This article appeared in the February 19, 2021 edition of the Monitor Daily.

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Alex Trebek’s suits were sharp. Now they’ll help homeless men stand taller.

Matt Rourke/AP/File
Jeopardy moderator Alex Trebek speaks in Hershey, Pennsylvania, on Oct. 1, 2018. The longtime show host, who died in November 2020, left behind a wardrobe that will now be used by homeless and formerly incarcerated men.
Peter Grier
Washington editor

When he showed up for work, Alex Trebek dressed sharp. The beloved, late host of “Jeopardy!” always walked on stage in crisp suits and ties that popped just so, often with a pocket square. His look was conservative but not boring, respectable without being stuffy.

Except, maybe, for that time he appeared dressed as Elvis. And it’s true he once showed up without pants. It was a stunt, he said, to help lower tensions for a Tournament of Champions.

Now Mr. Trebek’s clothes will carry on his legacy. His family and “Jeopardy!” have donated much of his work wardrobe to The Doe Fund, a group that helps formerly homeless and incarcerated men rebuild their lives.

The donation includes 14 suits, 58 dress shirts, and 300 neckties, as well as dress shoes, belts, sweaters, polo shirts, sports coats, and even a few parkas. Men from The Doe Fund’s reentry program will wear them on job interviews. Such outfits often help men who are trying to recover visibly stand taller, say Doe Fund workers.

Mr. Trebek’s son, Matthew, has supported the charity and it was he who made the donation suggestion. 

“During his last day on set, Alex extolled the virtues of everyone opening up their hands and their hearts to those who are suffering,” Mike Richards, “Jeopardy!” executive producer, said in a press release announcing the donation. “Donating his wardrobe to those who are working to rebuild their lives is a perfect way to honor that last request.”


This article appeared in the February 19, 2021 edition of the Monitor Daily.

Read 02/19 edition
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