Mary Jean Petersen, 17, Dwight, Illinois, was named Miss Majorette of America 1948 by Drum Major Magazine. She was the second twirler ever bestowed with the honor.
Florence Iva Begay, a Navajo baton twirler and high school valedictorian from Flagstaff, Arizona, became the subject of national attention in 1948 after an incident on a bus in the Texas Panhandle exposed the realities of segregation faced by Native Americans traveling outside the Southwest....
Bonnie Parr Zinn served as a majorettes with the Shippensburg town band, Shippensburg, Pennsylvania, for more than 70 years. She retired her marching boots in 2018. You can read her story here. She’s pictured above in a professional portrait taken in her majorette costume. The year was...
I.M. Terrell H.S. Drum Major Joseph Wells and Majorette Carelen Phillips, Fort Worth, 1948. Photo by Calvin Littlejohn I.M. Terrell H.S. Drum Major Joseph Wells and Majorette Carelen Phillips, Fort Worth, 1948. Photo by Calvin Littlejohn
