Remembering the 1936 National Spelling Bee and how hatred eliminated a bright young girl
Back in 1936, just 11 years after the National Spelling Bee was inaugurated, 13-year-old MacNolia Cox from Akron was a spelling prodigy with an IQ through the roof.
By: WEWS Staff
and last updated 2021-07-19 16:31:05-04
AKRON, Ohio â Last week, 14-year-old Zaila Avant-garde became the first African-American winner of the National Spelling Bee, taking home the trophy after correctly spelling the word murraya. The moment was exciting and groundbreaking, but also stirred up the history behind the journey leading up to the moment that should always be remembered.
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The inspired and the inspirational
Boomer Blog - Shirley Scott
I can’t help myself. When ESPN airs its promos for the National Spelling Bee, I feel compelled to tune in. Mostly happy childhood memories from my own inborn spelling talent make me the perfect audience member for any event involving correctly arranging the letters of words – just for the sport of it.
There is, however, a frequent niggle in my brain that the 21st century version of this traditional academic competition differs vastly from the initial contest in 1925. The televised show currently resembles a modern sporting event with commentators and a sideline interviewer quizzing middle schoolers mere seconds after they have misspelled themselves into elimination. Commercial breaks, glitz, and confetti abound. And when I watched in 2019 – the pandemic wiped out last year’s contest – eight champions were crowned because the adults could not organize a wordlist challenging enough to narrow the field further.
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