In 1980, the baby name Lencola hit the SSA’s baby name list for the first and only time:
- 1979: not listed
- 1980: 10 baby girls named Lencola [debut]
- 1981: not listed
Why?
Because of beauty queen Lencola Sullivan.
In August of 1980, Lencola Sullivan became the first African-American woman to be crowned Miss Arkansas.
In September, she went on to become the first African-American woman to place in the top five at the Miss America pageant in Atlantic City. (She was 4th runner-up.)
Where is Lencola Sullivan these days? “Well I’m living in The Netherlands now, happily married, I work for Shell Oil Company.” If you’d like to say hello, she’s @lencola on Twitter.