Nancy Fleming

Nancy Fleming
Nancy Fleming
	Fleming as Miss Michigan in 1960
Born	Nancy Anne Fleming; May 20, 1942 (age 82); Muskegon, Michigan
Alma mater	Michigan State University
Title	Miss America 1961
Predecessor	Lynda Lee Mead
Successor	Maria Fletcher
Spouses	; William Frederic Johnson (m. 1963; div. 1973) ; Jim Lange (m. 1978; died 2014)
Children	2

Nancy Anne Fleming (born May 20, 1942) is an American beauty pageant titleholder who was crowned Miss America 1961 on September 10, 1960.^[1]

Education

Fleming graduated from Michigan State University in 1964 and earned a teaching certificate from the University of California, Berkeley in 1966. She is listed as one of Michigan State University's "Accomplished Women Graduates."^[2] During her freshman year at MSU, she lived in West Landon Hall on the North Campus, a dormitory for women. Her time at the school was sometimes troubled. Later, she said, "I felt like a freak at MSU. I had just been on television three days before and I entered with a lot of fanfare. There was a lot of weirdness and rudeness. I was pointed out and stared at. It was really creepy."^[3]

Pageantry

A native of Montague, Michigan, Fleming competed in the Miss America pageant as Miss Michigan.^[4] She competed in the Miss Michigan pageant as Miss White Lake.^[5]

Career

Before entering show business, Fleming worked as an elementary school teacher.^[6]

She later worked in the entertainment industry, as a program host and interviewer for ABC-TV, Cable Health Network (now Lifetime) and PBS.

She appeared in an episode of The Love Boat in 1984, along with Jean Bartel, Miss America 1943; Marian McKnight, Miss America 1957; and Vanessa L. Williams, Miss America 1984.

Personal life

Fleming's first husband was William Frederic Johnson. In 1978, Fleming married Jim Lange, a radio and television personality; their marriage lasted until his death in 2014.^[5] Fleming has two children from her first marriage: Ingrid and Steig.^[6] Fleming also has three stepchildren from her marriage to Lange: Nick, Romney, and Gavin.

References

^ "People". TIME Magazine. September 26, 1960. Archived from the original on September 30, 2007. Retrieved July 22, 2015.
^ "Accomplished Women Graduates of MSU". MSU Archives. March 22, 2011.
^ LeMieux, Dave (September 9, 2013). "Lookback: Montague's Miss America". Muskegon Chronicle. Booth Newspapers. Retrieved July 22, 2015 – via Mlive.com.
^ "Our Former Miss Michigans". Miss Michigan Scholarship Program. Retrieved July 22, 2015.
^ ^a ^b Champion, Brandon (June 20, 2015). "55 years after Miss America crown, Muskegon County native still taking risks". Muskegon Chronicle. Booth Newspapers. Retrieved July 22, 2015 – via Mlive.com.
^ ^a ^b Tauber, Michelle; Neill, Mike; Russell, Lisa; Fowler, Joanne; Dam, Julie; Tresniowski, Alex; Miller, Samantha; Dougherty, Steve; Yu, Ting (October 16, 2000). "American Beauties: 80 Years". people.com.

Awards and achievements
Preceded by Lynda Lee Mead	Miss America 1961	Succeeded by Maria Fletcher
Preceded by Ann Penelope Marston	Miss Michigan 1960	Succeeded by Donna Sheppard Kickert