Alex Trebek
'I knew him when': In 1969 he was emceeing a high school quiz show on CBC called
Reach for the Top (like
It's Academic or the old GE
College Bowl) and that season they decided to match the top three teams from Canada against the top three teams from Hawaii, winners in a similar telly series called
Hawaii High. This international series was titled
Trans World Top Team and was also emceed by Trebek. I was on one of the Hawaii teams (in fact the one I was on was the only Hawaii side to win any of the games), and the trip to Canada for the sessions there was my first ever trip outside the USA.