Neva Jane Langley Fickling (January 25, 1933 – November 18, 2012) was an American

beauty pageant A beauty pageant is a competition that has traditionally focused on judging and ranking the physical attributes of the contestants. Pageants have now evolved to include inner beauty, with criteria covering judging of personality, intelligence, ...

queen.

Biography

Langley was born in

Lakeland, Florida Lakeland is the most populous city in Polk County, Florida, part of the Tampa Bay area, Tampa Bay Area, located along Interstate 4 east of Tampa, Florida, Tampa. According to the 2020 U.S. Census Bureau release, the city had a population of 112,6 ...

. As a college sophomore she transferred to

Wesleyan College Wesleyan College is a private, liberal arts women's college in Macon, Georgia. Founded in 1836, Wesleyan was the first college in the world chartered to grant degrees to women. History The school was chartered on December 23, 1836, as the Ge ...

Macon, Georgia Macon ( ), officially Macon–Bibb County, is a consolidated city-county in the U.S. state of Georgia. Situated near the fall line of the Ocmulgee River, it is located southeast of Atlanta and lies near the geographic center of the state of G ...

, where she was a member of

Alpha Delta Pi Alpha Delta Pi (), commonly known as ADPi (pronounced "ay-dee-pye"), is an International Panhellenic sorority founded on May 15, 1851, at Wesleyan College in Macon, Georgia. It is the oldest secret society for women. Alpha Delta Pi is a memb ...

sorority. While attending that college she became Miss Macon, Miss Georgia, and then

Miss America 1953 Miss America 1953, the 26th Miss America pageant, was held at the Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City, New Jersey on September 6, 1952. Neva Jane Langley became the first Miss Georgia to win the crown. Results Awards Preliminary awards Other a ...

. Ms. Langley's first television appearance as

Miss America Miss America is an annual competition that is open to women from the United States between the ages of 17 and 25. Originating in 1921 as a "bathing beauty revue", the contest is now judged on competitors' talent performances and interviews. As ...

was on ''

What's My Line ''What's My Line?'' is a panel game show that originally ran in the United States on the CBS Television Network from 1950 to 1967, originally in black and white and later in color, with subsequent U.S. revivals. The game uses celebrity panelis ...

'' (September 14, 1952) as the mystery guest. She rode the grand prize most-beautiful float by a commercial firm, called "America The Beautiful", in the January 1, 1953

Tournament of Roses Parade A tournament is a competition involving at least three competitors, all participating in a sport or game. More specifically, the term may be used in either of two overlapping senses: # One or more competitions held at a single venue and concentr ...

Pasadena, California Pasadena ( ) is a city in Los Angeles County, California, northeast of downtown Los Angeles. It is the most populous city and the primary cultural center of the San Gabriel Valley. Old Pasadena is the city's original commercial district. ...

. During her reign as Miss America, she was hospitalized for one week with pneumonia. She was also known for being the only Miss Georgia to win the Miss America pageant until Betty Cantrell was crowned

Miss America 2016 Miss America 2016, the 89th Miss America pageant, was held at the Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City, New Jersey on Sunday, September 13, 2015. It was broadcast on ABC and streamed to mobile devices and Xbox 360 consoles via the WatchABC app. Tick ...

, sixty-three years later.

Exhibitions

Langley has been featured in museum exhibitions, including a display at th
Kimball Art Center
(2009) of eleven original gowns worn in beauty pageant competitions and during her reign as Miss America, and the exhibition "Georgia's Miss Americas" at the Museum of Arts and Sciences (Sept. 23, 2017–Jan. 14, 2018).

Personal life

Langley married insurance executive, William A. Fickling Jr., in 1955 and was the mother of four children (William, Jane, Julia and Roy). On November 18, 2012, Langley died of cancer at the age of 79.

References

External links

* 1933 births 2012 deaths Miss America 1950s delegates Miss America Preliminary Talent winners Miss America winners People from Lakeland, Florida {{US-pageant-bio-stub