missamerica

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Norma_Smallwood "Norma Des Cygne Smallwood (May 12, 1909 – May 8, 1966) was the winner of the Miss America 1926 pageant. Smallwood was the first Native American to win the title."

Thanks swanq, we'll update the catalog record.

Helmar Liederman of New York filed suit against the contest directors, Armand T. Nichols and Harry L. Godshall, Sr., for $150,000 due to their refusal to allow her to enter the national competition as "Miss Alaska" because she was a married woman, despite being authorized to compete by a newspaper in Juneau, Alaska. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Miss_America_1923 I added her to Wikidata: www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q97952548

Helmar Liederman from New York took part in the Miss America 1922 pageant as "Miss Alaska". en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Miss_America_1922 The reason why she was barred in 1923 seems to be that the Alaskan newspaper that accredited her was not authorized to do so - and she presumably never was in Alaska, s. Perth Amboy evening news. [volume], September 13, 1923, FINAL EDITION, Page 5, col. 3 chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn85035720/1923-09-13/ed-... and - www.seniorvoicealaska.com/story/2016/08/01/columns/the-fi... - www.anchoragepress.com/news/arctic-venus-the-first-miss-a...

The Wikipedia page for her seems to be missing the second "l" which appears in her last name in the annotation by the photographer in this Bain photo. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ruth_Malcomson She appears with and without the "l." The Miss America page www.missamerica.org/organization/history/ has a picture with "Malcolmson" as written by the photographer on the Bain copy. But the entry for 1924 at the right has "Malcomson." www.findagrave.com/memorial/18807692/ruth-schaubel does not have a gravestone for her, but the gravestones for her father and mother use "Malcomson."

Thanks swanq. I'm pretty sure she spelled her name "Malcomson". I found census records spelling it that way and some other articles about her, including a short interview from the 1980's spelling it that way.