Alex Trebek’s death yesterday reminded me of his connection to Mark Twain. In his recent memoir And the Answer Is… he wrote the following:  “I own every book he ever wrote and several biographies of him,” he says. What’s more, Trebek actually played Twain in the 1970s in two episodes of a TV docu-drama show called Witness to Yesterday<https://www.broadcasting-history.ca/programming/television/witness-yesterday>.  “You have to look at philosophy as a way of life,” says Trebek, “and Twain’s way of life was a very honest, straightforward one in which he respected humanity and cared about people–cared about their suffering. And he certainly was not partial to the oligarchs of the world. We need him today, actually. We could use him.”

When asked what three people from the past he would most like to be on the show, he said, “Eva Gardner, Mark Twain, and Eva Gardner.”

This short review includes a picture of Alex dressed as Mark Twain: https://www.who2.com/alex-trebeks-book-the-answer-is-a-brief-review/

I am an avid Jeopardy fan, and I have an even deeper appreciation for Alex because of our mutual love of Mark Twain. Rest in peace, Alex Trebek.

John Bird
Winthrop University

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