Marian was crowned winner at age 15 1/2. Even at this age, she was a well-established vocalist. There was so much confusion during and after the vote tabulations that nobody informed Marian she had won. She was unaware of her victory until the dressing assistants placed the banner on her. Marian's singing career started when she was twelve. She sang blues on a New Haven radio station. Marian went on to be a public speaker and big supporter of the Miss America Pageant.
