23rd Scripps National Spelling Bee

The 23rd Scripps National Spelling Bee was held in Washington, District of Columbia on Friday, May 26, 1950, sponsored by the E.W. Scripps Company, at the National Press Club auditorium.[2]

23rd Scripps National Spelling Bee
DateFriday, May 26, 1950
LocationWashington, D.C.
WinnerDiana Reynard and Colquitt Dean (tie)
Age12 (Reynard)
14 (Dean)
ResidenceEast Cleveland, Ohio (Reynard)
College Park, Georgia (Dean)
SponsorCleveland Press (Reynard)
Atlanta Journal (Dean)
Sponsor locationCleveland, Ohio (Reynard)
Atlanta, Georgia (Dean)
Winning wordmeticulosity
No. of contestants50[1]
PronouncerBenson S. Alleman
Preceded by22nd Scripps National Spelling Bee
Followed by24th Scripps National Spelling Bee

The co-winners were 12-year-old Diana Reynard of East Cleveland, Ohio and 14-year-old Colquitt Dean of College Park, Georgia. This was the first time in National Spelling Bee history that the word list was exhausted and co-champions had to be declared. The final word was meticulosity. Each received the first place prize of $500 and a trip to New York. Third place went to Jim Bernhard of Houston, Texas, who missed "haruspex", and received $300.[3][4]

The field of spellers was reduced to Reynard and Dean after 29 rounds, and they both correctly spelled a number of following words. Dean was almost excluded on "ferule" until the judges determined it was a proper spelling. The two continued until the Bee's third and final supplementary word list had been used up.[5] Dean politely refused requests to embrace Reynard for photographers, fearing the reaction it might cause back home to be seen hugging a girl.[6]

There were 50 spellers that year – 31 girls and 19 boys. Audrey Mathews was the first one eliminated for the spelling "supercede", but was reinstated after the judges found that it was listed in Webster's dictionary as a variant spelling for the normal "supersede".[1]

References
  1. (26 May 1950). Webster Saves Girl Speller, Evening Independent (Associated Press)
  2. (24 May 1950). Spelling Champs Tour Capital Before Big Contest on Friday, Salem News (Ohio) ("before the big test Friday at 9 a.m. in the National Press Club auditorium")
  3. (27 May 1950). Run Out of Words: Award 2 Prize, Daytona Morning Beach Journal (Associated Press)
  4. Bernhard, Jim (1 June 2015), To Bee or Not to Bee, Words Going Wild (Blogpost by Bernhard posted in 2015)
  5. Maguire, James. American Bee: The National Spelling Bee and the Culture of Word Nerds, p. 74-75(2006)
  6. (30 May 1950). Spelling Judges Ran Out of Words, Sydney Morning Herald
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