Jeanne Robertson
| Beauty pageant titleholder | |
 In Charlottesville, Virginia in April of 2012 | |
| Born | September 21, 1943 |
|---|---|
| Occupation | humorist, comedian, speaker, teacher |
| Title(s) | Miss North Carolina 1963 |
| Major competition(s) | Miss America 1964 |
| Official website | |
Jeanne Robertson or Jeanne Swanner Robertson (born September 21, 1943) is an American humorist, professional speaker and a former Miss North Carolina.
Biography
In 1963, at age 19, she was named Miss North Carolina[1] and went on to be named "Miss Congeniality" in that year's Miss America competition.[2] Robertson credits her reign as the catalyst for her career.[3][4] Her anecdotes air regularly on satellite radio comedy channels including XM Radio's Laugh USA, Sirius Radio's Blue Collar Comedy, and Laugh Break.
Following her Miss North Carolina reign, Robertson used the scholarship funds to fund her college education. She taught physical education for eight years in her native North Carolina.[5] Although she began her public speaking career with her pageant title, Robertson achieved national attention only after a handful of humorous clips from her talks became viral videos in 2009.[4] Robertson distinguishes between a humorist, which she considers herself, and a comedian, stating, "The humorist weaves the longer stories with a point. We don't go 'after' anybody. I'm telling my life."[2]
On April 29, 2008, she spoke at the White House for National Volunteer Week to honor the 1,300 volunteers who donate time to work at the White House.[6]
Books
- Humor: The Magic of Genie (1990)[5]
References
- ↑ "Memory Lane - Where's My Crown?". Southeast Lifestyle magazine.
- 1 2 Jean Gordon. "Humorist Robertson coming to Foundation," The Daily Courier (Forest City, NC), 26 January 2013, page A1.
- ↑ "Meet Jeanne Robertson — North Carolina Public Radio WUNC". wunc.org. Retrieved 2010-02-15.
- 1 2 Barry Courter. "Funny and smart - at 68, Jeanne Robertson finds second vocation as comedian," Chattanooga Times Free Press, 17 February 2012, page 57.
- 1 2 Rosemary Ellis. "The value of humor: making life bearable," The Press of Atlantic City, 4 February 1990, page G1.
- ↑ "Elon trustee Jeanne Robertson is featured speaker at White House event". Elon University. 2008-05-01. Retrieved 2013-03-24.