Posted by Mary Wimberley on 2000-09-15

Samford University professor Dr. George Keller is a contestant on the popular Jeopardy! game show that will air Tuesday (SEPT. 19) at 6 p.m. on WIAT TV 42 in Birmingham.

Dr. Keller, who has taught biology at Samford since 1993, flew to Los Angeles in August to tape the show.

His fling with show business began in late May, when he and his wife were in Los Angeles for him to attend a meeting of the American Society for Microbiology.

"I watch the show all the time at home, and my wife has said that I should be a contestant if I ever had the chance," says Keller. "While we were in Los Angeles, she called the studio and found that they were having tryouts on the day we were to leave."

The couple arranged to go by the Sony studios in Culver City, where the program is taped, on the way to the airport.

After taking a written test, he was chosen to participate in a simulated game. In early June, he was told to be present for a taping that took place in late August.

Hosted by Alex Trebek, Jeopardy! tests contestants' knowledge of various subjects.

 

 
Samford is a leading Christian university offering undergraduate programs grounded in the liberal arts with an array of nationally recognized graduate and professional schools. Founded in 1841, Samford is the 87th-oldest institution of higher learning in the United States. Samford enrolls 5,791 students from 49 states, Puerto Rico and 16 countries in its 10 academic schools: arts, arts and sciences, business, divinity, education, health professions, law, nursing, pharmacy and public health. Samford fields 17 athletic teams that compete in the tradition-rich Southern Conference and ranks 6th nationally for its Graduation Success Rate among all NCAA Division I schools.