1930s Champions

Helen Jensen

Helen Jensen, age 14, sponsored by The Des Moines Register & Tribune, won the $1,000 prize by correctly spelling the word “albumen.”

Helen married and became Helen Heckendorn. She worked for the Santa Clara County Health Department for eight years. She died in 1993.

Ward Randall

Ward Randall, age 12, sponsored by the White Hall Register-Republican, won the $1,000 prize by correctly spelling the word “fracas.”

Ward was a sales manager for Swift & Co. in New York for 48 years. He died in 1998.

Dorothy Greenwald

Dorothy Greenwald, age 13, sponsored by The Des Moines Register & Tribune, won the $1,000 prize by correctly spelling the word “invulnerable.”

Dorothy was salutatorian of her high school class and worked for Carver Pump, Stanley Law Office and H.J. Heinz Company. She married and became Dorothy Schlutz. She died in 2008. No image of this champion has been found on record.

Alma Roach

Alma Roach, age 12, sponsored by the Akron Beacon Journal, won the $500 prize by correctly spelling the word “torsion.”

Alma married and became Alma Mercer. She taught in the high school of her hometown in Twinsburg, Ohio. She died in 2003.

Sarah Wilson

Sarah Wilson, age 12, sponsored by the Portland Evening Express, won the $500 prize by correctly spelling the word “brethren.”

Sarah married and became Sarah Garrett. She graduated from the University of Vermont in 1941, and Yale Law School in 1944. She worked as an attorney for the Internal Revenue Service for more than 40 years and died in 1998.

Clara Mohler

Clara Mohler, age 13, sponsored by the Akron Beacon Journal, won the $500 prize by correctly spelling the word “intelligible.”

Clara graduated second in her class at Ohio University in 1943. She became a high school teacher and died in 2013.

Jean Trowbridge

Jean Trowbridge, age 13, sponsored by The Des Moines Register & Tribune, won the $500 prize by correctly spelling the word “eczema.”

Jean married and became Jean Tyler. She earned her bachelor’s degree from the University of Iowa. She died in 2020.

Waneeta Beckley

Waneeta Beckley, age 14, sponsored by the Louisville Courier-Journal, won the $500 prize by correctly spelling the word “promiscuous.”

Waneeta married and became Waneeta Morgan. She graduated from Presentation Academy and was a member of the Ladies Auxiliary at Cedar Lake Lodge, where she earned an award for her fundraising efforts. She died in 2018.

Marian Richardson

Marian Richardson, age 12, sponsored by The Louisville Times, won the $500 prize by correctly spelling the word “sanitarium.”

Marian married and became Marian Byrnes. She was an environmental activist and died in 2010. No image of this champion has been found on record.

Elizabeth Ann Rice

Elizabeth Ann Rice, age 12, sponsored by the Worcester Telegram & Gazette, won the $500 prize by correctly spelling the word “canonical.”

Elizabeth married and became Elizabeth Ann Riza. She ran the Boston Marathon three times and worked as an office manager and business manager. She died in 2012.