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 |
| Pronouncer | Richard R. Baker |
| 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.
Background[edit]
The competition was won by 13-year-old eighth-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,[3] where he missed svengali.
Second place went to 14-year-old Joan O'Leary of Yonkers, New York, who fell on sesquipedalian. Both O'Leary and Paola had missed "futtock" and "yizkor" before "sesquipedalian" came up. Third-place was captured by Joseph Fumic of North Olmsted, Ohio, who misspelled "triage".[2][4] Fourth place went to Roxanne Taylor of Forest Hills, New York, who misspelled "mecometer".[5]
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][4] After seven rounds in the first day of competition, the field was reduced to 26, 17 girls and 9 boys.[4]
A taped version of the finals appeared on television on PBS this year (last previously done in the 1974 bee).[6]
References[edit]
- ^ (9 June 1977) Pa. Student Wins Spelling Bee, Sumter Daily Item (Associated Press)
- ^ a b c d Williams, Juan (10 June 1977). Sesquipedalian Speller Triumphs at Spelling Bee, The Washington Post
- ^ Levin Steve (6 July 2003). Past winners spell out pain and glory of 'The Bee', Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
- ^ a b c (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
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