Frances Marie Kenney (née Burke; May 4, 1922 – December 2, 2017) was an American beauty pageant contestant who was the winner of
Miss America in 1940.
Biography
Burke, from
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the sixth-largest city in the U.S., the second-largest city in both the Northeast megalopolis and Mid-Atlantic regions after New York City. Sinc ...
, was crowned Miss America at the
Boardwalk Hall
Jim Whelan Boardwalk Hall, formerly known as the Historic Atlantic City Convention Hall, is a multi-purpose arena in Atlantic City in Atlantic County, New Jersey. It was Atlantic City's primary convention center until the opening of the Atlant ...
in
Atlantic City on September 7, 1940.
She competed in the pageant as
Miss Philadelphia.
After winning the Miss America title Burke worked as a successful model. Despite opportunities in Hollywood, she chose to stay close to her family in Philadelphia.
Burke was married to Lawrence Kenney for 72 years and had four children (Missy, Wendy, Lawrence, and William) and was the grandmother of five boys and five girls.
She died at the home of her daughter on December 2, 2017, at the age of 95.
Frances Burke Kenney Obituary
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References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Burke, Frances Marie
1922 births
2017 deaths
Miss America 1940s delegates
Miss America Preliminary Swimsuit winners
Miss America winners
People from Philadelphia
20th-century American people