Miss America Icon Jo-Carroll Dennison Dies at 97
By Movieguide® Staff
The oldest living Miss America, Jo-Carroll Dennison, died on Oct. 18 at the age of 97.
The beauty pageant icon won Miss America in 1942 at the age of 18.
Dennison’s son confirmed the news to Deadline but did not provide a cause of death.
“The Miss America Organization is saddened to hear of the passing of Miss America 1942, Jo-Carroll Dennison,” The Miss America Organization wrote on Instagram. “We thank her for her year of service and will miss her dearly.”
According to the New York Times, Dennison was born in an Arizona men’s prison in 1923. While on their way to California, Dennison’s mother went into labor. The only available doctor was in Arizona at a prison.
After Dennison’s father died, she and her mother moved to Texas.
Deadline reported:
Dennison won the competition in 1942, giving an energetic performance of the song “Deep in the Heart of Texas” while dressed in a cowgirl outfit. Her talent segment won her the newspaper title of “The Texas Tornado,” and she swept the talent and swimsuit contests on her way to winning the competition.
She spent the next year entertaining the troops, although balking at times at the requirement that she appear in a swimsuit, eventually cutting short her tour.
She went on to Hollywood, appearing in the war propaganda film Winged Victory (1944) and The Jolson Story (1946), the latter about the entertainer Al Jolson. She later appeared on television with Frank Sinatra and Ed Sullivan, and in a few episodes of the series Dick Tracy in 1950.
Despite her success on stage, Dennison still made it a priority to give back. In the 80s and 90s, Dennison spent her time as a hospice care worker.
“I had a fantastic life and met so many interesting, talented people,” Dennison told The Press-Enterprise in 2011. “I thought I should do something to give back, so I worked at Hemet Hospice for 11 years.”
“I feel it was truly the most purposeful rewarding work I ever did,” she continued. “When I was Miss America, the boys were so terrific, but it was the symbol they were applauding. Working for hospice I thought I deserved the applause I got.”
Dennison is survived by her sons, Peter and John Stoneham, as well as her three grandchildren.
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