Alumnus Appearing on
Ninth Episode of Jeopardy

Dan Pawson '03 will appear in his ninth episode of the Emmy Award-winning syndicated game show Jeopardy at 7 p.m. on Tuesday, Jan. 8 on KABC T.V., Los Angeles.
Pawson's win the previous evening pushed his total earnings to just over $151,000, earnings that, according to a Jan. 7 write-up in The Boston Globe, surpassed the fourth-highest total in the show's history. Only two contestants have won more than $200,000 on the show, the story reported. Pawson has been playing on the quiz show since Dec. 27.
A double-major in Philosophy, Politics, and Economics and government at CMC, Pawson graduated from law school in 2006 and serves as a legislative director for Republican state Sen. Bruce Tarr. The CMCer told the Boston Globe he'll use his earnings toward paying off student loans and starting a family with his wife, Andrea, whose blog includes recaps of Pawson's Jeopardy performances: http://peanutbutterburrito.blogs.com. (The couple is expecting their first child this month.)
Pawson isn't the only CMC alumnus to have earned a spot on Jeopardy, for which prospective contestants must pass a 50-question video test and participate in a mock version of the game and a short interview. Several months ago, Richard Johnson '01, a foreign affairs officer for the U.S. Department of State, appeared on two episodes, with winnings just over $18,000.
Johnson, who double-majored in government and Asian studies at CMC and now works on denuclearization issues related to North Korea, says he's watched the show since he was a boy and always had been encouraged to try out. "I also knew I would be in good CMC company if I was on, because my former adviser Jack Pitney (the Crocker Professor of Politics), had been on Jeopardy before."
After passing audition tests, Johnson got a call at 2 a.m. from show producers on his American cell phone while then serving at the U.S. Embassy in Beijing. "I thought I was dreaming when I first heard them ask if I wanted to appear on the show," Johnson recalls.
Although he'd hoped for questions on politics or Asian studies (but never got them), Johnson describes a "CMC moment" during his interview with Jeopardy host Alex Trebek. "He had learned that I had given the Latin Oration at my CMC graduation and asked me if I remembered any of it, at which point I launched into the opening lines ..."O Di immortales, benedicte nos hoc die laetandi...
"Admittedly, pretty dorky," Johnson says, "but I got a laugh out of the audience and a roll of the eyes from Alex!"
For a listing of Jeopardy air times by geographic region, visit: http://www.jeopardy.com/showguide_whentowatch.php?Pick=CA#showResults