Jean Bartel (born Jean Bartlemeh; October 26, 1923 â€" March 6, 2011)
was Miss California and Miss America 1943.Bartel was from Los Angeles,
California. She was born Jean Bartlemeh; later her name was shortened
to Bartel.She initially entered the pageant after learning one of the
judges was Broadway actor and producer, W. Horace Schmidlapp. As
talent counted for 50% of the score, she thought it was a way to
launch her career on Broadway. Not only was she named Miss America
after a vocal performance the press hailed as "forceful and dramatic",
but she landed a career on Broadway and an agent who booked her on
tours in South America, the Middle East, Europe, Canada, and in every
State of the Union except Maine. She won the talent and swimsuit
awards at the national pageant. At 5 feet 8 inches tall, Bartel was
the tallest pageant winner up to that time. There had been comparisons
between Bartel and popular blond actress Carole Lombard.She was the
first college student to win the title of Miss America. After visiting
her sorority sisters in Kappa Kappa Gamma around the country, she and
her travelling companion developed the idea of awarding scholarships
to those who competed in the Miss America Organization. The Miss
America Organization is now the world's largest provider of
scholarships for women in the world.
was Miss California and Miss America 1943.Bartel was from Los Angeles,
California. She was born Jean Bartlemeh; later her name was shortened
to Bartel.She initially entered the pageant after learning one of the
judges was Broadway actor and producer, W. Horace Schmidlapp. As
talent counted for 50% of the score, she thought it was a way to
launch her career on Broadway. Not only was she named Miss America
after a vocal performance the press hailed as "forceful and dramatic",
but she landed a career on Broadway and an agent who booked her on
tours in South America, the Middle East, Europe, Canada, and in every
State of the Union except Maine. She won the talent and swimsuit
awards at the national pageant. At 5 feet 8 inches tall, Bartel was
the tallest pageant winner up to that time. There had been comparisons
between Bartel and popular blond actress Carole Lombard.She was the
first college student to win the title of Miss America. After visiting
her sorority sisters in Kappa Kappa Gamma around the country, she and
her travelling companion developed the idea of awarding scholarships
to those who competed in the Miss America Organization. The Miss
America Organization is now the world's largest provider of
scholarships for women in the world.
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