Jacques A. Bailly (born 1966) is an

American American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, pe ...

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
'. Rodale, 2006. 121-124. He was the 1980

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 ...

champion.

Early life and education

Bailly grew up in the

Denver, Colorado Denver () is a consolidated city and county, the capital, and most populous city of the U.S. state of Colorado. Its population was 715,522 at the 2020 census, a 19.22% increase since 2010. It is the 19th-most populous city in the Unit ...

area. He began participating in spelling bees in sixth grade, training with a nun at his Catholic school. He reached the National Spelling Bee as an eighth grader and won with the word ''elucubrate''. Bailly studied Ancient Greek and Latin, receiving his bachelor's degree from

Brown University Brown University is a private research university in Providence, Rhode Island. Brown is the seventh-oldest institution of higher education in the United States, founded in 1764 as the College in the English Colony of Rhode Island and Providenc ...

and his PhD from

Cornell University Cornell University is a private statutory land-grant research university based in Ithaca, New York. It is a member of the Ivy League. Founded in 1865 by Ezra Cornell and Andrew Dickson White, Cornell was founded with the intention to teach an ...

. He learned German in Switzerland with the help of a

Fulbright scholarship The Fulbright Program, including the Fulbright–Hays Program, is one of several United States Cultural Exchange Programs with the goal of improving intercultural relations, cultural diplomacy, and intercultural competence between the people of ...

. In 1990, he wrote a letter to the National Spelling Bee organizers offering his services and was hired as an associate pronouncer. Bailly became the Bee's chief pronouncer after Alex Cameron's death in 2003.

Career

Bailly works full-time as an associate professor of classics at the

University of Vermont The University of Vermont (UVM), officially the University of Vermont and State Agricultural College, is a Public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Burlington, Vermont. It was founded in 1791 and is amon ...

, specializing in Greek and Roman philosophy, particularly

Plato Plato ( ; grc-gre, Πλάτων ; 428/427 or 424/423 – 348/347 BC) was a Greek philosopher born in Athens during the Classical period in Ancient Greece. He founded the Platonist school of thought and the Academy, the first institution ...

Personal life

Bailly is married to Leslyn Hall. They have two children.JABcv2014
JABcv2014. Retrieved on May 31, 2017. He portrayed himself in the 2006 film '' Akeelah and the Bee'', which focuses on a girl (played by

Keke Palmer Lauren Keyana "Keke" Palmer (born August 26, 1993) ( ) is an American actress, singer and television personality. Known for playing leading and character roles in comedy and drama productions, she has received a Primetime Emmy Award, five NAACP ...

) who competes in the National Spelling Bee.

References

External links

The Believer - Interview with Jacques Bailly
June/July 2006
The Man Who Pronounced It All
*
The Kids Are A-L-R-I-G-H-T
{{DEFAULTSORT:Bailly, Jacques American spellers Spelling bee champions American classical scholars Classical scholars of the University of Vermont Cornell University alumni People from Denver Brown University alumni 1966 births Living people Scripps National Spelling Bee Scripps National Spelling Bee participants American scholars of ancient Greek philosophy Fulbright alumni

Early life and education

Career

Personal life

See also

References

External links