Trebek always had deep love for capital
Alex Trebek, the world-famous Jeopardy! host who died Sunday morning at the age of 80, never hid his deep love for Canada's capital city.
He was a major booster of his alma mater, the University of Ottawa, from which he graduated in 1961 with a degree in philosophy before launching into his broadcast career.
Trebek would donate millions of dollars to the university to create lecture series and the Alex Trebek Forum for Dialogue.
In 1996, U of O awarded him with an honorary doctorate. The U of O inaugurated the Alex Trebek Alumni Hall in May 2015 and he was on campus to help open the building.
The U of O remembered Trebek's contributions to higher education and celebrated his generosity.
“The world knew Alex as the charismatic host of Jeopardy!, but here at uOttawa we knew Alex as an engaged and engaging man, a unique and caring individual who dedicated his philanthropy to the creation and sustaining of programs to promote civic dialogue,” the university said in a statement Sunday. “As he said, speaking of his lecture series, `For me, the University of Ottawa is the ideal institution to host the series, as it is the place that first exposed me to the world and to the possibilities of big ideas.'”
Trebek's philanthropy and lifelong success on prime-time television paved the way to an important meeting with the mayor on May 5, 2016. He received the key to the city, the highest honour awarded by the municipality.
Ottawa City Hall has seen celebrities grace its corridors, but they aren't all superstars like Trebek.
It was a small ceremony, outside of the mayor's office in the heritage wing of city hall. A crush of reporters crammed the reception area where Trebek, with his wife, Jean, accepted the framed key from Mayor Jim Watson.
Trebek playfully zinged Watson at the ceremony, too, listing jobs on Watson's own resumé, including two go-rounds as mayor, and asking him, “When are you going to figure out what you really want to do?”
When Watson finished reading Trebek's list of professional, academic and philanthropic accomplishments, Trebek said he wanted to take the piece of paper back with him to Los Angeles, “because, damn it, they made me sound good.”
Trebek's remarks at the ceremony revealed his appreciation for Ottawa. The Sudbury native considered Sudbury, Ottawa and Toronto his hometowns, but one of those cities took up more space in his heart.
“Ottawa has always been my favourite,” Trebek said that day.
The flag outside of Watson's office along Elgin Street was lowered to half-mast on Sunday and will stay that way until sunset Wednesday to honour Trebek.
Watson recognized Trebek's contributions to the city.
“Alex Trebek was an inspiration to so many around North America. He dedicated his life to the pursuit of knowledge and higher education,” Watson said in a statement.
“Despite his success, Alex remained humble and never forgot where he came from or what truly matters in life.”
Also in 2016, the Ottawa-based Royal Canadian Geographical Society announced Trebek as its honorary president in recognition of his commitment to geographical education.
In October 2019, Trebek wore a Gee-Gees sweater to flip the coin at the annual Panda Game against the Carleton Ravens on the gridiron of TD Place. He was also in town to announce another multimillion-dollar donation to his beloved U of O, a month after he started another round of chemotherapy treatments for his pancreatic cancer.
The Ottawa Senators might owe Trebek a lifetime of stick taps for the recognition the team received for enlisting Trebek to make a big announcement.
Last month, Trebek stole the show at the televised National Hockey League draft when, in a taped message from his Jeopardy! studio, he announced the Ottawa Senators' first selection, Tim Stuetzle. The team, which has gone through so much turmoil in recent years, was universally lauded for the idea.
Stuetzle took to Instagram to express his condolences, saying, “I was looking forward to meet(ing) the person who drafted me.”
In a statement Sunday, Senators owner Eugene Melnyk said Trebek was “a very special member of the Ottawa Senators family.”
“We will always be grateful to Alex for the special role he played in announcing the Senators' first draft choice this year,” Melnyk said. “For his legions of fans, Alex's class and professionalism will endure as will his love for our game. Thank you, Alex, for your legacy. The Senators family and the entire Capital Region will miss you.”