The 11th National Spelling Bee was held in Washington, D.C. at the National Museum on May 28, 1935.[2] Scripps-Howard would not sponsor the Bee until 1941.
| 11th National Spelling Bee | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Date | May 28, 1935 |
| Location | National Museum in Washington, D.C. |
| Winner | Clara Mohler |
| Age | 13 |
| Residence | Coventry Township, Ohio[1] |
| Sponsor | Akron Beacon Journal |
| Sponsor location | Akron, Ohio |
| Winning word | intelligible |
| No. of contestants | 20[2] |
| Pronouncer | Charles E. Hill[3] |
| Preceded by | 10th Scripps National Spelling Bee |
| Followed by | 12th Scripps National Spelling Bee |
The 20 spellers had a banquet at the Hamilton Hotel on the evening of May 27 before proceeding to the National Museum the next day for the competition.[1]
The winner was Clara Mohler, 13, of Ohio, correctly spelling the word interning, which had been misspelled by the prior speller, followed by intelligible.[1][4] Paul McCusker, 13, of Niagara Falls, New York took second, followed by Bruce Ackerman of Illinois in third.[5][6]
Mohler is the third (out of five as of 2020) speller from the Akron area and sponsored by the Akron Beacon Journal to win the Bee, after Dean Lucas in 1927, and Alma Roach in 1933. After Mohler, Jean Chappelear won in 1948 and William Kerek won in 1964.[7]
Mohler later obtained a degree in foreign languages from Ohio University and was an educator for over 40 years. She died in 2013.[1]
References
edit- ^ a b c d Price, Mark J. (17 May 2015). Local history: Coventry girl, 13, spelled her way to national fame in 1935 bee, Akron Beacon Journal
- ^ a b (20 May 1935). Dinner Planned for Bee Champs, Nassau Daily Review
- ^ (7 March 1935). Spelling, News Journal
- ^ Chesley, Mabel Norris (1 November 1975). Spelling Bee A Big Event, Daytona Beach Morning Journal (memories of Akron reporter of 1935 contest)
- ^ (30 May 1935). Girl Is Winner In National Spelling Bee, Pittsburgh Post Gazette
- ^ (22 June 1935). Catholic School Pupil Takes 2nd Place in Nat'l Spelling Bee Archived 2014-11-08 at the Wayback Machine, Arkansas Catholic, p. 6, col. 1
- ^ Meyer, Philip (2 June 2014). June 4, 1964: Our Billy is champion speller in nation!, Akron Beacon Journal(reprint of story from June 4, 1964)