BeBe Shopp
Quick facts for kids
BeBe Shopp
|
|
|---|---|
| Born |
Beatrice Bella Shopp
August 17, 1930 Hopkins, Minnesota, U.S.
|
| Died | October 4, 2025 (aged 95) Rockport, Massachusetts, U.S.
|
| Alma mater | Manhattan School of Music |
| Title | Miss Minnesota 1948 Miss America 1948 |
| Predecessor | Barbara Jo Walker |
| Successor | Jacque Mercer |
| Spouse(s) |
Bayard D. Waring
(m. 1954; died 2022) |
| Children | 4 |
Beatrice Bella "BeBe" Shopp (born August 17, 1930, died October 4, 2025) was an American woman who became famous after winning the Miss America 1948 pageant. She was from Hopkins, Minnesota.
BeBe Shopp's Life After Miss America
After winning the Miss America title in 1948, BeBe Shopp used her scholarship to study at the Manhattan School of Music. She focused on playing the vibraharp, which is a musical instrument similar to a xylophone. In 1952, she earned a degree in percussion.
BeBe also loved to sing. She performed with groups like Share the Music and the Cape Ann Symphony Chorus. She was very involved in her community. She even led the board of directors for the Gloucester Stage Company, a theater group.
Family Life and Later Years
BeBe Shopp married Bayard D. Waring in 1954. He was a navigator during the Korean War. Together, they had four daughters. Later in her life, she lived in Rockport, Massachusetts. She was known by her married name, Beatrice "Bea" Waring.
BeBe was also a lay minister in the Episcopal Church. She even appeared on TV as a spokesperson for an electric scooter company. Before her passing, BeBe Shopp was the oldest living former Miss America. She passed away on October 4, 2025, at the age of 95.
