50th Scripps National Spelling Bee
50th Scripps National Spelling Bee | |
---|---|
The Mayflower Hotel, site of the 50th National Spelling Bee | |
Date | June 8-9, 1977 |
Location | The Mayflower Hotel in Washington, D.C. |
Winner | John Paola |
Age | 13 |
Residence | Glenshaw, Pennsylvania |
Sponsor | Pittsburgh Press |
Sponsor location | Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania |
Winning word | cambist |
No. of contestants | 94 |
Preceded by | 49th Scripps National Spelling Bee |
Followed by | 51st Scripps National Spelling Bee |
The 50th Scripps National Spelling Bee was held in Washington, D.C. at the Mayflower Hotel on June 8-9, 1977 sponsored by the E.W. Scripps Company.
The competition was won by 13-year old eight-grader John Paola of Glenshaw, Pennsylvania, correctly spelling "cambist" (a dealer in foreign bills of exchange).[1][2] Paola had finished 22nd in the prior year's bee, where he missed svengali.
Second place went to 14 year-old Joan O'Leary of Yonkers, New York, who fell on sequipedalian. Both O'Leary and Paola had missed "futtock" and "yizkor" before sequipedalian came up. Third-place was captured by Joseph Fumic of North Olmsted, Ohio, who misspelled "triage".[2][3] Fourth place went to Roxanne Taylor of Forest Hills, New York, who misspelled "mecometer."[4]
Frank Neuhauser (then 63), winner of the 1st Bee, was in the audience at the finals.[2]
This year's competition had 94 spellers (another record), with 57 girls and 36 boys.[2][3] After seven rounds in the first day of competition, the field was reduced to 26, 17 girls and 9 boys.[3]
A taped version of the finals appeared on television on PBS this year (last previously done in the 1974 bee).[5]
References
- ↑ (9 June 1977) Pa. Student Wins Spelling Bee, Sumter Daily Item (Associated Press)
- 1 2 3 4 Williams, Juan (10 June 1977). Sesquipedalian Speller Triumphs at Spelling Bee, Washington Post
- 1 2 3 (9 June 1977). Second time is charm for national spelling champion, Bryan Times (UPI)
- ↑ (9 June 1977). Boy Wins National Spelling Bee With Cambist, Fort Scott Tribune (AP)
- ↑ History, Spellingbee.com, Retrieved 24 August 2016