Alex J. Cameron (1937 – February 24, 2003) was an English professor at the

University of Dayton The University of Dayton (UD) is a private, Catholic research university in Dayton, Ohio. Founded in 1850 by the Society of Mary, it is one of three Marianist universities in the nation and the second-largest private university in Ohio. The univ ...

and the official pronouncer of the

Scripps National Spelling Bee The Scripps National Spelling Bee (formerly the Scripps Howard National Spelling Bee and commonly called the National Spelling Bee) is an annual spelling bee held in the United States. The bee is run on a not-for-profit basis by The E. W. Scri ...

from 1981 to 2002. Cameron grew up in

Dearborn, Michigan Dearborn is a city in Wayne County in the U.S. state of Michigan. At the 2020 census, it had a population of 109,976. Dearborn is the seventh most-populated city in Michigan and is home to the largest Muslim population in the United States pe ...

, and attended the

University of Notre Dame The University of Notre Dame du Lac, known simply as Notre Dame ( ) or ND, is a private Catholic research university in Notre Dame, Indiana, outside the city of South Bend. French priest Edward Sorin founded the school in 1842. The main campu ...

. He taught

American literature American literature is literature written or produced in the United States of America and in the colonies that preceded it. The American literary tradition thus is part of the broader tradition of English-language literature, but also inc ...

and the history of the English language at the University of DaytonDennis McLellan.
Alex Cameron, 65; Baronial Voice of Annual Spelling Bee
. ''Los Angeles Times''. February 28, 2003. Retrieved on May 29, 2009. from 1964 until his death in 2003. In 1978, he began accompanying fellow Dayton professor

Richard R. Baker The Scripps National Spelling Bee (formerly the Scripps Howard National Spelling Bee and commonly called the National Spelling Bee) is an annual spelling bee held in the United States. The bee is run on a not-for-profit basis by The E. W. Scrip ...

to the National Spelling Bee, where Baker had served as official pronouncer since 1960. After Baker retired, spelling bee officials asked Cameron to take his place.Spelling Bee Pronouncer Carries on a Four-Decade Tradition
. catholicexchange.com. May 12, 2002. Retrieved on May 29, 2009.Grant, Alison (9 May 1989)
Spelling bee pronouncer says winners are well read
UPI National Spelling Bee director Paige Kimble said that Cameron had "a rich voice" and "could relate genuinely and positively with children of all different backgrounds and demeanors." In February 2003, Cameron died at age 65 in his

Kettering, Ohio Kettering is a city in Montgomery county in the U.S. state of Ohio. Almost entirely in Montgomery County, it is an inner suburb of Dayton, Ohio. As of the 2020 census, the city had a population of 57,862 (down slightly from 58,453 in 2010), maki ...

home of an apparent heart attack.

Jacques Bailly Jacques A. Bailly (born 1966) is an American professor who serves as the Scripps National Spelling Bee's official pronouncer, a position he has held since 2003.James Maguire. American Bee: the National Spelling Bee and the Culture of Word Nerds'. ...

succeeded him as the National Spelling Bee's pronouncer. The Cameron Corner is a collection of books and a comfortable reading nook, located in the northeast corner of the University of Dayton Roesch Library's fifth floor. The majority of the books belonged to Cameron. The space was established to honor Cameron and his love of reading.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Cameron, Alex 2003 deaths University of Notre Dame alumni University of Dayton faculty Scripps National Spelling Bee 1937 births People from Kettering, Ohio