Champions and Their Winning Words, 1925 through 2004
June 1, 2006 — -- This year's Annual Scripps National Spelling Bee will be the 78th. It was started in 1925 with only nine contestants. Below is a list of the past winners, the organization that sponsored them, and their winning words.
Sponsors organize a spelling bee program in their community, usually with the cooperation of local school officials. The champion of the sponsor's final spelling bee advances to the finals in Washington, D.C.
Sponsorship is available to daily and weekly newspapers serving English-speaking populations around the world and special consideration is given to businesses if a newspaper does not participate.
There was no Scripps National Spelling Bee during the World War II years of 1943, 1944, and 1945. Co-champions were declared in 1950, 1957, and 1962.
1925 Frank Neuhauser, Louisville Courier-Journal, Louisville, Ky. -- gladiolus
1926 Pauline Bell, Louisville Courier-Journal, Louisville, Ky. -- abrogate
1927 Dean Lucas, Akron Beacon Journal, Akron, Ohio -- luxuriance
1928 Betty Robinson, South Bend News-Tribune, South Bend, Ind. -- albumen
1929 Virginia Hogan, The Omaha World-Herald, Omaha, Neb. -- asceticism
1930 Helen Jensen, Des Moines Register & Tribune, Des Moines, Iowa -- fracas
1931 Ward Randall, White Hall Register-Republican, White Hall, Ill. -- foulard
1932 Dorothy Greenwald, Des Moines Register & Tribune, Des Moines, Iowa -- knack
1933 Alma Roach, Akron Beacon Journal, Akron, Ohio -- torsion
1934 Sarah Wilson, Portland Evening Express, Portland, Maine -- deteriorating
1935 Clara Mohler, Akron Beacon Journal, Akron, Ohio -- intelligible
1936 Jean Trowbridge, Des Moines Register & Tribune, Des Moines, Iowa -- interning
1937 Waneeta Beckley, Louisville Courier-Journal, Louisville, Ky. -- promiscuous
1938 Marian Richardson, Louisville Times, Louisville, Ky. -- sanitarium
1939 Elizabeth Ann Rice, Worcester Telegram & Gazette, Worcester, Mass. -- canonical
1940 Laurel Kuykendall, The Knoxville News-Sentinel, Knoxville, Tenn. -- therapy
1941 Louis Edward Sissman, Detroit News, Detroit -- initials
1942 Richard Earnhart, El Paso Herald-Post, El Paso, Texas -- sacrilegious
1946 John McKinney, Des Moines Register & Tribune, Des Moines, Iowa -- semaphore
1947 Mattie Lou Pollard, Atlanta Journal, Atlanta, Ga. -- chlorophyll
1948 Jean Chappelear, Akron Beacon Journal, Akron, Ohio -- psychiatry
1949 Kim Calvin, Canton Repository, Canton, Ohio -- dulcimer
1950 Diana Reynard, Cleveland Press, Cleveland -- meticulosity
1950 Colquitt Dean, Atlanta Journal, Atlanta -- meticulosity
1951 Irving Belz, Memphis Press-Scimitar, Memphis, Tenn. -- insouciant
1952 Doris Ann Hall,Winston-Salem Journal, Winston-Salem, N.C. -- vignette
1953 Elizabeth Hess, Arizona Republic, Phoenix -- soubrette
1954 William Cashore, Norristown Times Herald, Norristown, Pa. -- transept
1955 Sandra Sloss, St. Louis Globe-Democrat, St. Louis. -- crustaceology
1956 Melody Sachko, The Pittsburgh Press, Pittsburgh -- condominium
1957 Sandra Owen, Canton Repository, Canton, Ohio -- schappe
1957 Dana Bennett, Rocky Mountain News, Denver -- schappe
1958 Jolitta Schlehuber, Topeka Daily Capital, Topeka, Kan. -- syllepsis
1959 Joel Montgomery, Rocky Mountain News, Denver -- catamaran
1960 Henry Feldman, The Knoxville News-Sentinel, Knoxville, Tenn. -- eudaemonic
1961 John Capehart, Tulsa Tribune, Tulsa, Okla. -- smaragdine
1962 Nettie Crawford, El Paso Herald-Post, El Paso, Texas -- esquamulose
1962 Michael Day, St. Louis Globe-Democrat, St. Louis -- esquamulose
1963 Glen Van Slyke III, The Knoxville News-Sentinel, Knoxville, Tenn. -- equipage
1964 William Kerek, Akron Beacon Journal, Akron, Ohio -- sycophant
1965 Michael Kerpan Jr., Tulsa Tribune, Tulsa, Okla. -- eczema
1966 Robert A. Wake, Houston Chronicle, Houston -- ratoon
1967 Jennifer Reinke, The Omaha World-Herald, Omaha, Neb. -- chihuahua
1968 Robert L. Walters, Topeka Daily Capital, Topeka, Kan. -- abalone
1969 Susan Yoachum, Dallas Morning News, Dallas -- interlocutory
1970 Libby Childress, Winston-Salem Journal & Sentinel, Winston-Salem, N.C. -- croissant
1971 Jonathan Knisely, Philadelphia Bulletin, Philadelphia -- shalloon
1972 Robin Kral, Lubbock Avalanche-Journal, Lubbock, Texas -- macerate
1973 Barrie Trinkle, Fort Worth Press, Fort Worth, Texas -- vouchsafe
1974 Julie Ann Junkin, Birmingham Post-Herald, Birmingham, Alaa. -- hydrophyte
1975 Hugh Tosteson, San Juan Star, San Juan, Puerto Rico -- incisor
1976 Tim Kneale, Syracuse Herald Journal-American, Syracuse, N.Y. -- narcolepsy
1977 John Paola, The Pittsburgh Press, Pittsburgh -- cambist
1978 Peg McCarthy, The Topeka Capital-Journal, Topeka, Kan. -- deification
1979 Katie Kerwin, Rocky Mountain News, Denver -- maculature
1980 Jacques Bailly, Rocky Mountain News, Denver -- elucubrate
1981 Paige Pipkin, El Paso Herald-Post, El Paso, Texas -- sarcophagus
1982 Molly Dieveney, Rocky Mountain News, Denver -- psoriasis
1983 Blake Giddens, El Paso Herald-Post, El Paso, Texas -- Purim
1984 Daniel Greenblatt, Loudoun Times-Mirror, Leesburg, Va. -- luge
1985 Balu Natarajan, Chicago Tribune, Chicago -- milieu
1986 Jon Pennington, The Patriot News, Harrisburg, Pa. -- odontalgia
1987 Stephanie Petit, The Pittsburgh Press, Pittsburgh -- staphylococci
1988 Rageshree Ramachandran, The Sacramento Bee, Sacramento, Calif. -- elegiacal
1989 Scott Isaacs, Rocky Mountain News, Denver -- spoliator
1990 Amy Marie Dimak, The Seattle Times, Seattle -- fibranne
1991 Joanne Lagatta, The Wisconsin State Journal, Madison, Wis. -- antipyretic
1992 Amanda Goad, The Richmond News Leader, Richmond, Va. -- lyceum
1993 Geoff Hooper, The Commercial Appeal, Memphis, Tenn. -- kamikaze
1994 Ned G. Andrews, The Knoxville News-Sentinel, Knoxville, Tenn. -- antediluvian
1995 Justin Tyler Carroll, The Commercial Appeal, Memphis, Tenn. -- xanthosis
1996 Wendy Guey, The Palm Beach Post, West Palm Beach, Fla. -- vivisepulture
1997 Rebecca Sealfon, Daily News, New York -- euonym
1998 Jody-Anne Maxwell, Phillips & Phillips Stationery Suppliers, Ltd., Kingston, Jamaica -- chiaroscurist
1999 Nupur Lala, The Tampa Tribune, Tampa, Fla. -- logorrhea
2000 George Abraham Thampy, St. Louis Post-Dispatch, St. Louis -- demarche
2001 Sean Conley, Aitkin Independent Age, Aitkin, Minn. -- succedaneum
2002 Pratyush Buddiga, Rocky Mountain News, Denver -- prospicience
2003 Sai R. Gunturi, The Dallas Morning News, Dallas -- pococurante
2004 David Scott Pilarski Tidmarsh, South Bend Tribune, South Bend, Ind. -- autochthonous
2005 Anurag Kashyap, The San Diego Union-Tribune, San Diego, Calif. -- appoggiatura
*Courtesy Scripps National Spelling Bee