# Miss America 1941

Miss America 1941, the 15th Miss America pageant, was held at the Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City, New Jersey on September 6, 1941. Shortly after the crowning of Miss California, Rosemary LaPlanche, who had been first runner-up in 1940, the pageant committee adopted this rule: "No contestant can compete in Atlantic City for the title of Miss America more than once", thus eliminating future state winners with more than one attempt at the national title.
LaPlanche became a film actress, as did her sister, Louise LaPlanche.
The title of Miss Congeniality went to Mifaunwy Shunatona, a member of the Otoe and Pawnee tribes — she was also the first American Indian contestant in the pageant's history.

## Results
### Placements

| Placement | Contestant |
| Miss America 1941 | California – Rosemary LaPlanche † |
| 1st Runner-Up | Western Pennsylvania – Roselle Marie Hannon |
| 2nd Runner-Up | District of Columbia – Jean Fidelis Cavanaugh |
| 3rd Runner-Up | Westchester County – Lillian Helena O'Donnell |
| 4th Runner-Up | North Carolina – Joey Augusta Paxton |
| Top 15 | Birmingham – Virginia McGraw  Florida – Mitzi Strother (Also 1940)  Georgia – Esther Bette Shepard  Kentucky – Dorothy Slatten (Also 1940)  Michigan – Gerry Marcoux  New York City – Grace DeWitt  Ohio – Janice Sulzman  Oklahoma – Mifaunwy Dolores Shunatona  Virginia – Jacquelyn McWin  Wisconsin – Betty Ann Miller |

### Awards
#### Preliminary awards

| Award | Contestant |
| Lifestyle and Fitness | California – Rosemary LaPlanche  Kentucky – Dorothy Slatten  North Carolina – Joey Augusta Paxton (tie)  Westchester County – Lillian Helena O'Donnell (tie) |
| Talent | Birmingham – Virginia McGraw  North Carolina – Joey Augusta Paxton Western Pennsylvania – Roselle Marie Hannon |

### Other awards

| Award | Contestant |
| Miss Congeniality | Oklahoma – Mifaunwy Dolores Shunatona |

## Contestants

| Title | Name | Hometown | Age | Talent | Placement | Awards | Notes |
| Arkansas | Ferol Amelia Dumas | Magnolia | | | | | |
| Birmingham | Virginia McGraw | Birmingham | | Tap Dance with Rope Jumping | Top 15 | Preliminary Talent Award | |
| California | Rosemary LaPlanche | Los Angeles | 18 | Dance | Winner | Preliminary Lifestyle & Fitness Award | |
| Charleston | Miriam King | Charleston | | | | | |
| Cleveland | Lois Jean Beck | Cleveland | | | | | |
| Colorado | Charlene Woods | Denver | | | | | |
| Connecticut | Daphne Gladding | Plymouth | | | | | |
| Delaware | Verona Smith | Bridgeville | | | | | |
| District of Columbia | Jean Cavanaugh | | 18 | Soft Shoe Dance, "A Pretty Girl Is Like a Melody" | 2nd Runner-up | | |
| Eastern Pennsylvania | Catherine Jane Albert | Coatesville | | | | | |
| Florida | Mitzie Strother | Miami | | | Top 15 | | |
| Georgia | Esther Shepard | Griffin | | | Top 15 | | |
| Indiana | Alice Ullery | Evansville | | Modeling | | | |
| Iowa | Lorene Snoddy | Des Moines | 20 | | | | |
| Kentucky | Dorothy Slatten | Lexington | | | Top 15 | | |
| Knoxville | Katherine Gammon | Knoxville | | | | | |
| Lake Mohopac | Charlotte Winstanley | | | | | | |
| Maryland | Penny Malone | Baltimore | | | | | |
| Massachusetts | Betsy Sears Taylor | Cambridge | | | | | |
| Miami | Anna Louise Baker | Miami | | | | | |
| Michigan | Gerry Marcoux | Detroit | | | Top 15 | | |
| Minnesota | Patricia Tiets | Minneapolis | | | | | |
| Mississippi | Madeline Smith | Winona | | | | | |
| New Jersey | Marjorie Eleanor Jennings | Dover | | | | | |
| New Mexico | Beverly Brookshier | Roswell | | | | | |
| New Orleans | Helen Yvonne Englert | New Orleans | | | | | |
| New York City | Grace DeWitt | New York City | | | Top 15 | | |
| North Carolina | Joey Augusta Paxton | Charlotte | 19 | Swing Vocal | 4th Runner-up | Preliminary Lifestyle & Fitness Award Preliminary Talent Award | Joey Augusta Paxton of Hallandale Beach, Florida died at 79 on September 17, 2002. |
| Ohio | Janice Sulzman | Willoughby | | | Top 15 | | |
| Oklahoma | Mifaunwy Dolores Shunatona | Tulsa | | | Top 15 | Miss Congeniality | First American Indian to compete at Miss America |
| Philadelphia | Carrie de Ludo | Philadelphia | | | | | |
| Savannah | Gladys Collins | Savannah | | | | | |
| South Carolina | Gloria Frances Missel | | | Vocal, "My Heart Belongs to Daddy" | | | |
| Tennessee | Martha McKinney | Nashville | | Acrobatic/Tap Dance | | | |
| Virginia | Jacquelyn McWin | Waynesboro | | | Top 15 | | |
| West Virginia | Juanita Park Wright | Huntington | | | | | |
| Westchester County | Lillian O'Donnell | Yonkers | | | 3rd Runner-up | | |
| Western Pennsylvania | Roselle Hannon | Pittsburgh | | Vocal, "Because of You" | 1st Runner-up | Preliminary Talent Award | |
| Wisconsin | Betty Ann Miller | Milwaukee | 18 | Artistic Caricature of President Franklin D. Roosevelt | Top 15 | | |
| Wyoming | Patricia Marie Snyder | Cheyenne | | Vocal & Dance | | | |