52nd Scripps National Spelling Bee

52nd Scripps National Spelling Bee
The Mayflower Hotel, site of the 52nd National Spelling Bee. The competition moved to the Capital Hilton the next year.
Date	June 6–7, 1979
Location	The Mayflower Hotel in Washington, D.C.
Winner	Katie Kerwin
Age	13
Residence	Colorado
Sponsor	Rocky Mountain News
Sponsor location	Denver, Colorado
Winning word	maculature
No. of contestants	109
Pronouncer	Richard R. Baker
Preceded by	51st Scripps National Spelling Bee
Followed by	53rd Scripps National Spelling Bee

The 52nd Scripps National Spelling Bee was held at the Mayflower Hotel in Washington, D.C. on June 6–7, 1979, sponsored by the E.W. Scripps Company.

Katie Kerwin McCrimmon, 13, of Colorado won the competition, spelling "maculature." Her brother Greg had been in the 1973 bee, and sister Mary in 1975. She would later go on to become a TV commentator of the Bee once it began being broadcast on television. The competition saw Julie Won of Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania run second. The previous year, Won had almost won one running third.

The competition had 109 contestants, a new record at the time, 63 girls and 46 boys, ranging from age 10 to 14. By the end of the first day, only 32 spellers remained. The second day started with the completion of the seventh round, which eliminated six more.

Richard Baker served as pronouncer.