CULVER
CITY, Calif., July 22,
2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Today, the U.S. Postal Service
celebrated the life and legacy of beloved "JEOPARDY!" host Alex
Trebek with a Forever stamp. The dedication ceremony was held at
Sony Pictures Studios in Culver
City.
"Millions of Americans invited Alex Trebek into their living
rooms each weeknight," said Michael
Elston, Secretary of the USPS Board of Governors. "After
thousands of shows over 37 seasons, he was someone we trusted and
felt like we knew. And with his intelligence and wit, he made it
cool to be smart."
Born in Sudbury, Ontario,
Canada, Alex Trebek became a naturalized U.S. citizen in
1998. He began hosting the syndicated series "JEOPARDY!" in 1984,
and his to-the-point approach and crisp enunciation served the quiz
show well. "JEOPARDY!" became a phenomenal success with Trebek at
the helm. His respect for contestants' intelligence always came
through, as did flashes of his pithy humor.
"It's so appropriate that the stamp illustration commemorates
Alex with a 'JEOPARDY!' clue. He loved the game so much, and he
always insisted the clues were the true star of the show," said
current "JEOPARDY!" host Ken
Jennings. "Alex Trebek was an American institution and so it
makes perfect sense to honor him on a postage stamp. And of course,
I had to geek out when I saw that the full sheet of stamps looks
like a 'JEOPARDY!' game board!"
Trebek was devoted to charity work, notably making many trips to
Africa, Asia and South
America with child welfare organization, World Vision, which
focused on alleviating poverty and hunger. He donated 62 acres of
land in the Hollywood Hills, the Trebek Open Space, to protect
natural habitat and offer trails for hiking, biking and horseback
riding. Trebek and his family also donated significantly to
transform a closed North Hollywood
roller rink into the Trebek Center, a facility to serve those
experiencing homelessness.
Among numerous honors, he won a lifetime achievement Emmy Award
and eight Daytime Emmys for outstanding game show host. After a
brave public battle with pancreatic cancer, he died on Nov. 8, 2020. Sony Pictures Stage 10, where
"JEOPARDY!" is still taped, has been renamed the Alex Trebek
Stage.
"My family and I were completely surprised about Alex being
honored by the U.S. Postal Service. It is a such an extraordinary
honor and a wonderful way to recognize what Alex meant to so many
people," said Trebek's wife, Jean Trebek. She continued, "Alex
would be over the moon about this distinctive honor and, he'd feel
very humbled. I think the stamp design is very creative because
Alex Trebek is the answer to all the clues."
The grid of 20 stamps evokes the bank of video monitors that
forms the "JEOPARDY!" game board. Each stamp reads "THIS
NATURALIZED U.S. CITIZEN HOSTED THE QUIZ SHOW 'JEOPARDY!' FOR 37
SEASONS." Underneath, upside down, is the correct response: "Who is
Alex Trebek?" Antonio Alcalá was the art director and designer for
the stamp project, using photography provided by Sony Pictures
Entertainment and hand lettering by Marti
Davila.
News of the stamp is being shared with the hashtag
#AlexTrebekStamp.
"JEOPARDY!" is produced by Sony Pictures Television
(SPT). In April, SPT launched the 60th Diamond Celebration, a
campaign bringing fans a year filled with engaging experiences,
limited-edition merchandise and more to celebrate the show's
remarkable legacy. For more information, please visit:
jeopardy.com/60th-diamond-celebration.
Postal Products
Customers may purchase stamps and other philatelic products
through the Postal Store at usps.com/shopstamps,
by calling 844-737-7826, by mail through USA Philatelic or at Post Office locations
nationwide. For officially licensed stamp products, shop the
USPS Officially Licensed Collection on Amazon. Additional
information on stamps, first-day-of-issue ceremonies and
stamp-inspired products can be found at
StampsForever.com.
Please Note: The United States Postal Service is an
independent federal establishment, mandated to be self-financing
and to serve every American community through the affordable,
reliable and secure delivery of mail and packages to 167 million
addresses six and often seven days a week. Overseen by a bipartisan
Board of Governors, the Postal Service is implementing a 10-year
transformation plan, Delivering for America, to
modernize the postal network, restore long-term financial
sustainability, dramatically improve service across all mail and
shipping categories, and maintain the organization as one of
America's most valued and trusted brands.
The Postal Service generally receives no tax dollars for
operating expenses and relies on the sale of postage, products and
services to fund its operations.
For USPS media resources, including broadcast-quality video and
audio and photo stills, visit the USPS Newsroom. Follow us
on X, formerly known as Twitter;
Instagram; Pinterest; Threads
and LinkedIn. Subscribe to the USPS YouTube Channel
and like us on Facebook. For more information about the
Postal Service, visit usps.com and
facts.usps.com.
About Sony Pictures Television
Sony Pictures Television (SPT) is one of the television
industry's leading content providers, producing, distributing and
carrying programming worldwide in every genre and for every
platform. In addition to managing one of the industry's largest
libraries of award-winning feature films, television shows and
formats, SPT is home to a thriving global content business,
operating a robust portfolio of wholly owned and joint-venture
production companies across the United
States, Europe,
Latin America and Asia Pacific, as well as linear and digital
channels around the world. SPT is a Sony Pictures Entertainment
Co., a subsidiary of Tokyo-based
Sony Group Corp.
About JEOPARDY!
JEOPARDY!, America's Favorite Quiz Show™, is in its 40th
season in syndication. With a weekly audience of more than 20
million viewers, JEOPARDY! is the top-rated quiz show
on television. The show has won a total of 44 Emmy®
Awards, holds the Guinness World Records® title for the
most Emmy® Awards won by a TV game show, and received a
Peabody Award for "celebrating and rewarding knowledge." It
originally debuted on March 30, 1964.
JEOPARDY! is produced by Sony Pictures Television, a
Sony Pictures Entertainment Co.; it is distributed domestically by
CBS Media Ventures and internationally by Paramount Global Content
Distribution, both units of Paramount.
Follow Jeopardy! Jeopardy.com | Facebook | X | YouTube |
Instagram | TikTok
Contact: James McKean
jim.mckean@usps.gov
usps.com/news
Local contact: Natashi
Garvins
natashi.l.garvins@usps.gov
usps.com/news
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SOURCE U.S. Postal Service