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Jacque Mercer Photographs 1936-1956

CP JME

Biographical Note

Jacquelyn Joy Mercer was born to Arthur Linville and Evelyn Joy (Holman) Mercer in Thatcher, Arizona on January 7, 1931 and spent most of her childhood on a ranch near Litchfield, Arizona. She attended North Phoenix High School and was a freshman at Phoenix College when she was crowned Miss America on September 11, 1949. In December of 1949, Jacque married her high school sweetheart, Douglas Cook, and thus violated her contract with Miss America. Although the pageant allowed her to keep her crown, it instituted a "no marriage, no pregnancy" rule the following year. This rule remained in effect until 1999. Mercer's national tour as Miss America included endorsements and promotions for Catalina swimwear and Lane cedar chests.

Late in 1950, Mercer filed for divorce and entered the University of Arizona. She later transferred to Mexico City College. Mercer married a casual acquaintance, William Oldenburger, in Los Angeles on August 22, 1952. The couple divorced after 11 days, and Mercer entered Arizona State College in the fall semester of the same year. Here, she met ASC football star Dick Curran, who she married in May of 1953. The couple had two children, Richard Jr. and Shannon. Richard Curran Sr. played for the Green Bay Packers before returning to Phoenix and founding an advertising firm, the Curran Company. Jacque Curran appeared in a number of television commercials and performed in eight plays at the Sombrero Playhouse in addition to working with her husband's firm.

Jacque and Richard Curran divorced in 1974. Jacque Mercer went into real estate and married Marvin Gillespie in Los Angeles on January 21, 1978. Jacque Mercer Gillespie died of leukemia in California on February 2, 1982.

Scope and Content Note

This collection houses approximately 1,000 photographs documenting Jacque Mercer's childhood, studies at Arizona State University, and reign as Miss America.

Arrangement

Restrictions

Access Restrictions

To view this collection, make an appointment at least five business days prior to your visit by contacting Ask an Archivist or calling (480) 965-4932. Appointments in the Wurzburger Reading Room at Hayden Library (rm. 138) on the Tempe campus are available Monday through Friday. Check the ASU Library Hours page for current availability.

Copyright

Arizona State University does not own the copyright to this collection. We recognize that it is incumbent upon the researcher to procure permission to publish information from this collection from the owner of the copyright.

Related Material

Interested researchers may also wish to consult MSS-57: Jacque Mercer Papers (guide available at http://www.azarchivesonline.org/xtf/view?docId=ead/asu/mercer.xml.

Access Terms

Administrative Information

Preferred Citation

[Identification of item], Jacque Mercer Photographs, CP JME, Arizona State University Library.

Provenance

Jacque Mercer donated these materials to Archives and Special Collections in 1974 (Accession #1974-00052).

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