1940s Champions

Laurel Kuykendall

Laurel Kuykendall, age 14, sponsored by the Knoxville News Sentinel, won the $500 prize by correctly spelling the word “therapy.”

Laurel married and became Laurel Kuykendall Mullins. She was a clerk for South Central Bell Telephone and died in 2004.

Louis Edward Sissman

Louis Edward Sissman, age 13, sponsored by the Detroit News, won the $500 prize by correctly spelling the word “initials.”

Louis was a poet, essayist and advertising executive. He wrote poems and book reviews that were published in The New Yorker and also contributed to Harper’s Magazine. He died in 1976.

Richard Earnhart

Richard Earnhart, age 11, sponsored by the El Paso Herald-Post, won the $500 prize by correctly spelling the word “sacrilegious.”

Richard was inducted into Phi Beta Kappa honor society while at Southern Methodist University. He earned his master’s degree in English at North Texas State College and became a zoologist.

John McKinney

John McKinney, age 13, sponsored by The Des Moines Register & Tribune, won $500 in war bonds plus a $150 cash prize by correctly spelling the word “semaphore.”

John graduated from the University of Washington and with a Ph.D. in economics from the University of California. He held a position at the Federal Reserve Bank in California and professorships at several American and Canadian universities.

Mattie Lou Pollard

Mattie Lou Pollard, age 14, sponsored by The Atlanta Journal, won the $500 prize by correctly spelling the word “chlorophyll.”

Mattie married and became Mattie Lou Cato. She worked for the Department of Defense and National Parks Service before retiring in 1989. She died in 2006.

Jean Chappelear

Jean Chappelear, age 14, sponsored by the Akron Beacon Journal, won the $500 prize by correctly spelling the word “psychiatry.”

Jean married and became Jean Ann Schlupe. She graduated from Ravenna High School in Ohio. She died in 2021. No image of this champion has been found on record.

Kim Calvin

Kim Calvin, age 13, sponsored by the Canton Repository, won the $500 prize by correctly spelling the word “dulcimer.”

Kim became a civil engineer with the Navy Department. He died in 2012.