BDHT: Antidisestablishmentarianism

Note:  This article was originally written and published in the spring of 2009 in my (now closed) Black Doll-E-Zine Yahoo Group.  Those who collect vintage dolls and enjoy unveiling mysteries that surround them might find it interesting.

Internet-captured image of the November 10, 1955 issue of Jet Magazine

Gloria Lockerman is shown on the cover of Jet Magazine in November 1955 with an unknown doll by Horsman that, according to the tag on the doll's dress, had "Miracle Hair" (rooted hair that could be curled, washed, waved, and combed).

Approximately two years ago, I began a search for a doll like the one held by Gloria Lockerman on the cover of the November 10, 1955, issue of Jet Magazine, shown above.

In August 1955, Gloria was a 12-year-old spelling whiz who won $16,000 on The $64,000 Question game show by correctly spelling the word, antidisestablishmentarianism. At the time the doll and Gloria were featured on the cover of Jet Magazine, I was almost 6 months old. The doll, having been made during the time of my birth year, inspired me to desire it for my collection.

While surfing eBay for "black Madame Alexander" dolls in March of this year, I found an auction, which was titled, "Vintage Madame Alexander Cynthia 1950s doll LOOKALIKE." In the auction photos, the doll did not resemble Madame Alexander's Cynthia, but it did closely resemble the doll Gloria held in the magazine cover image. I decided to watch the auction and bid to win, which is what happened.

Princess Anna Walking Doll

The apparent  difference in the two dolls (Gloria's and mine) is their clothing. My doll was manufactured as a bride. The doll that Gloria held wore a casual dress.

There are similarities in the faces of both dolls; however, my doll's chin appears more pointed.  The Horsman doll's less pointed chin could be due to the angle from which the Jet Magazine photo was taken.

Princess Anna's box

My doll is very well preserved and arrived with the bottom of its original box. The box contains the doll's name, Princess Anna Walking Doll, the Stock #850, and the word, "COLORED" stamped near the name to indicate the doll was the Black version. Princess Anna bears the neck marks: 17VW.

The Valentine doll company used the VW mark for their dolls. My doll is, therefore, not the same doll that Gloria holds, but is very similar in appearance.  It is possible that the two doll companies, Horsman and Valentine, used the same doll.  It is widely known that many doll companies did this and labeled the dolls as their own by adding their own manufacturer's marks, naming and dressing them.  While I do not know the exact Horsman doll that Gloria Lockerman held in the Jet Magazine cover image, her doll, like mine, was on the market in the 1950s (1955 for Gloria's doll) and was probably marketed for a few years under the same or different names.

For more information about Gloria Lockerman's game show experience, visit the following URL:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/vieilles_annonces/1386503978/sizes/o/

In addition, below is a YouTube video by Youtuber, OurKrazyKulture from September 2009, which provides additional details about young Miss Lockerman's game show experience and the post-show controversy that developed.

Update 11/22/2020: Ms. Lockerman (Brockington by marriage) passed away on August 29, 2010. 

Obituary

After a long and courageous battle with illness, Gloria V. Brockington, affectionately know as "Penny", went to be with the Lord on August 29, 2010 at the age of 67. Gloria was born in Baltimore, Maryland on October 29, 1942. In the summer of 1955, at the age of 12, Gloria achieved national fame when she appeared on the TV spelling contests "The $64,000 Question" and "The $64,000 Challenge".

Her rise to celebrity status began when she won her school and state spelling bees. Surprising her teachers, Gloria won the contest and then went on to be Maryland's representative to the National Spelling Bee held in Washington, D.C. The national spelling contest was televised and there she was noticed by the director of "The $64,000 Question" show. She was asked to come to New York for an interview, where she successfully passed her test. She won $8,000 on "The $64,000 Question' by correctly spelling "antidisestablishmentarianism." The following week she won an additional $16,000 by correctly spelling the entire sentence, "The belligerent astigmatic anthropologist annihilated innumerable chrysanthemums." After she had won $16,000 on the "Question" show she was advised to stop by her grandmother. She then appeared opposite Andy Douglass from Connecticut on the "Challenge" show. Her total earnings of $48,000 from both shows were placed in a trust fund for her education. The event attracted the attention of many celebrities, such as Mahalia Jackson, Duke Ellington, and Archie Moore. Gloria, with her $64,000 Question appearance, inspired people from all walks of life. A number of books make mention of Gloria, and a number of television parodies were written and performed as a result of her appearance. She gained so much fame in 1955 that, long ago, she decided it was enough fame for a lifetime. As a result, there was nothing she valued more than her privacy. She became the object of the country's collective curiosity-both because she was so smart at such a young age and because of the fact that she was black, which went against many American's backward stereotypes of the intellectual capacities of black Americans during that era.

At the age 16 she graduated from High School and then entered College at Morgan State and graduated with a major in French and a minor in Spanish. Following graduation she attended the University of Missouri where she earned her Masters Degree in French. While at the University of Missouri she served as a research assistant in linguistics. After receiving her Masters Degree, she completed additional credit hours at the University of Villanova.

She traveled throughout Europe, spending time in France, Spain and Italy. After traveling in Europe, she taught French and Spanish at Harrington High School in lower Marion County, PA and at various High Schools in the Philadelphia and Chester PA regions.

Gloria was an active follower and supporter in the movement for equal rights by the late Dr. Martin Luther King. She participated by marching in demonstrations against segregation and unjust racial laws. She could only see beauty in ethnic diversity. She would argue that culture is not one definable thing based on one race or religion, but rather the result of multiple factors that change as the world changes. To her multiculturalism was a positive endorsement, even a celebration, of communal diversity, based on the right of different groups to respect and recognize the value of similarities and differences in various ethnic groups.

She had a unique ability to effortlessly retain and recall dates, names, trivia and various detailed information with ease. She found great gratification in calling people on their birth date, surprising them at her ability to remember their birthday.

She was married to Dr. Howard Brockington, composer/theorist who served as Chairman of the Music Department at Delaware State University. She is also survived by her son Jason Brockington of Dover DE, her step-children Howard Brockington II and Willa Brockington of Dallas TX; Debra Humphries of Bowie, MD; and Kelvin Brockington of Washington, DC; a granddaughter, Elaniece Brockington, a brother Ronald Hooper of Philadelphia, PA; a sister Bernice Speed (Melvin) of Fort Washington, MD, sister-in-laws Bernice B. Kent (Brockington) of Lansing, MI; and Connie Hooper of Philadelphia, PA ; Aunt's Violet Snead of Baltimore, MD; Goldie Thomas of Queenstown, MD; and Ethel Lockerman of Beltsville, MD; a uncle Charles Steward of Cordova, MD and several cousins. She was preceded in death by her father, James Lockerman, her stepmother Mildred Lockerman, her mother Vivian Blackmon (Key) and her stepfather William Blackmon.

Obituary Source: https://www.tributearchive.com/obituaries/11572224/Gloria-Brockington

dbg

Please adhere to copyright notice (see bottom of blog).