12th National Spelling Bee
{
DateMay 26, 1936
LocationNational Museum in Washington, D.C.
WinnerJean Trowbridge
Age13
ResidenceStuart, Iowa
SponsorThe Des Moines Register and Tribune
Sponsor locationDes Moines, Iowa
Winning wordeczema
No. of contestants17
PronouncerH.E. Warner and Harold F. Harding[1]
Preceded by11th Scripps National Spelling Bee
Followed by13th Scripps National Spelling Bee

The 12th National Spelling Bee was held in Washington, D.C., on May 26, 1936, at the National Museum. Scripps-Howard did not sponsor the Bee until 1941.

The winner was Jean Trowbridge, age 13, of Stuart, Iowa,[2] 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".[3][4]

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.[4]

The final hour of the competition was broadcast on radio on the Columbia broadcasting system.[5]

As of 2014, winner Jean Trowbridge (married name Tyler) was living in Grand Junction, Colorado.[6]

First Black finalists

MacNolia Cox, a 13-year-old girl from Akron,[7] 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.[3]

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.[8] 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.[9] 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.[10][11]

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.[12][11][13] 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.[14][15][16]

References

  1. ↑ (19 May 1936). Article, Courier-Journal ("Alternating as pronouncers will be Dr. H.E. Warner and Prof. H.F. Harding.")
  2. ↑ Journal of the Iowa Senate 1937, p. 798 (confirms Trowbridge is from Stuart, Iowa)
  3. 1 2 (30 May 1936). Best Speller Stumbles over Word Nemesis, The Afro American
  4. 1 2 (27 May 1936). Dictionaries Help Crown Iowa Girl Spelling Champ, Daily Illini
  5. ↑ (23 May 1936). Portland Boy Entrant in Nat'l Spelling Bee, Lewistown Daily Sun
  6. ↑ (9 January 2014). Betty Trowbridge = Obituary, Grand Junction Daily Sentinel
  7. ↑ Halpin, Mary Rita (18 May 1936). Ohio and Tennessee Select Girls for Spelling Contest, Nassau Daily Review
  8. ↑ Chesley, Mabel Norris (1 November 1975). Spelling Bee A Big Event, Daytona Beach Morning Journal (memories of Akron reporter of 1935 contest)
  9. ↑ (30 May 1936). Best Speller Stumbles over Word Nemesis, The Afro-American
  10. ↑ Hildebrand, Lee (5 December 2006). When one path narrowed, she took another to life as blues pianist, San Francisco Chronicle
  11. 1 2 Hirsch, Edward (13 June 2004). A. Van Jordan combines the ... , The Washington Post
  12. ↑ Romain, Michael (20 May 2015). The tragedy of MacNolia Cox, OakPark.com
  13. ↑ Olson, Sean. Poetic Justice, UNCG Research (Spring 2006)
  14. ↑ Carole Boston Weatherford (2000-02-28). "Pokemon phenom harbors racist image; Jynx character is a stereotype comparable to Little Black Sambo". Advertising Age. Crain Communications, Inc.
  15. ↑ "Politically Incorrect Pokemon". September 25, 2008. Archived from the original on 2008-09-25.
  16. ↑ Price, Mark J. "Children's book shares triumph and tragedy of 1936 Akron spelling champ MacNolia Cox". Akron Beacon Journal. Retrieved 2023-07-09.
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