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. She was married to radio and television personality Jim Lange (The Dating Game) from 1978 until his death in 2014.

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.

Fleming graduated from Michigan State University in 1965. She is listed as one of the University's "Accomplished Women Graduates." ^[3] 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.” ^[4]

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