20th Scripps National Spelling Bee

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The 20th Scripps National Spelling Bee was held May 29, 1947, in the National Press Building auditorium in Washington, D.C., and was sponsored by the E.W. Scripps Company. Thirty-five contestants competed. The winner was 14-year-old Mattie Lou Pollard of Thomaston, Georgia, who attended a one-room schoolhouse and correctly spelled the word chlorophyll. Runner-up was Sonya Rodolfo, 14, of Chicago (born in the Philippines), who finished second after missing “maggoty.” Third place went to Suzanne Gelin of Parma, Ohio, who misspelled “sarsaparilla.” Fourth went to Sharon Gross of Akron, Ohio, who misspelled “bellicose” in the 31st round. Pollard was Georgia’s first Bee winner. She later worked for the Department of Defense and the National Park Service. She died January 10, 2006, in Norcross, Georgia.