Nancy Fleming

Nancy Anne Fleming (born May 20, 1942) won the Miss America crown in 1961.^[1]

A native of Montague, Michigan, Fleming competed in the Miss America pageant as Miss Michigan. She competed in Miss Michigan as Miss White Lake.^[2]

She later worked in the entertainment industry, as a program host and interviewer for ABC-TV, Cable Health Network (now Lifetime) and PBS. In 1978 she married radio and television personality, Jim Lange (The Dating Game). She has two adult children from a previous marriage who share her passion for lifetime education. Her daughter, Ingrid, has a master's degree in psychology (Marriage and Family Counseling) and a law degree from University of California Hastings College of the Law in San Francisco and is an attorney practicing Family Law. Her son, Steig, received a Ph.D. in Physical Anthropology from the University of Texas, Austin, and is currently working in Madagascar, Africa for the Institute for the Conservation of Tropical Environments. Her daughter-in-law, Avri Beard, is a Ph.D. candidate in Sociology of Latin America at the University of California, Berkeley. In addition to her children, Fleming has three stepchildren, Nick, Romney, and Gavin Lange and two step-grandsons, Brendan and Travis.

More recently Fleming has worked as a gardener (she has a certificate in gardening from the University of California) and television interviewer. In 2004 she volunteered for Howard Dean's attempted nomination for president and has remained involved with politics as a large donor for the United States Democratic Party.

Recently retired, Fleming remains active with community and political volunteer activities. Certified as a University of California Master Gardener in 1992, Fleming works on projects involving habitat restoration, school and community gardens and the promotion of non-toxic gardening alternatives. Ms. Fleming interests include hiking, reading, garden design, continuing education programs and travel. In preparation for a vacation in Italy, Fleming began studying Italian language, history and culture. She has currently completed six college semesters and has participated in home-stay language immersion courses in Sienna and Venice, Italy.

Fleming was involved with the Howard Dean for President campaign in Marin County, California. She opposes the Iraq war and is a proponent of gunlocks, handgun control and a woman's right to choose.

References

1. ↑ TIME
2. ↑ Welcome to the Official Miss Michigan Scholarship Program - proud to be a part of the Miss America Organization