As with many of my research projects, it started with a question of “Who was the first Rose Queen?” I assumed it would be one of established families of Tyler but I would have been wrong. It turns that the first Rose Queen was from Palestine, Texas, the daughter of a jeweler.
So I started with the book by Frank Bronaugh entitled 50 years, Texas Rose Festival Association, 1933-1983 which gave the Rose Queens through 1983. Frank’s 2nd book entitled 75 years, Texas Rose Festival Association, 1933-2008 which brought the list through 2008. The remaining Queens were found on Wikipedia article on the Texas Rose Festival that I accessed 30 October 2019 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Texas_Rose_Festival#The_Rose_Queen_and_her_court .
From 1942 to 1946 the festival was cancelled because of World War II.
The Tyler Rose Queens sorted by the year they were chosen:
1933 – Margaret Copeland
1934 – Louise Boren
1935 – Margaret Hunt
1936 – Gertrude Anne Windsor
1937 – Katherine Booty
1938 – Frances Connally
1939 – Dorothy Bell
1940 – Mary John Grelling
1941 – Elizabeth Calhoun
1942 -1946 Cancelled
1947 – Carolyn Riviere
1948 – Mary Anne Nenney
1949 – Rose Marie Young
1950 – Laura Jill King
1951 – Catherine Roberts
1952 – Carol Ellison
1953 – Sally Kay
1954 – Joanne Miller
1955 – Maymerle Shirley
1956 – Gail Hudson
1957 – Kay Howard
1958 – Patricia Lewis
1959 – Elizabeth Byers
1960 – Carol Dean
1961 – Lousanne Wise
1962 – Harriet Sue Caldwell
1963 – Lometa Hudnall
1964 – Carolyn Louise Shaw
1965 – Elaine McKay
1966 – Lynn Clawater
1967 – Katherine Clyde
1968 – Louise Grelling Spence
1969 – Eugenia Key
1970 – Melinda Riter
1971 – Mary Martha Fair
1972 – Cynthia Eileen Stringer
1973 – Amanda Warner
1974 – Eloise Clyde
1975 – Nanette Oge
1976 – Hollee Susann Hedge
1977 – Amy Jane Lawrence
1978 – Virginia Rice Fair
1979 – Claire Martin Ramey
1980 – Alicia Stanley Wynne
1981 – Kay Elizabeth Fair
1982 – Jamie Clara Arnold
1983 – Jane Alice Boyd Hartley
1984 – Diana Patricia Taylor
1985 – Mollie Bess Arnold
1986 – Marla Kathryn Hughes
1987 – Allyson Anne Henry
1988 – Lona Elizabeth Clyde
1989 – Samantha Price Fischer
1990 – Katherine Claire Duncan
1991 – Ashley Jean Powell
1992 – Kristie Leigh Hardin
1993 – Erin Elizabeth Simpson
1994 – Michael Katherine McArthur
1995 – Martha Lindsey Wolf
1996 – Anna Elizabeth Clyde
1997 – Elizabeth Peacock Marsh Smith
1998 – Meridith Leigh Patterson
1999 – Joan Lindsay Burroughs
2000 – Caroline Malone Key
2001 – Martha Claire Woldert
2002 – Audrey Elizabeth Bell
2003 – Elizabeth Arlene Lilly
2004 – Lauren French Sanford
2005 – Katherine Claire Noel King
2006 – Lauren Frances Jones
2007 – Grace Hartley Ramey
2008 – Sarah Elizabeth Clyde
2009 – Emily Austin
2010 – Mary-Lawson Bracken Walden
2011 – Morgan Elizabeth Rippy
2012 – Haley McGrede Anderson
2013 – Rachel Vanderpool Clyde
2014 – Kathryn Elizabeth Peltier
2015 – Madeline Shirley Wynne
2016 – Mallory Kristine Curtis
2017 – Emily Kaye Evans
2018 – Amanda Elaine Hiles
2019 – Hanna Claire Waits
The Tyler Rose Queens in alphabetical order:
Anderson, Haley McGrede – 2012
Arnold, Jamie Clara – 1982
Arnold, Movie Bess – 1985
Austin, Emily – 2009
Bell, Audrey Elizabeth – 2002
Bell, Dorothy – 1939
Booty, Katherine – 1937
Boren, Louise – 1934
Burroughs, Joan Lindsay – 1999
Byers, Elizabeth – 1959
Caldwell , Harriet Sue – 1962
Calhoun, Elizabeth – 1941
Clawater, Lynn – 1966
Clyde, Anna Elizabeth – 1996
Clyde, Eloise – 1974
Clyde, Katherine – 1967
Clyde, Lona Elizabeth – 1988
Clyde, Rachel Vanderpool – 2013
Clyde, Sarah Elizabeth – 2008
Connally, Frances – 1938
Copeland, Margaret – 1933
Dean, Carol – 1960
Duncan, Katherine Claire – 1990
Ellison, Carol – 1952
Evans, Emily Kaye – 2017
Fair, Kay Elizabeth – 1981
Fair, Mary Martha – 1971
Fair, Virginia Rice – 1978
Fischer, Samantha Price – 1989
Grelling, Mary John – 1949
Hardin, Kristie Leigh – 1992
Hartley, Jane Alice Boyd – 1983
Hedge, Holley Susann – 1976
Henry, Allyson Anne – 1987
Hiles, Amanda Elaine – 2018
Howard, Kay – 1957
Hudnall, Lometa – 1963
Hudson, Gail – 1956
Hughes, Maria Kathryn – 1986
Hunt, Margaret – 1935
Jones, Lauren France – 2006
Kay, Sally – 1953
Key, Caroline Malone – 2000
Key, Eugenia – 1969
King, Katherine Clair Noe – 2005
King, Laura Jill – 1950
Lawrence, Amy Jane – 1977
Lewis, Patricia – 1958
Lilly, Elizabeth Arlene – 2003
Mallory, Mallory Kristine – 2016
McArthur, Michael Katherine – 1994
McKay, Elaine – 1965
Miller, Joanne – 1954
Nenney, Mary Anne – 1948
Oge, Nanette – 1975
Patterson, Meridith Leigh – 1998
Peltier, Kathryn Elizabeth – 2014
Powell, Ashley Jean – 1991
Ramey, Claire Martin – 1979
Ramey, Grace Hartley – 2007
Rippy, Morgan Elizabeth – 2011
Riter, Melinda – 1970
Riviere , Carolyn – 1947
Roberts, Catherine – 1951
Sanford, Lauren French – 2004
Shaw, Carolyn Louise – 1964
Shirley, Maymerle – 1955
Simpson, Erin Elizabeth – 1993
Smith, Elizabeth Peacock Marsh – 1997
Spence, Louise Grelling – 1968
Stringer, Cynthia Eileen – 1972
Taylor, Diana Patricia – 1984
Waits, Hanna Claire – 2019
Walden, Mary-Lawson Bracken – 2010
Warner, Amanda – 1973
Windsor, Gertrude Anne – 1936
Wise, Lousanne – 1961
Woldert, Martha Claire – 2001
Wolf, Martha Lindsey – 1995
Wynne, Alicia Stanley – 1980
Wynne, Madeline Shirley – 2015
Young, Rose Marie – 1949
Note: We have posted an index on-line to Frank Bronaugh’s book entitled 50 years, Texas Rose Festival Association, 1933-1983.
Submitted by Scott Fitzgerald
Vice-President of Smith County Historical Society
Linda Donoghue
My husband is the grandson of Margaret Copeland Donoghue. We have the picture of her holding the roses you have above.
Sarah Baird Sides Hillyer
Love the Rose Festival. I was a lady in waiting in 1961. The queen was Lousanne Wise. I have this book.
Gina Whitton Speaks
Having been raised in Tyler, I always loved the Rose Festival. My mother worked with Roberta Rueter in making the gowns. My mother sewed on the jewels. They did beautiful work.
Kathryn Reuter Leavh
Roberta was my grandmother! She was so talented!
John
My Mom (Elizabeth Calhoun),was RF Queen in 1941,the last before WW2.
She cherished her time as Queen, just as she loved Tyler