1981

The 54th Scripps-Howard National Spelling Bee was held on June 4, 1981, at the Capital Hilton in Washington, D.C., and 120 spellers participated.

Paige Pipkin won in 1981 after placing second the previous year. She went on to serve as Director of the Bee in 1998 and Executive Director of the Bee from 2013 until 2020.

Learn more

About the 54th Bee

Champion

Paige Pipkin

El Paso, Texas

Paige Pipkin, age 13, sponsored by the El Paso Herald-Post, won the $1,000 prize by correctly spelling the word “sarcophagus.”

Paige married and became Paige Kimble. She was director, then executive director, of the Bee from 1996-2020. Before that, she served as assistant director from 1992 to 1995 after completing eight years on Bee staff.

Location

Capital Hilton

at the Presidential Ballroom

Winning Word

sarcophagus(n)

sahr-KAHF-uh-gus

a coffin made of stone, often ornamented with sculpture, and usually placed in a church, tomb, or vault.

This word went from Greek to Latin.

OFFICIALS

Directors

James H. Wagner

Judges

  • Dr. Robert E. Baker
  • Leroy C. Dillard
  • Al Kuettner
  • Mary Brooks

Pronouncers

  • Dr. Alex J. Cameron
  • Dr. Caesar A. Carrino

SPELLER ROSTER

  • Arriz C. Andulan
  • Sharon Arcardo
  • Stacy Asher
  • Chumki Basu
  • Amy Bevilacqua
  • Baku Raghuvir Bhatt
  • Robert Bourg
  • Stacey Bowling
  • Brenda Brown
  • Jeff Brown
  • Eddie Butler
  • John W. Byrd
  • Bob Cannon
  • Becky Carey
  • Joel R. Carlson
  • Edward Dave Carmack
  • Jeffery Clarke
  • Bridget Clarke
  • Crystal E. Clulee
  • Kathleen G. Collins
  • Steven Corey
  • Joanne D’Agostino
  • Elizabeth Dahl
  • Teresa Davis
  • Eric Davis
  • Denise De La Cruz
  • Traci Dunn
  • Nancy Dupuis
  • Jonathan Evans
  • Kara Fleming
  • Jim Flood
  • D’Lyn Ford
  • Bethany Freed
  • Chris Fuelling
  • Marilyn Germano
  • Jacqueline Nicole Giddens
  • Anne Marie Giffin
  • Dominador Gobaleza
  • Stephen T. Goff
  • Tammy Goodwin
  • James Gordon
  • Daniel Graettinger
  • Kellie M. Griffin
  • Matthew J. Gutting
  • Laura Hadfield
  • Andrew Hammel
  • Susan Hammons
  • Meagan E. Hanrahan
  • Adrienne Hegman
  • Twyla K. Heitz
  • Jeannie Hersey
  • Angelique Hessoun
  • Morgan Holm
  • Margaret Marie Hoskins
  • Lara Hoth
  • Jerri Hubbard
  • Jill Hurley
  • Allan Punzalan Issac
  • Derrick Jenkins
  • Vicki Jerome
  • Jason Johnson
  • Anthony Jonassen
  • Dawn Delane Kelley
  • Carson Killmon
  • Andy Klingler
  • Kristina Lager
  • Randi Langworthy
  • Shelley Louise Lee
  • Joshua Lukin
  • Enda Iris Maceda
  • Cathie Malocha
  • Ruby Mangus
  • David C. Marshall
  • Micheline Marie Maurer
  • David William Mayer
  • Scott Allen McDermott
  • Jennifer Lynne Miller
  • Brian Miller
  • Angela Dawn Mitchell
  • Alice Ann Moore
  • Claudia Mueller
  • Ramesh Narasimhan
  • Laura Newton
  • Huan Nguyen
  • Debbie Oakley
  • Keena Pack
  • Paige Pipkin
  • Paul Rhinehart
  • Brian Rice
  • Matthew John Rita
  • Christina Louise Rodriguez
  • Celeste Roy
  • Stephen Savage
  • Pamira Y. Shah
  • Gina Shaw
  • Kristin Sheldon
  • Richard Shlackman
  • Mara Shlackman
  • Rhoda Siechert
  • Janene Sivesind
  • Lisa Marie Skaggs
  • Alison R. Sleight
  • Chusunn Song
  • Danielle Mary Spinelli
  • Barry Steele
  • Kim Stephenson
  • David Stuewer
  • Megan Sweeney
  • Laura Templeton
  • Chester Thomas
  • Jeff Tomlin
  • Jason Trobaugh
  • Willard Twiggs
  • Mike Vail
  • Laura Eileen Wasylenki
  • Phil Whitehead
  • Rhonda Williams
  • Patricia Willson
  • Mona Wu
  • Karen Young

* Winner
** Runner-Up