• About Be Kind & Co
  • Contributors
  • Contact
  • Shop
Thursday, March 4, 2021
No Result
View All Result
BE KIND & CO
NEWSLETTER
Shop Now
BE KIND & CO
No Result
View All Result
BE KIND & CO
No Result
View All Result

Jeopardy Host Alex Trebek’s Legacy of Kindness

Dani WalpolebyDani Walpole
November 9, 2020
in Inspiration, News
Reading Time: 4min read
trebek 2020
Share on FacebookShare on Twitter

Since 1984, Alex Trebek has been gracing the television screens of our nation as a familiar friend—an arbiter of knowledge, laughter, and fun that generations of people engaged with each weeknight. Whether we spent our evenings with family and friends or by our lonesome, Jeopardy became a source of comfort and a bonding force for many people. 

Even outside of North America, Jeopardy made people feel like a part of something bigger. Like the new Jeopardy champion, Burt Thacker, many around the world have even learned English – and how to be an American – from watching Jeopardy.

On November 8th, Trebek passed away peacefully in his home in Los Angeles after a long battle with pancreatic cancer, according to a statement from Jeopardy’s official Twitter account. He was eighty years old. Despite his illness, Trebek courageously hosted the show until ten days before his death, filming his last episode on October 29th, 2020. 

Trebek’s dedication to his work was admirable, but so was his attitude of kindness and compassion that he expressed not only towards contestants but shared with his community. In his long history of generosity, his donations of land in California has been one of his most impressive undertakings.

In 1998, he donated 74 acres of open land to the Santa Monica Mountains Conservancy. Part of this land is now called the Trebek Open Space, which neighbors Runyon Canyon. The scenic green area offers trails and panoramic views of the city to the public, which would otherwise have been developed into residential or corporate spaces. 

Over his lifetime, his kindness extended past conservation efforts into other charitable activities. He supported the humanitarian organization World Vision, and even traveled on an aid trip to Ethiopia to support its citizens during the country’s famine. In the Southern-Central African country of Zambia, Trebek and family adopted a village, where his philanthropic efforts helped build a school, medical facility, and homes for teachers. 

Trebek cradles a baby in Ethiopia, mid-1980s, Credit World Vision

“Since I am in a position to help, why not do something to help make people’s lives a little easier?” said Trebek in an interview with CTV News Network. “I can give them the break that I had in a different context, and maybe it will turn their lives around as it did mine. And there’s no downside to it. I’m helping somebody; that makes them feel good. I feel good because I’m making them feel good, so why not [help]?”

Any celebrity can use their fortune to help good causes, but according to everyone who had the pleasure of meeting Trebek, his kindness extended beyond just monetary donations. He was a man who is remembered by all he met as a kind and caring soul.

Anne Herbst Otto, who competed on the show on Halloween of 1989, remembers Trebek as a wonderfully empathetic character. 

She tells Be Kind & Co. that she was one of many who were fortunate enough to have met Trebek.  She also shared this story with us. 

“I was among the hordes of those fortunate enough to have met Mr. Trebek as a contestant,” says Otto. “Anyway, I was doing well in the game, but before Final Jeopardy, the judges adjourned us for 45 minutes to debate an answer of mine. The pause in momentum blew my confidence, and when the last question came I was slow to answer, frankly in a bit of a fog.”

“I didn’t write down what I was thinking. And that was the end. If I had been less befuddled, I would have won. But after the match, as Alex made his traditional walk down the line of the contestants to thank and congratulate us, he shook my hand, started to move on, and then turned back.”

‘You knew the answer to that question, didn’t you?‘ he said. I nodded sadly. 

And he smiled kindly and added, ‘Try not to torture yourself. It happens all the time.”‘

Like many generations of people, Otto will never forget Trebek as a wonderful, intelligent person, but what she holds in her heart is how he made her feel with his humanity and  kindness.

Tags: alex trebekcharitykindness
Previous Post

World Kindness Day: The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf is Giving Away Free Drinks in SoCal Thanks to Wescom Credit Union

Next Post

Be Kind to Yourself With These Home Spa Ideas

Related Posts

Mixed breed dogs wait of their food in their cage at the adoption center of Animal Rescue in Cuautitlan Izcalli, state of Mexico, Mexico on October 13, 2010.AFP PHOTO/OMAR TORRES (Photo credit should read OMAR TORRES/AFP/Getty Images)

Saving a Senior Pet Can Be Good for the Soul

byBrenda Barnette
November 23, 2020

November is Adopt a Senior Pet Month. If you are considering adopting a furry friend, why not consider a senior pet? Many senior pets stay in shelters day after day because not...

a gift of kindness

Royally Kind: The Duchess of York Announces her New Book, “A Gift of Kindness”

byDani Walpole
November 19, 2020

Sarah Ferguson, the Duchess of York has always been a fan of kindness.  Known simply as "Fergie" around the world, the Duchess joined other notable personalities on World Kindness Day this month...

Melissa McCarthy, Ben Falcone and HBO Max Launch “20 Days of Kindness” Campaign

byBe Kind & Co.
November 11, 2020

HBO Max kicked off a “20 Days of Kindness” campaign today on behalf of their new film “Superintelligence,” from New Line Cinema. Melissa McCarthy and director Ben Falcone announced the campaign this morning...

Kindness Calendar: A Daily Reminder to Be Kind in 2021

byBe Kind & Co.
November 5, 2020

This holiday season, it may be wise to shift our focus to kindness as we transition from 2020 to 2021. Cultivating more kind acts is sorely needed, and that trend will continue....

verizon, call for kindness,

Verizon’s “A Call for Kindness” Acknowledges the Hard Work of Retail Employees

byDani Walpole
November 11, 2020

During this pandemic, retail employees have been working harder than ever. While keeping up with the usual demands of their jobs, they may also worry about contracting the virus or even having...

Next Post
be kind to yourself

Be Kind to Yourself With These Home Spa Ideas

veterans

Want to Add Power to Your Workforce? Hire Veterans.

Melissa McCarthy, Ben Falcone and HBO Max Launch “20 Days of Kindness” Campaign

JOIN THE BE KIND & CO COMMUNITY

Facebook Twitter Instagram

MOST RECENT STORIES

Two Filmmakers On A Mission to Unite Us Through Stories of Kindness

February 24, 2021

Want to Be Kinder? Start Here.

February 15, 2021

These Sustainable and Eco-Friendly Gifts are Perfect for Your Valentine!

February 10, 2021

How Kindness & a Homemade Sign Saved the Life of a Young Boy

February 1, 2021
relaxation puppy

How to Take Time Off in a Busy Badge Culture

January 25, 2021
kindnesscontagious

If You Packed Up Your Kindness with the Holiday Decorations, Here’s How to Get It Back

January 18, 2021
BE KIND & CO

© 2021 Be Kind & Co. All Rights Reserved. Proudly Published & Powered by STORIFIED with kindness.

Navigate Be Kind & Co

  • Home
  • Shop
  • Health & Fitness
  • Inspiration
  • Interviews
  • Relationships
  • Pets
  • Workplace
  • Favorite Things

Join the Be Kind & Co Community

No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • Shop
  • Inspiration
  • Interviews
  • Health & Fitness
  • Pets
  • Relationships
  • Workplace
  • Favorite Things
  • Welcome to Be Kind & Co
  • Contributors
  • Be Kind & Co Newsletter
  • Contact Be Kind & Co

© 2021 Be Kind & Co. All Rights Reserved. Proudly Published & Powered by STORIFIED with kindness.