Marilyn Meseke
Encyclopedia
Marilyn Meseke (October 7, 1916 – September 12, 2001) has the distinction of being twice crowned Miss Ohio
(1931 and 1938) and Miss America
in 1938.
Meseke (ME-Sek-KE) was christened Mary Ellen Spurrier in 1917, near Lima, Ohio
. While still an infant, her mother surrendered custody to her maternal grandmother. Following her adoption, Mary Ellen was renamed Marilyn, given her grandmother’s surname of Meseke and reared in the family home on South Prospect Street in Marion, Ohio
. While still a child, she exhibited a talent for dance and received formal dance instruction throughout her childhood; she later became a tap dance
instructor, using the family’s living room as her studio.
Meseke entered and won the Miss Ohio
competition twice. Her first title was won in 1931 at the age of 14; her young age kept her from the national pageant. Her second title in 1938 qualified her to represent Ohio
in the national Miss America Pageant. 1938 was the first year that talent became a scoring event in the competition which was fortutitous as Meseke was a talented tap dancer. While her hometown listened to the pageant on the radio, Meseke won the crown on September 10, 1938.
The event also marked the first time that movie audiences could see a Miss America being crowned through news reel footage shown the week following the event. Meseke’s return to Marion on September 29, 1938 included a night time parade attended by 30,000 well wishers from hometown and surrounding communities.
Following the pageant win, Meseke continued to make appearances and teach dance in Marion. She married Stanley Hume, a pilot
, in 1944; they were the parents of one son. The couple relocated to Florida
. Following the death of her first husband Stanley Hume, Marilyn Meseke Hume married Pilot Benjamin Rogers. Always a booster of her hometown, she donated her Miss America trophy and memorabilia to the (http://www.historymarion.org) Marion County, Ohio
Historical Society where it is on display.
Meseke died in Florida on September 12, 2001, aged 84.
Miss Ohio
The Miss Ohio Scholarship Program selects the representative for the U.S. state of Ohio to compete for the title of Miss America...
(1931 and 1938) and Miss America
Miss America
The Miss America pageant is a long-standing competition which awards scholarships to young women from the 50 states plus the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico and the US Virgin Islands...
in 1938.
Meseke (ME-Sek-KE) was christened Mary Ellen Spurrier in 1917, near Lima, Ohio
Lima, Ohio
Lima is a city in and the county seat of Allen County, Ohio, United States. The municipality is located in northwestern Ohio along Interstate 75 approximately north of Dayton and south-southwest of Toledo....
. While still an infant, her mother surrendered custody to her maternal grandmother. Following her adoption, Mary Ellen was renamed Marilyn, given her grandmother’s surname of Meseke and reared in the family home on South Prospect Street in Marion, Ohio
Marion, Ohio
Marion is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Marion County. The municipality is located in north-central Ohio, approximately north of Columbus....
. While still a child, she exhibited a talent for dance and received formal dance instruction throughout her childhood; she later became a tap dance
Tap dance
Tap dance is a form of dance characterized by using the sound of one's tap shoes hitting the floor as a percussive instrument. As such, it is also commonly considered to be a form of music. Two major variations on tap dance exist: rhythm tap and Broadway tap. Broadway tap focuses more on the...
instructor, using the family’s living room as her studio.
Meseke entered and won the Miss Ohio
Miss Ohio
The Miss Ohio Scholarship Program selects the representative for the U.S. state of Ohio to compete for the title of Miss America...
competition twice. Her first title was won in 1931 at the age of 14; her young age kept her from the national pageant. Her second title in 1938 qualified her to represent Ohio
Ohio
Ohio is a Midwestern state in the United States. The 34th largest state by area in the U.S.,it is the 7th‑most populous with over 11.5 million residents, containing several major American cities and seven metropolitan areas with populations of 500,000 or more.The state's capital is Columbus...
in the national Miss America Pageant. 1938 was the first year that talent became a scoring event in the competition which was fortutitous as Meseke was a talented tap dancer. While her hometown listened to the pageant on the radio, Meseke won the crown on September 10, 1938.
The event also marked the first time that movie audiences could see a Miss America being crowned through news reel footage shown the week following the event. Meseke’s return to Marion on September 29, 1938 included a night time parade attended by 30,000 well wishers from hometown and surrounding communities.
Following the pageant win, Meseke continued to make appearances and teach dance in Marion. She married Stanley Hume, a pilot
Aviator
An aviator is a person who flies an aircraft. The first recorded use of the term was in 1887, as a variation of 'aviation', from the Latin avis , coined in 1863 by G. de la Landelle in Aviation Ou Navigation Aérienne...
, in 1944; they were the parents of one son. The couple relocated to Florida
Florida
Florida is a state in the southeastern United States, located on the nation's Atlantic and Gulf coasts. It is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the north by Alabama and Georgia and to the east by the Atlantic Ocean. With a population of 18,801,310 as measured by the 2010 census, it...
. Following the death of her first husband Stanley Hume, Marilyn Meseke Hume married Pilot Benjamin Rogers. Always a booster of her hometown, she donated her Miss America trophy and memorabilia to the (http://www.historymarion.org) Marion County, Ohio
Marion County, Ohio
Marion County is a county located in the state of Ohio, United States. As of the 2010 census, the population was 66,501. Its county seat is the city of Marion and is named for General Francis "The Swamp Fox" Marion, an officer in the Revolutionary War....
Historical Society where it is on display.
Meseke died in Florida on September 12, 2001, aged 84.