Alex Trebek was like family.
Mr. Trebek, of course, was the beloved host of the game show Jeopardy!.
Though I rarely watched Jeopardy!, just hearing Mr. Trebek’s name brought to mind humility, and a kind of respect and warmth. It seems the American culture felt the same. Maybe you too.
Sadly, Mr. Trebek passed away of stage 4 pancreatic cancer earlier this week. He was 80-years old.
Life and Legacy
Before Mr. Trebek, Jeopardy! had been a little known game show from 1964-1975 with a different host. Trebek was hired in 1984 in a revived version of Jeopardy! and the rest is history.
Known for his humility, Mr. Trebek was a steady television presence for over 30 years. He filmed 37 seasons, and over 8200 episodes of Jeopardy!—the most by a presenter of any single TV game show.
In addition, Mr. Trebek was entered into the Guinness Book of Records as the person who had hosted the most game show episodes.
Each show Mr. Trebek would have to complete the daunting task of getting through 61 clues in 30 minutes. Despite this pressure, for over 30 years he remained gracious, charismatic, and unflapabble.
Mr. Trebek was also known for his charitable work. In 2011, he and his wife, Jean, formed the Trebek Family Foundation to accommodate the increasing requests from charities.
Most rare of all, just last year a media outlet called him, “The Only Person America Still Trusts.”
What a legacy.
I’ve been thinking all week about what made Alex Trebek such an icon. What was it that made him feel trustworthy, even safe?
It’s found in his legacy. A legacy of integrity and longevity.
Integrity
Over 30 years, 37 seasons, 8200 shows, and…
* Not a single scandal.
* Not a single employee or contestant or family member reporting mistreatment.
* Even after a divorce with his first wife, he moved across the street, they remained friends, and even attended family gatherings together.
* Not a single negative word reported around the eternal question: “What’s Alex Trebek really like?”.
I don’t mean to make Mr. Trebek a saint. He wasn’t. In fact, it seems he had a bit of a “sailor’s mouth,” at least earlier in his career.
But that’s about it.
Alex Trebek, the only person America still trusts.
Am I a person my family trusts? My friends trust? My neighbors trust? My employer trusts?
Are you?
Longevity
Again, over 30 years, 37 seasons, and 8200 game shows.
Mr. Trebek’s tenure with Jeopardy! reveals the powerful influence of rooting your life and investing your life into a single opportunity, place, and people.
But do not despair if you fall short of such a tenure, or any tenure. Mr. Trebek hosted numerous game shows before Jeopardy! Furthermore, many of us are not afforded the opportunity to stay put in a career, place, or position for an extended time. You can still have a potent influence.
Still, I think you’ll agree, there is power in longevity.
Think of it: Through all the cultural, political, societal, national, turmoil of the past decades, Mr. Trebek provided an unintentional presence of humility, grace, stability, equilibrium, dignity, and trust to the masses.
He felt safe.
In the midst of a pandemic, societal unrest, a divisive election, and whatever else is coming, what if we aspired to be intentional in humility, grace, dignity, and influence like that?
A rock-steady presence for our family. A model of grace to our neighbors. A voice of dignity and truth on social media. An example of humility to the culture.
Safe people.
The Secret Sauce
Without integrity, Mr. Trebek most likely would not have had longevity. Then again, Mr. Trebek could have hosted for a century, but without integrity, he would not have been trusted. He would not have felt safe.
So to bring it all home, we are talking about longevity with integrity.
The magic combo.
Mr. Trebek’s secret sauce.
May it be ours as well.
“May integrity and uprightness preserve me, for I wait for you. … I have acted with integrity; I have trusted in the Lord without wavering.(Ps 25:21; 26:1b).
What else would you add to this secret sauce?
Beautiful read. Thank you so much for your service
My suave would include 1 Corinthians 13:13
And now these remain faith hope and love. But the greatest is Love.❤️
What is Love?
1 Corinthians 13: 1-7
If I speak in the tongues of men or of angels, but do not have love, I am nothing, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. If I have a gift if prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have faith that can move mountains but do not have love, I am nothing. If I give all I possess to the poor and give over my body to hardship that I may boast, but do not have love, I gain NOTHING!
Love is patient, Love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices in truth. It always protects, alway trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love NEVER FAILS.