Miss America 1954, the 27th Miss America pageant, was held at the Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City, New Jersey on September 12, 1953. Though four women from Pennsylvania had previously held the title (1924, 1935, 1936, 1940), Evelyn Margaret Ay was the first Miss Pennsylvania to be crowned Miss America, as the others represented cities.[1][2]
| Miss America 1954 | |
|---|---|
| Date | September 12, 1953 |
| Venue | Boardwalk Hall, Atlantic City, New Jersey |
| Entrants | 52 |
| Placements | 10 |
| Winner | Evelyn Margaret Ay Pennsylvania |
| Congeniality | Patricia Ann Condon New Jersey |
Actress and princess-to-be Grace Kelly was one of the year's judges.
A Top 10 finisher in the pageant, Miriam Stevenson, subsequently won the 1954 Miss USA pageant, representing South Carolina. She then proceeded to be crowned Miss Universe 1954.
Similarly, Carlene King Johnson, unsuccessful as Miss Vermont in the 1954 Miss America pageant, became Miss USA 1955.
Results edit
Placements edit
| Placement | Contestant |
|---|---|
| Miss America 1954 | |
| 1st Runner-Up |
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| 2nd Runner-Up |
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| 3rd Runner-Up |
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| 4th Runner-Up |
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| Top 10 |
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Awards edit
Preliminary awards edit
| Awards | Contestant |
|---|---|
| Lifestyle and Fitness |
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| Talent |
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Other awards edit
| Awards | Contestant |
|---|---|
| Miss Congeniality |
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| Non-finalist Talent |
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Contestants edit
| State | Name | Hometown | Age | Talent | Placement | Awards | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Alabama
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Virginia McDavid | Birmingham | 18 | Monologue, "Tara" from Gone with the Wind | 3rd runner-up | ||
 Arizona
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Betty Lou Lindly | Tempe | Piano | ||||
 Arkansas
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Helen Reed | Fayetteville | Tap Dance | ||||
 California
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Patricia Johns | Fresno | Dramatic Monologue from The Country Girl | Top 10 | Preliminary Lifestyle & Fitness Award | ||
 Canada
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Kathleen "Kathy" Ann Archibald | Kelowna | |||||
 Chicago
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Carol Segermark | Chicago | Vocal | ||||
 Colorado
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Mary Donclan | Keenesburg | Dramatic Monologue from Of Mice and Men | ||||
 Connecticut
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Sally Middleton | Hartford | Dance | ||||
 Delaware
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Lois Anne Alava | Wilmington | Piano, "Concerto in A Minor" | Top 10 | Preliminary Talent Award | ||
 District of Columbia
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Helen Smith | Washington, D.C. | 19 | Dance | |||
 Florida
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Marjorie Simmons | Tampa | Dance, "Slaughter on Tenth Avenue" | ||||
 Georgia
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Lucia Hutchinson | Macon | 22 | Operatic Vocal, "Mon cœur s'oure à ta voix" & "Love is Where You Find it" | |||
 Hawaii
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Dorothy Leilani Ellis | Lihue | Hula | ||||
 Idaho
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Jane Bostic | New Plymouth | Vocal, "All the Things You Are" | ||||
 Illinois
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Jacquie Dumbauld | Alton | Piano/Dance | ||||
 Indiana
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Violet Wratich | East Chicago | Vocal | ||||
 Iowa
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Constance VerHoef | Sheldon | 18 | Vocal | |||
 Kansas
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Joanne Milnar | Hutchinson | 23 | Water Ballet | |||
 Kentucky
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Emily Rucker | Berea | Vocal | ||||
 Louisiana
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Sonya Lee LeBlanc | Baton Rouge | Dance | ||||
 Maine
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Karen Diane Thorsall | Portland | Vocal | ||||
 Maryland
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Meta France Justice | Crisfield | Vocal, "Ave Maria" | ||||
 Massachusetts
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Lois Feldman | Natick | Ballet | ||||
 Michigan
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Velva Irene Robbins | Dowagiac | Speech, "Education" | ||||
 Minnesota
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Idell Hulin | Minneapolis | Vocal | ||||
 Mississippi
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Suzanne Dugger | Picayune | Vocal Medley & Dance, "Bill" & "Won't You Come Home Bill Bailey" | 4th runner-up | |||
 Missouri
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Laura Holmes | Northwoods | Dance | ||||
 Nebraska
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Diana Louise Hann | Lincoln | Art | ||||
 Nevada
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Jeannine McColl | Las Vegas | Dance | ||||
 New Hampshire
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Elaine Ruggles | New Castle | Vocal | ||||
| New Jersey
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Patricia Condon | Maplewood | Vocal | Miss Congeniality | |||
 New York
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Jeannine Bowman | Rome | Drama | ||||
 New York City
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Joan Kaible | New York City | Classical Vocal, "Qual fiamma avea nel guardo" from Pagliacci | 1st runner-up | |||
 North Carolina
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Barbara Crockett | Winston-Salem | Vocal, "Shine" | ||||
 North Dakota
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Marilyn Wentz | Napoleon | Vocal | ||||
 Ohio
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Martha Zimmerman | Salem | Drama/Piano | ||||
 Oklahoma
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Lorene Washburn | Tulsa | Vocal | ||||
 Oregon
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Patti Throop | Portland | Dramatic Reading, "Patterns" | Top 10 | |||
| Pennsylvania
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Evelyn Margaret Ay | Ephrata | 20 | Poetry Recitation, "Footsteps" from Leaves from a Grass-House by Don Blanding | Winner | Preliminary Lifestyle & Fitness Award | |
 Puerto Rico
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Nydia Power | ||||||
 Rhode Island
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Joyce Sandberg | Providence | Drama | Later Miss Rhode Island USA 1954 | |||
 South Carolina
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Miriam Stevenson | Winnsboro | 20 | Tap Dance | Top 10 | Later Miss South Carolina USA 1954, Miss USA 1954, & Miss Universe 1954
| |
 South Dakota
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Delores Jerde | Spearfish | Piano | Preliminary Talent Award
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 Tennessee
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Ruth Ann Barker | Trenton | Vocal | ||||
 Texas
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Paula Lane | Cleburne | Fashion Design & Speech | ||||
 Utah
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Ina Lavon Brown | Provo | Drama | ||||
 Vermont
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Carlene King Johnson | Rutland | Dance | Later Miss Vermont USA 1955, Miss USA 1955, & semi-finalist at Miss Universe 1955 | |||
 Virginia
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Anne Lee Ceglis | Norfolk | Classical Vocal, "Un Bel Di" from Madama Butterfly | 2nd runner-up | Preliminary Talent Award | ||
 Washington
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Geraldine Lindsey | Seattle | Vocal | ||||
 West Virginia
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Patricia Stewart | Pineville | Vocal & Impersonations | ||||
 Wisconsin
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Judith Jacobsen | Wauwatosa | 19 | Vocal & Dance, "Make Believe" & "Come Back to Sorrento" | |||
 Wyoming
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Elaine Lois Holkenbrink | Torrington | Fashion Display | Top 10 | Preliminary Lifestyle & Fitness Award |