Tennessee Is Home to 6 Scripps National Spelling Bee Winners

Fact Checked by Pat McLoone

The 95th Annual Scripps national Spelling Bee is Wednesday, May 31, and Tennessee has produced six winners, tied for fifth with California.

BetTennessee.com wanted to switch gears from coverage of traditional Tennessee sports betting to focus on another annual competition.

Using the list of Scripps National Spelling Bee champions, BetTennessee.com – your source for Tennessee sports betting apps - determined which states are home to the most champions.

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Where Are The Best Spellers From?

                                                         
State Number of Spelling Bee Winners
Texas15
Ohio9
Pennsylvania7
Colorado7
California6
Tennessee6
Kansas5
Kentucky4
Iowa4
Missouri4
Indiana3
Oklahoma3
New York3
New Jersey3
Nebraska2
Illinois2
Georgia2
North Carolina2
Alabama2
Virginia2
Florida2
Maine1
Massachusetts1
Michigan1
Arizona1
Washington1
Wisconsin1
Minnesota1
Louisiana1


 

Tennessee Spelling Champs Date Back to 1940

The first winner from Tennessee was in 1940 when Laurel Kuykendall. of Knoxville, correctly talked her way through “therapy.”

Eleven years later, in 1951, Irving Belz, of Memphis, was anything but carefree when he won the trophy with “insouciant.”

In 1960, Henry Feldman, of Knoxville, learned that correctly spelling “eudaemonic,” produced a sense of well-being and satisfaction.

In 1963, Glen Van Slyke III, also of Knoxville, took his mind to a military carriage to spell “equipage.”

In 1993, Geoff Hooper, of Memphis, beat his rivals with “kamikaze.”

Memphis had another winner in 1995. When the competition turned yellow, Justin Tyler Carroll shrugged off “xanthosis.”

BetTennessee.com will continue to provide stories of cultural interest, such as this, as well as new on sports betting in the state and Tennessee sportsbook promotions.

Author

Howard Gensler

Howard Gensler is a contributing writer to BetTennessee.com. Gensler is a veteran journalist who has worked at the Philadelphia Daily News, TV Guide and the Philadelphia Inquirer and is a founding editor of bettorsinsider.com.