Jacques Bailly
Jacques A. Bailly | |
|---|---|
.jpg) | |
| Born | January 28, 1966 |
| Education | |
| Employer | University of Vermont |
| Organization | Scripps National Spelling Bee |
| Television | Scripps National Spelling Bee |
| Spouse | Leslyn Hall |
| Children | 2 |
Jacques A. Bailly (born January 28, 1966) is an American professor who has served as the Scripps National Spelling Bee's official pronouncer since 2003.[1] He was the 1980 Scripps National Spelling Bee champion.
Early life and education
[edit]Bailly was born in 1966 and grew up in the Denver, Colorado area. He began participating in spelling bees in sixth grade, training with a nun at his Catholic school.[1] He reached the National Spelling Bee as an eighth grader and won with the word elucubrate.[2]
Bailly studied Ancient Greek and Latin, receiving his bachelor's degree from Brown University and his PhD from Cornell University.[3] He learned German in Switzerland with the help of a Fulbright scholarship.[1]
Career
[edit]In 1990, he wrote a letter to the National Spelling Bee organizers offering his services and was hired as an associate pronouncer.[4] Bailly became the Bee's chief pronouncer after Alex Cameron's death in 2003.[1]
Bailly works full-time as an associate professor of classics at the University of Vermont, specializing in Greek and Roman philosophy, particularly Plato.[1][5] He previously served as the President of the UVM chapter of Phi Beta Kappa.
Personal life
[edit]Bailly is married to Leslyn Hall. They have two children and a dog.[6] He portrayed himself in the 2006 film Akeelah and the Bee, which focuses on a girl (played by Keke Palmer) who competes in the National Spelling Bee.[1]
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ^ a b c d e f James Maguire. American Bee: the National Spelling Bee and the Culture of Word Nerds. Rodale, 2006. 121-124.
- ^ "Denver boy wins spelling bee". The Ledger. May 30, 1980. 5.
- ^ "Jacques A. Bailly CV" (PDF). uvm.edu. January 2014. Archived (PDF) from the original on October 20, 2012. Retrieved July 9, 2021.
- ^ M.J. Stephey. "Q&A: Spelling Bee Pronouncer Jacques Bailly". Time. May 26, 2009. Retrieved on August 4, 2009.
- ^ "Jacques A. Bailly, Associate Professor and Director of Graduate Studies". uvm.edu/~classics/. University of Vermont. Archived from the original on February 28, 2018.
- ^ JABcv2014. JABcv2014. Retrieved on May 31, 2017. Archived 2015-06-01 at the Wayback Machine