‘Who is Ilene Morgan?’

Dr. Ilene Morgan was featured on the quiz show Jeopardy!
Dr. Ilene Morgan was featured on the quiz show Jeopardy! Photo by B.A. Rupert, Missouri S&T.

If “third time’s a charm” were a category on the quiz show Jeopardy!, then “Who is Dr. Ilene Morgan?” might be one of the answers. The clue might go like this:“This Missouri S&T faculty member tried twice to land a spot on this program before finally succeeding in 2012.” A longtime trivia buff and a Jeopardy! fan since childhood, Morgan made her Jeopardy! debut on the March 5, 2013, episode of the show. The associate professor of mathematics and statistics described the experience as “bucket-list awesome,” and added that recording the program before a studio audience didn’t bother her. “I was not thinking about the audience, or the camera, or the money,” Morgan said. “I was just playing trivia, and I was having fun.”

Morgan, who is now retired from S&T, loves to play trivia. “I have a brain like flypaper,” she said. “Random things will kind of stick to it.” But success on Jeopardy!, as with trivia games, is “more about being knowledgeable” about a variety of things than it is about intelligence, Morgan said. “It’s not that trivia is useful, but there’s a sense that everybody can watch Jeopardy! and, when you get a question that everybody misses, you can say to yourself, ‘Ha! I could be on Jeopardy!’”

Share This Story

Spark a Memory?

Share your story! Fill out the form below to share your fondest memory or anecdote of S&T. If you'd prefer not typing, you can also share by phone at 833-646-3715 (833-Miner150).

Setting new trends

Setting new trends

Tamiko Youngblood, MinE’92, MS EMgt’94, PhD EMgt’97, was a woman of many “firsts.” She was the first African American woman…

John Park: a commitment to quality

John Park: a commitment to quality

John T. Park, who served as interim chancellor in 1985-1986 and in 1991-1992, notes the major...

Going nuclear

Going nuclear

Missouri S&T is home to the state’s first nuclear reactor. Operational since 1961 and one of only three nuclear reactors…

They appraised the Titanic

They appraised the Titanic

After watching a documentary in which survivors of the April 1912 R.M.S. Titanic sinking recalled hearing a loud cracking noise…

Megan (Jekel) and Jonathan Pardeck

Megan (Jekel) and Jonathan Pardeck

Megan (Jekel), a member of Zeta Tau Alpha sorority, and Jonathan Pardeck, a member of Kappa Alpha fraternity, met through…

Harvest Collier on student success

Harvest Collier on student success

Harvest Collier, a professor of chemistry, served several years in the early 21st century as vice provost...