| 45th Scripps National Spelling Bee | |
|---|---|
 The Mayflower Hotel, site of the 45th National Spelling Bee | |
| Date | June 1972 |
| Location | The Mayflower Hotel in Washington, D.C. |
| Winner | Robin Kral |
| Age | 14 |
| Residence | Lamesa, Texas |
| Sponsor | Lubbock Avalanche-Journal |
| Sponsor location | Lubbock, Texas |
| Winning word | macerate |
| No. of contestants | 79[1] |
| Pronouncer | Richard R. Baker |
| Preceded by | 44th Scripps National Spelling Bee |
| Followed by | 46th Scripps National Spelling Bee |
The 45th Scripps National Spelling Bee was held in Washington, D.C. at the Mayflower Hotel in June 1972, sponsored by the E.W. Scripps Company.
The winner was 14-year-old Robin Kral of Lamesa, Texas with the word "macerate".[1] Second place went to 13-year-old Lauren H. Pringle of Buffalo, New York. Kral first had a chance to win when Pringle misspelled "polyonymous", but also misspelled it. Pringle then missed "garnett", which Kral correctly spelled, followed by "macerate" for the win.[1][2]
There were 79 contestants this year, 47 girls and 32 boys. 533 words were used.[3]
Barrie Trinkle of Texas placed fifth this year (falling on "allograph"), and won the next year.[4][5]
- ^ a b c Glass, Ray (March 13, 2001). "W-I-N-N-E-R". Lubbock Avalanche-Journal. Lubbock, Texas: Morris Communications. Archived from the original on 2008-06-03. Retrieved March 6, 2008.
- ^ (20 July 2014). St. Bonaventure English professor wins National Senior Spelling Bee, Buffalo News
- ^ What Do You Want To Know About the National Spelling Bee?, National Spelling Bee (1974)
- ^ (14 June 1973). Texas girl wins prize for spelling, Eugene Register Guard (Associated Press)
- ^ Maguire, James. American Bee: The National Spelling Bee and the Culture of Word Nerds, 14 Champion's Profile (2006)