Nancy Fleming | |
Birth Name: | Nancy Anne Fleming |
Birth Date: | 20 May 1942 |
Birth Place: | Muskegon, Michigan |
Alma Mater: | Michigan State University |
Miss America 1961 | |
Predecessor: | Lynda Lee Mead |
Successor: | Maria Fletcher |
Spouse: | |
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]
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]
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]
Before entering show business, Fleming worked as an elementary school teacher.
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.
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.