Rose Marie Magrill
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Rosemary Magrill (stage name Rose Marie Magrill; 1924[1] – 19 March 2016) was Miss Florida in 1939.[2] At the time she was crowned, she was underage.[3] She went on to place as a semi-finalist in Miss America[2] and became widely known as a "tap dancer extraordinary" with shows in a number of famous venues including Broadway.[3][4]
Magrill grew up in Miami, Florida.[5] Her lifelong interest in dance already showed by age 7, at which age the Miami News says she was "teaching playmates at 10 cents per lesson".[6] The 1941 article continues to track her career - running a dance school of 150 pupils by age 12, and "Miss Florida" at age 14, until her 17th pageant win at age 16, which won her a tour of the United States and South America.[6]
