Erie Woman is Jeopardy Champ!

Mercyhurst Prep grad wins on Jeopardy!

Jeopardy champ Leslie Minot graduated from Mercyhurst Prep in Erie, PA!

Leslie Minot, a former resident of Erie, PA, was the champion of Jeopardy! America's Favorite Quiz Show on December 2, 2020! 

Imagine my surprise when I saw a familiar face on the screen while watching Jeopardy! Leslie Minot graduated from Mercyhurst Prep in 1986. Although we went to different schools, we each wrote for our high school newspaper (and hoped to work in the publishing field). If I remember correctly, we may have participated in a car wash to raise a few dollars to save the McDowell Hub newspaper in the mid-eighties. 

It is refreshing to see an intelligent and well educated woman on television. In high school, Leslie was a member of the National Honor Society and she participated in Model UN and High-Q. She graduated from Yale, earned a Ph.D. in Comparative Literature from the University of California, Berkeley, and an MFA in Writing from Goddard College. The clipping above Leslie's picture appeared in the Erie Times-News on June 8, 1986.   

She was one of the last contestants to appear on Jeopardy with host Alex Trebek, as this show was taped before he passed away. 

On a side note, Leslie's father, Dr. Walter S. Minot, taught at Gannon University for 36 years, and was named Professor Emeritus after he retired. 

Enjoy more esoteric facts about Erie, PA history at Old Time Erie!.