Jacques Bailly
Jacques A. Bailly | |
|---|---|
.jpg) Bailly in 2017 | |
| 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. He was the 1980 Scripps National Spelling Bee champion and has served as the Scripps National Spelling Bee's official pronouncer since 2003.[1]
Biography
[edit]Bailly was born in 1966 and grew up in the Denver, Colorado, area.[2][3] 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".[4] Bailly studied Ancient Greek and Latin, receiving his bachelor's degree from Brown University in classics and his Ph.D. from Cornell University.[5] He learned German in Switzerland with the help of a Fulbright scholarship.[1]
In 1990, Bailly wrote the National Spelling Bee organizers, offering his services, and was hired as an associate pronouncer.[6] Bailly became the Bee's chief pronouncer after Alex Cameron died 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][7] Bailly portrayed himself in the 2006 film Akeelah and the Bee, which focuses on a girl who competes in the National Spelling Bee.[1]
Bailly is married to Leslyn Hall. They have two children and a dog.[8]
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- 1 2 3 4 5 6 James Maguire. American Bee: the National Spelling Bee and the Culture of Word Nerds. Rodale, 2006. 121-124.
- ↑ "Meet the spelling bee's P-R-O-N-O-U-N-C-E-R". Colorado Public Radio. May 28, 2024. Retrieved April 21, 2026.
- ↑ "Can you spell like a champ? The national bee's pronouncer tests your skills". The Washington Post. Archived from the original on May 27, 2025. Retrieved April 21, 2026.
- ↑ "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
External links
[edit]- The Believer - Interview with Jacques Bailly June/July 2006
- The Man Who Pronounced It All
- Jacques Bailly at IMDb
- The Kids Are A-L-R-I-G-H-T
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
| Academics | |
| Other | |
- American spellers
- Spelling bee champions
- American classical scholars
- Classical scholars of the University of Vermont
- Cornell University alumni
- Brown University alumni
- 1966 births
- Living people
- Scripps National Spelling Bee
- Scripps National Spelling Bee participants
- American scholars of ancient Greek philosophy
- Academics from Denver