58th Scripps National Spelling Bee
| 58th Scripps National Spelling Bee | |
|---|---|
 The Capital Hilton, site of the 58th National Spelling Bee | |
| Date | June 5–6, 1985 |
| Location | The Capital Hilton in Washington, D.C.[1] |
| Winner | Balu Natarajan |
| Age | 13 |
| Residence | Bolingbrook, Illinois |
| Sponsor | Chicago Tribune |
| Sponsor location | Chicago, Illinois |
| Winning word | milieu |
| No. of contestants | 168[2] |
| Pronouncer | Alex Cameron |
| Preceded by | 57th Scripps National Spelling Bee |
| Followed by | 59th Scripps National Spelling Bee |
The 58th Scripps National Spelling Bee was held in Washington, D.C. at the Capital Hilton on June 5–6, 1985, sponsored by the E.W. Scripps Company.
The winner was 13-year-old eighth-grader Balu Natarajan of Bolingbrook, Illinois, in his third appearance at the Bee (he finished 45th in 1983 and 63rd in 1984), the first winner from the Chicago area.[2] He spelled "milieu" for the win. Second place went to 13-year-old Kate Lingley of Dover-Foxcroft, Maine, who missed "farrago". Another 13-year-old, Tanya Solomon of Kansas City, Missouri, took third, missing "syllepsis".[3]
168 spellers competed in the Bee, 17 more than competed the previous year. There were 67 boys and 101 girls, including 19 repeat contestants,[3] one 9-year-old, two 10-year-olds, 19 at age 11, 26 at age 12, 65 at age 13, and 55 at age 14. A total of 719 words were used.[4][5]
Natarajan was the first Indian-American to win the Bee, and has been credited for inspiring the later dominance of Indian-Americans in the bee.[6][7][8][9]
In addition to non-cash gifts, the first-place winner received $1,000. Total prize money to all finalists was $10,500.[2][3][10]
References[edit]
- ^ Procopio, Sam (13 April 1985). Confidence spells title for Kim, Reading Eagle
- ^ a b c Papajohn, George (7 June 1985). Study, `Luck` Spell Success For 8th Grader, Chicago Tribune
- ^ a b c (7 June 1985). M-i-l-i-e-u wins, The Telegraph (Associated Press)
- ^ (7 June 1985). And the winner is ... 'milieu', UPI
- ^ A total of 14 young spellers were eliminated in..., UPI
- ^ Fieldman, CHuck (25 May 2015). Hinsdale man recalls winning national spelling bee 30 years ago, Chicago Tribune
- ^ Berger, Joseph (5 June 2005). Striving in America, and in the Spelling Bee, The New York Times
- ^ (6 June 1985). National Spelling Bee reached 'killer round', Evening Independent (Associated Press)
- ^ Anderson, Davide E. (6 June 1985). More Good Spellers Surviving Contest Rounds, Schenectady Gazette
- ^ Tuttle, Roberta (7 June 1985). Speller visiting D.C. sights, The Day
External links[edit]
- List of spellers and missed words in order, by round, from UPI.com