Jeanne Robertson
| Beauty pageant titleholder | |
Performing onstage in Charlottesville, Virginia, April 2012
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| Born | September 21, 1943 |
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| Occupation | Humorist, speaker, teacher |
| Height | 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) |
| Hair color | White (formerly blond) |
| Title(s) | Miss North Carolina 1963 |
| Major competition(s) |
Miss America 1964 |
| Spouse | Jerry Robertson, Ph.D. |
| Official website | |
Jeanne Swanner Robertson (born September 21, 1943) is an American humorist, motivational speaker and a former Miss North Carolina and physical education teacher.
Jeanne Swanner was raised in Graham, North Carolina, one of three daughters. Not only was she taller than sisters Katherine and Andrea, she also especially tall as a youth, growing to 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) by age thirteen and in seventh grade. She was an avid basketball player.
In 1963, at age 19, she was named Miss North Carolina and went on to be named Miss Congeniality in that year's Miss America competition. Robertson credits her reign as the catalyst for her career.
Following her Miss North Carolina reign, Robertson used the scholarship funds to fund her college education at Auburn University where she majored in physical education and played on its basketball team, graduating in 1967.
Robertson taught physical education for eight years in North Carolina.
Although she began her public speaking career with her pageant title, Robertson has achieved much more national attention as a humorist and speaker. Her anecdotes have been broadcast regularly on satellite radio comedy channels including XM Radio's Laugh USA, Sirius Radio's Blue Collar Comedy and its Family Comedy Channel, and Laugh Break. Her popularity soared, however, in 2009 after a handful of humorous clips from her talks became viral videos. 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."
In 1980 she was designated a Certified Speaking Professional by the National Speakers Association (NSA), and served as the association's president in 1985. She is also an award-winning Toastmaster.
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