The first time Nyla Medlock, 61, had ever been on airplane was when she went to Washington D.C. to compete in the 1969 National Spelling Bee. It’s a memory she loves to talk about even now, nearly 50 years later.
“It was the first time I had ever been out of the states of New Mexico or Texas,” Medlock said. “For a country girl that’s really an exciting experience.”
Medlock grew up in Lorenzo and started competing in spelling bee’s in the late 60’s after watching her older sister Gayle do it.
After winning at the local, district and regional level she qualified to compete on a national stage at 14-years- old.
“It was a community event, it was a life-changing event for me, but for my family, it was also a family event that we will never forget,” Medlock said.
Medlock placed 19th out of 173, missing on the word ‘trenchant’ — a word she said she never misspelled again. But she did win at something else while she was at the national bee.
“I was voted Miss Personality, so I got roses for that,” Medlock said. “I loved meeting all the rest of my peers.”
Medlock said she attributes the spelling bee to her successful career as an international headhunter. Last year, the Harvard School of Public Health even awarded an endowment after her.
“You always focus on what you want your outcome to be in life and the spelling bee taught me that,” Medlock said.
Medlock said even though the National Spelling Bee has changed over the years, the lessons it teaches remain the same.
