12th Scripps National Spelling Bee

Spelling bee held in the United States in 1936 February 2025 12th National Spelling Bee File:New national museum of natural history.tif May 26, 1936 National Museum in Washington, D.C. Jean Trowbridge 13 The Des Moines Register and Tribune Des Moines, Iowa eczema 17 H.E. Warner and Harold F. Harding(19 May 1936). Article, Courier-Journal ("Alternating as pronouncers will be Dr. H.E. Warner and Prof. H.F. Harding.") 11th Scripps National Spelling Bee 13th Scripps National Spelling Bee The 12th National Spelling Bee was held in Washington, D.C., on May 26, 1936, at the National Museum. The winner was Jean Trowbridge, age 13, of Stuart, Iowa,Journal of the Iowa Senate 1937, p. 798 (confirms Trowbridge is from Stuart, Iowa) with the word eczema. Thirteen-year-old Bruce Ackerman, of Tazewell County, Illinois, who took 3rd the prior year, came in second. Catherine Davis, 13, of Indiana took third, falling on "shrieking."(27 May 1936). Dictionaries Help Crown Iowa Girl Spelling Champ, Daily Illini In the final rounds, Trowbridge was first disqualified for "numskull," which Ackerman then spelled as "numbskull" followed by "gnome" for the apparent win. The judges then realized that "numskull" was an acceptable spelling, and the contest continued. Ackerman misspelled "predilection" a few words later, which Trowbridge spelled correctly followed by "eczema" for the win. The final hour of the competition was broadcast on radio on the Columbia broadcasting system.(23 May 1936). Portland Boy Entrant in Nat'l Spelling Bee, Lewistown Daily Sun In 2014, winner Jean Trowbridge (married name Tyler) was living in Grand Junction, Colorado.(9 January 2014). Betty Trowbridge = Obituary, Grand Junction Daily Sentinel She died in 2020 at the age of 98.Jean Tyler Obituary (1922 - 2020) - Grand Junction, CO - The Daily Sentinel https://www.legacy.com/us/obituaries/gjsentinel/name/jean-tyler-obituary?id=8323339 2025-08-20 Legacy.com First Black finalists MacNolia Cox, a 13-year-old girl from Akron, Ohio,Halpin, Mary Rita (18 May 1936). Ohio and Tennessee Select Girls for Spelling Contest, Nassau Daily Review and Elizabeth Kenny, a 15-year-old from Plainfield, New Jersey, were the first African-American children to compete as finalists in the National Spelling Bee. Cox placed 5th after misspelling "nemesis" and Kenny, after missing "appellation," placed 7th. Due to segregation, Cox had to move into a black-only train car when she crossed into Maryland, and was unable to stay at the Willard Hotel with the other spellers. Cox and her mother were also placed at a separate table at the contestants' banquet.Chesley, Mabel Norris (1 November 1975). Spelling Bee A Big Event, Daytona Beach Morning Journal (memories of Akron reporter of 1935 contest) Cox's schoolteacher and newspaper sponsor representative, who were both white, engaged in what the Baltimore Afro-American described as a "long and heated argument", contending that "nemesis" was a proper noun (Nemesis being a Greek goddess of retribution). The chairman explained that the word was in frequent use as a common noun, and that the definition he'd given Cox was "fate." He appealed to the judges, who agreed and ruled against Cox.30 May 1936 https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=2211&dat=19360530&id=xtImAAAAIBAJ&sjid=qAIGAAAAIBAJ&pg=4525,2656619 Best Speller Stumbles over Word Nemesis Collins Florence M. The Afro-American According to "family lore" and subsequent speculation, Cox lost as the result of racism, although such claims were denied at the time and remain unproven.Hildebrand, Lee (5 December 2006). When one path narrowed, she took another to life as blues pianist, San Francisco ChronicleHirsch, Edward (13 June 2004). A. Van Jordan combines the ... , The Washington Post In 2004, poet A. Van Jordan published M-A-C-N-O-L-I-A, a book of poems written as if from the perspective of different people in Cox's life, imagining her as a brilliant but tragic figure crushed by racism.Romain, Michael (20 May 2015). The tragedy of MacNolia Cox, OakPark.comOlson, Sean. Poetic Justice, UNCG Research (Spring 2006) Inspired by Jordan's book, Carole Boston Weatherford, a writer and critic known for controversial claims that Pokémon character Jynx was racist and "an obese drag queen" version of Little Black Sambo, published a children's picture book about Cox titled How Do You Spell Unfair? in 2023.Carole Boston Weatherford Pokemon phenom harbors racist image; Jynx character is a stereotype comparable to Little Black Sambo Advertising Age 2000-02-28 Crain Communications, Inc.http://hk.geocities.com/hksar_dolphin/cbw1.htm https://web.archive.org/web/20080925070143/http://hk.geocities.com/hksar_dolphin/cbw1.htm dead 2008-09-25 Politically Incorrect Pokemon September 25, 2008Price Mark J. Children’s book shares triumph and tragedy of 1936 Akron spelling champ MacNolia Cox Akron Beacon Journal 2023-07-09 https://www.beaconjournal.com/story/entertainment/books/2023/04/28/1936-akron-speller-macnolia-cox-is-subject-of-new-book-for-children/70152274007/ References 2 Category:Scripps National Spelling Bee competitions Category:1936 in education Category:1936 in Washington, D.C. Category:May 1936 in the United States