Beatrice Bella "BeBe" Shopp (born August 17, 1930), from Hopkins, Minnesota, was Miss America in 1948.[2]
BeBe Shopp | |
|---|---|
| Born | Beatrice Bella Shopp August 17, 1930 |
| Alma mater | Manhattan School of Music |
| Title | Miss Minnesota 1948 Miss America 1948 |
| Predecessor | Barbara Jo Walker |
| Successor | Jacque Mercer |
| Spouse |
Bayard D. Waring
(m. 1954; died 2022) |
| Children | 4 |
Post-Pageant Career
editAfter winning Miss America 1948, Shopp used her pageant scholarship to attend the Manhattan School of Music. She specialized in the vibraharp, and graduated with a degree in percussion in 1952. She sang with Share the Music and the Cape Ann Symphony Chorus. She was active in community affairs, and headed the board of directors for Gloucester Stage Company.[3]
Near the end of her Miss America reign while traveling in France, Shopp was asked about women wearing two-piece bathing suits to which she replied, 'I don't approve of Bikini suits for American girls...The French girls can wear them if they want to, but I still don't approve of them on American girls.'"[4][5]
Personal life
editShopp married Korean War navigator Lt. Bayard D. Waring in 1954 and later had four daughters.[6][7] As of 2000, she lives in Rockport, Massachusetts and is known by her married name Beatrice "Bea" Waring. She was a lay minister in the Episcopal Church and a TV spokeswoman for an electric scooter company.[4] As of October 2022, Shopp is the earliest living former Miss America.
References
edit- ^ "Bayard David Waring". Gloucester Times. April 4, 2022.
- ^ "Bebe Back from Europe, Saw Beauties-All Over". The Miami News. 1949-09-01.[permanent dead link]
- ^ Hendrickson, Dyke. "Bruins Prove to Quick for Thatcher Island Fans." June 18, 2011. Gloucester Times. Retrieved July 5, 2011: http://www.gloucestertimes.com/local/x1625120545/Bruins-prove-too-quick--Thacher-Island-fans
- ^ a b Tauber, Michelle; Neill, Mike; Russell, Lisa; Fowler, Joanne; Dam, Julie; Tresniowski, Alex; Miller, Samantha; Dougherty, Steve; Yu, Ting (October 16, 2000). "American Beauties: 80 Years". People.
- ^ Retrieved July 5, 2011: http://www.bikiniview.com/history.html Archived 2011-07-09 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ "First Miss America from Minnesota, now 87, looks back on the trials of instant celebrity". Star Tribune. Retrieved 2018-09-22.
- ^ "First Miss America from Minnesota, now 87, looks back on the trials of instant celebrity". Star Tribune.
External links
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