award | |
| Baltimore | Virginia Martin | Baltimore | | | | | |
| Baton Rouge | Marguerite McClelland | Baton Rouge | | Classical Vocal, "Frühlingsstimmen" | 3rd Runner-up | | |
| Birmingham | Sue Donegan | Birmingham | | | | | |
| Boston | Paula C. Jerome | Boston | | | | | |
| California | Marilyn Buferd | Los Angeles | 21 | Dramatic Monologue from Accent on Youth | Winner | Preliminary Lifestyle & Fitness Award | |
| Chicago | Cloris Leachman | Chicago | | Comic Sketch, "One Man Radio Program" | Top 16 | | Later an Oscar and Emmy Award winning actress |
| Cincinnati | LaVonne Bond | Cincinnati | | Vocal, "Thine Alone" from Eileen | Top 16 | | |
| Cleveland | Mary Eileen Kelly | Cleveland | | | | | |
| Colorado | Raye Donnelly | Colorado Springs | | | | | |
| Columbus | Mary Lou Henderson | Columbus | | | | | |
| Connecticut | Joan Turner | West Haven | | Vocal, "Coax Me a Little Bit" | Top 16 | | |
| Detroit | Constance Liddicoat | Detroit | | | | | |
| District of Columbia | Jeanne Carlson | | 19 | Vocal, "Doin' What Comes Natur'lly" | | | |
| Florida | Jacquelyn Jennings | Miami | | Pantomime, "Just a Square in a Social Circle" | Top 16 | | |
| Greater Philadelphia | Virginia Brown | Philadelphia | | | | | |
| Illinois | Patricia Frye | Pekin | | Vocal/Tap Dance, "I Don't Know Why I Love You Like I Do" | Top 16 | | |
| Indiana | Lois Chitwood | Helmsburg | | Piano & Speech | | | |
| Iowa | Jacqueline Means | Des Moines | 19 | Acrobatic Dance | | | |
| Kansas | Joyce Blakemore | Liberal | | | | | |
| Kansas City | Nadine LaVerne Fugett | Kansas City | | | | | |
| Kentucky | Mary Madonna Smith | Jenkins | | | | | |
| Louisville | Patricia Alden Fenton | Louisville | | Artistic Exhibition & Sketch | Top 16 | | |
| Maryland | Dorothy Crockett | Baltimore | | Original Poetry Recitiation | | | |
| Massachusetts | Urania "Rae" Nichols | Malden | | | | | |
| Miami Beach | Jini Boyd | Miami | | | | | |
| Michigan | Ruth Margaret Lenfestey | New Baltimore | 20 | | | | |
| Minnesota | Rosemarie Gregg | St. Paul | | | | | |
| Mississippi | Lennie Nobles | Greenwood | | Dance | | Non-finalist Talent Award Best Dancer Award | Later Known as Josephine Nobles Giacketti |
| Nebraska | Marjorie Ann Hanson | Omaha | | | | | |
| New Jersey | Helen Sprinitis | Kearny | | | | | |
| New Mexico | Martha Cooper | Albuquerque | | Speech, "Career as a Newspaper Reporter" | | | |
| New Orleans | Joyce Josephine Frink | New Orleans | | | | | |
| New York | Violet Mellar | White Plains | | Recitation "True to the End" | Top 16 | Miss Congeniality | |
| New York City | Eileen Henry | New York City | | Dramatic Monologue from Saint Joan | Top 16 | Preliminary Lifestyle & Fitness Award | |
| North Carolina | Trudy Riley | Wilson | | | | | |
| Pennsylvania | Eleanor Kramer | Lebanon | | Vocal, "My Hero" from The Chocolate Soldier | Top 16 | Preliminary Talent Award | |
| Rhode Island | Marilyn Tripp | Westenly | | | | | |
| South Carolina | Anne Mae Morse | | | | | | |
| Tennessee | Wilda Bowman | Chattanooga | | | | | |
| Texas | D. Anne Wisener | University Park | | Vocal, "Embraceable You" | | | |
| Utah | Armelia Carol Ohmart | Salt Lake City | | Vocal, "I Won't Tell a Soul" | 4th Runner-up | | Later a well-known film & TV actress |
| Vermont | Lola Sundberg | Burlington | | | | | |
| Virginia | Bette Cannon | Alexandria | | Monologue, "The Waltz" by Dorothy Parker | | | |
| West Virginia | Norma Lee Salisbury | Parkersburg | | | Top 16 | | |
| Wisconsin | Antoine Lunde | Milwaukee/Westby | 20 | | Top 16 | | |