Here’s a bit of a belated tribute to Alex Trebek, the longtime Jeopardy! game show host who passed away earlier this month.
Jeopardy! fans have created a database, the J! Archive, of more than 400,000 clues, and Wellesley has made more than its fair share of appearances, largely thanks to one of our notable colleges.
More than 40 answers or questions include some form of Wellesley in them, most related to Wellesley College, and a handful about famous alum Hillary Rodham Clinton.
Though Arthur Wellesley, the 1st Duke of Wellington, has also made about a dozen appearances.
Examples:
Clue: Lawyer Henry Durant founded this college for women on his estate near Boston in 1870
Answer (in the form of a question): Wellesley College
Clue: This New Zealand capital is named for Arthur Wellesley, a British duke
Answer: Wellington
Wellesley even made it into the Final Jeopardy! round once, under the category Secretaries of State.
Clue: The 2 Secretaries of State who received B.A.s in political science from Wellesley, 10 years apart
Answer: Madeleine Albright and Hillary Clinton
Six residents are listed as having played on the show:
| Tom Walker, a lawyer from Boston, Massachusetts | Season 21 1-time champion: $23,201 + $2,000. Father’s Jeopardy! Message Board user name: ProudFather |
| Wade Markel, an Army captain from Wellesley, Massachusetts | Season 13 player (1996-12-09). |
| Beth Ford, a professor of African-American literature from Wellesley, Massachusetts | Season 25 player (2009-06-11). |
| Brian Donahue, a research scientist originally from Wellesley, Massachusetts | Season 9 2-time champion: $12,398. |
| Laura Rigge, a junior at Wellesley College from Emmaus, Pennsylvania | 2013 College Championship quarterfinalist: $5,000. |
| Fariha Ali, an attorney from Wellesley, Massachusetts | Season 32 player (2016-03-31). |
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