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!.

Guy Lombardo at the Amity Inn in Erie PA

Guy Lombardo photo courtesy of Tom DiLuzio.

Band leader Guy Lombardo was in town on March 20, 1946 to help Father Francis J. Schlindwein break ground for the new Saint Boniface School, 9363 Wattsburg Road, just south of Erie on Route 8. Father Schlindwein brought all sorts of celebrities to Erie, and knew many musicians and movie stars. He met Guy Lombardo in New York City in 1943.

After the ceremony at St. Boniface, Guy Lombardo had dinner at the Amity Inn, 1334 West 26th Street in Erie, PA, with local dignitaries. The men in the photo above include (from left to right): Erie Mayor Charlie Barber, Father Schlindwein, Guy Lombardo and Joseph Ferraro. Ferraro owned the Amity Inn. The identity of the woman seated at the table is not known.

Guy Lombardo popularized the song "Auld Lang Syne" and his band appeared in New Year's Eve performances in the early days of television.

Enjoy more historic Erie, PA facts and photos at: oldtimeerie.blogspot.com

Bob Hope Married in Erie, PA in 1933

Bob Hope really did get married in Erie, PA

Movie start Bob Hope really did get married in Erie, PA. He was born Leslie T. Hope in London, England and came to the U.S. when he was a child. Bob married Grace Troxell on January 25, 1933. He lived in Cleveland and listed his occupation as salesman. Grace lived in Chicago and was a secretary. Bob made his big-screen debut in 1938 with "The Big Broadcast of 1938.

Bob was not the first celebrity (or soon to be celebrity) to get married in Erie County. Roscoe "Fatty" Arbuckle married Addie McPhail in Wesleyville, PA on June 21, 1932.

Bob later married Dolores DeFina. There is some debate as to when and where they got married, and some media outlets claim that Bob and Dolores were married in Erie.

Enjoy more facts and photos of events in Erie, PA at: Old Time Erie