The Rose Queens of Tyler, Texas

Chamber of Commerce Negative Collection, Object ID: cofcneg168A-002

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

 

3 Comments

  1. My husband is the grandson of Margaret Copeland Donoghue. We have the picture of her holding the roses you have above.

    Reply
  2. Love the Rose Festival. I was a lady in waiting in 1961. The queen was Lousanne Wise. I have this book.

    Reply
  3. 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.

    Reply

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