Barbara Jo Walker
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Barbara Jo Walker | |
|---|---|
 Walker in 1947 | |
| Born | March 12, 1926 |
| Died | June 7, 2000 (aged 74) Memphis, Tennessee, U.S. |
| Other names | Barbara Jo Walker Hummel |
| Alma mater | Memphis State College |
| Title | Miss America 1947 |
| Predecessor | Marilyn Buferd |
| Successor | BeBe Shopp |
Barbara Jo Walker Hummel (March 12, 1926 – June 7, 2000) won the Miss America pageant in 1947. Walker was from Memphis, Tennessee and competed at the Miss America 1947 pageant as Miss Memphis.[1] After her Miss America reign, she married John Vernon Hummel and had three children; she resided in Memphis, Tennessee with her family until she died in 2000.[2][3]
Walker was the daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Robert H. Walker. Her father operated a dental laboratory, and she had a sister, Peggy.[1] She attended the Memphis State College[1] and is an alumna of Alpha Gamma Delta sorority.[4] Walker was a Sunday School teacher when she won Miss America.[5] After her Miss America reign ended, she returned to Memphis to finish her college degree and continue teaching Sunday School rather than pursuing an entertainment career.[1][6][3] She sang at the Second Presbyterian Church in Memphis for over 36 years.[3]
On June 26, 1948, Walker married physician John Vernon Hummel in Memphis, Tennessee.[7] She and her husband had three children (two sons and one daughter) including the late Andy Hummel of the Memphis-based power pop band Big Star.[8][3]
She died in Memphis, Tennessee, on June 7, 2000.[2]