'Jeopardy' champion Libby Dyar recalls the experience
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By JEFF MEEK
Hot Springs Village (Ark.) Voice
www.hsvvoice.com
It all began in 1964 when Art Fleming was chosen to host a new show called “Jeopardy.” Since then, the show has won 29 daytime Emmy awards and is the second longest running show in syndication.
Fleming would go on to host the program until 1975, never missed a taping of the show during those years and became almost as popular as the program itself.
After Fleming came Alex Trebek, who still hosts the program to this day. Back in the Art Fleming days, Hot Springs Village (Ark.) resident Libby Dyar made the cut, was on the program and won on five separate shows. Back then, a contestant could only appear five times and the winnings were nothing like they are today.
Dyar grew up in Hillsboro, Ohio and attended Ohio State University, where she earned a master’s degree. She is a 1954 graduate of Hillsboro High School. Her brothers are longtime Hillsboro attorneys and former judges Jim and Jon Hapner.
In 1966, she and husband, Jim, went to Baltimore for a botanists’ meeting. While this was going on, her mother contacted “Jeopardy” to try and get her daughter on the show.
The family were big fans of the show and watched it many times. The program’s people called back and gave her a date for daughter Libby to come in and take the test to determine if she could qualify.
Mother called daughter in Baltimore and told her the news.
The couple went to New York City for the test in July 1966.
“I thought it was pretty easy,” said Dyar, of the test she took in a big room filled with many potential contestants.
The Dyars were staying at a friend’s house in Flushing. “Before we got home, they had called to tell me I was a contestant,” Dyar said.
Back then, they wasted no time. The day following the test she was on the show, which did three tapings per day.
“They told us to bring a change in blouse,” remembers Dyar of that big day.
She still recalls being called from the “green room” out onto the stage. “It was all very exciting,” Dyar said.
That first game went well for her as she won easily.
Dyar then changed her blouse and went out for the second taping.
She wasn’t able to get the final “Jeopardy” question, but still won the game. Later that same day, she won for a third time.
Seeing as it was the third taping, the day was over for contestants and the audience.
Shortly after almost everyone left, she realized she didn’t have her billfold. “I didn’t have a nickel to call anyone and everyone had left the theater,” said Dyar.
She then remembered she had gone across the street for a sandwich between tapings so she went back and there was her billfold still on the table.
The following day she won for the fourth time and prepared for another round of competition.
“The final Jeopardy answer was the father and son who both received the Medal of Honor.
“I swore I heard a voice say ‘MacArthur,’ I know I heard a voice. Maybe it was inspiration,” said Dyar.
She gave MacArthur as her response and won for a fifth time, which was the maximum number of times a person could win back in those days.
In all, Dyar estimates she won about $5,000.
Later in September, the five shows were on television and one year later she returned to the show for the Tournament of Champions.
This time things didn’t go as well.
In her hotel room the night before the show, the people next door were partying and it kept her awake. “I got very little sleep,” she said of that long night.
At the taping, Dyar said she knew many of the answers but couldn’t buzz fast enough to get a chance to answer.
Of the experience, Dyar said, “I had a great time. It was fascinating and very exciting, sort of unreal. It’s hard to imagine I was really there and people could see me from all over the United States.”
How did she gain so much knowledge?
Dyar said any member of her family would have done well on the show.
“My mom was the type that if you had a question you had to go look it up,” she said. “I can remember little odds and ends. Fortunately, that’s trivia.”[[In-content Ad]]
Hot Springs Village (Ark.) Voice
www.hsvvoice.com
It all began in 1964 when Art Fleming was chosen to host a new show called “Jeopardy.” Since then, the show has won 29 daytime Emmy awards and is the second longest running show in syndication.
Fleming would go on to host the program until 1975, never missed a taping of the show during those years and became almost as popular as the program itself.
After Fleming came Alex Trebek, who still hosts the program to this day. Back in the Art Fleming days, Hot Springs Village (Ark.) resident Libby Dyar made the cut, was on the program and won on five separate shows. Back then, a contestant could only appear five times and the winnings were nothing like they are today.
Dyar grew up in Hillsboro, Ohio and attended Ohio State University, where she earned a master’s degree. She is a 1954 graduate of Hillsboro High School. Her brothers are longtime Hillsboro attorneys and former judges Jim and Jon Hapner.
In 1966, she and husband, Jim, went to Baltimore for a botanists’ meeting. While this was going on, her mother contacted “Jeopardy” to try and get her daughter on the show.
The family were big fans of the show and watched it many times. The program’s people called back and gave her a date for daughter Libby to come in and take the test to determine if she could qualify.
Mother called daughter in Baltimore and told her the news.
The couple went to New York City for the test in July 1966.
“I thought it was pretty easy,” said Dyar, of the test she took in a big room filled with many potential contestants.
The Dyars were staying at a friend’s house in Flushing. “Before we got home, they had called to tell me I was a contestant,” Dyar said.
Back then, they wasted no time. The day following the test she was on the show, which did three tapings per day.
“They told us to bring a change in blouse,” remembers Dyar of that big day.
She still recalls being called from the “green room” out onto the stage. “It was all very exciting,” Dyar said.
That first game went well for her as she won easily.
Dyar then changed her blouse and went out for the second taping.
She wasn’t able to get the final “Jeopardy” question, but still won the game. Later that same day, she won for a third time.
Seeing as it was the third taping, the day was over for contestants and the audience.
Shortly after almost everyone left, she realized she didn’t have her billfold. “I didn’t have a nickel to call anyone and everyone had left the theater,” said Dyar.
She then remembered she had gone across the street for a sandwich between tapings so she went back and there was her billfold still on the table.
The following day she won for the fourth time and prepared for another round of competition.
“The final Jeopardy answer was the father and son who both received the Medal of Honor.
“I swore I heard a voice say ‘MacArthur,’ I know I heard a voice. Maybe it was inspiration,” said Dyar.
She gave MacArthur as her response and won for a fifth time, which was the maximum number of times a person could win back in those days.
In all, Dyar estimates she won about $5,000.
Later in September, the five shows were on television and one year later she returned to the show for the Tournament of Champions.
This time things didn’t go as well.
In her hotel room the night before the show, the people next door were partying and it kept her awake. “I got very little sleep,” she said of that long night.
At the taping, Dyar said she knew many of the answers but couldn’t buzz fast enough to get a chance to answer.
Of the experience, Dyar said, “I had a great time. It was fascinating and very exciting, sort of unreal. It’s hard to imagine I was really there and people could see me from all over the United States.”
How did she gain so much knowledge?
Dyar said any member of her family would have done well on the show.
“My mom was the type that if you had a question you had to go look it up,” she said. “I can remember little odds and ends. Fortunately, that’s trivia.”[[In-content Ad]]