36th Scripps National Spelling Bee
On June 12–13, 1963, the 36th Scripps National Spelling Bee was held at the Mayflower Hotel in Washington, D.C. Glen Van Slyke III, a 13-year-old eighth-grader from Oak Ridge, Tennessee, sponsored by the Knoxville News Sentinel, won after 33 rounds by correctly spelling the word equipage. He spelled slowly and asked for the word derivations and roots to stay accurate. The runner-up was Elaine Piecuch, 14, of Winslow, Maine, who misspelled biliousness, and third place went to Gary Barringer, 14, of East Liverpool, Ohio. Prizes were $1,000 for first, $500 for second, and $250 for third. There were 69 contestants: 39 girls and 30 boys. Nine spellers came from Texas, eight from Ohio, six from Pennsylvania, and five from New York. Four contestants were returning competitors. A record 752 words were used in the competition, up from 718 the year before.
This page was last edited on 2 February 2026, at 03:46 (CET).