Remembering Alex Trebek's Harlem Ties

HARLEM, NY — Alex Trebek was a Canadian by blood and and a Los Angeles resident by adoption, but the longtime Jeopardy! host had a late-in-life infatuation with Harlem.

Trebek, who died Sunday from pancreatic cancer at the age of 80, began forming his connections to the city after his son, Matthew, arrived at Fordham University's Bronx campus in 2009.

After Matthew graduated in 2013, he moved to Harlem and became a restaurateur, opening the Mexican eatery Oso in Hamilton Heights, followed by Pizza by Lucille’s and Lucille’s Coffee & Cocktails in North Harlem — both named for his grandmother, according to a profile by the university.

The elder Trebek spent time in the neighborhood as his son worked to open his first restaurant, getting to know local police officers and garbage haulers and patronizing the soul food spot Londel's, the Wall Street Journal reported in 2015.

“I’ve learned to like this community a lot,” Trebek told the Journal.

In 2015, Trebek stepped up his work in the neighborhood through a $1 million donation to Fordham, funding the Alex Trebek Endowed Scholarship to provide financial aid to Fordham students coming from North Harlem.

The scholarship's first recipient was Estefania Cruz, a history major who commuted to Fordham from her family's home in Harlem.

Last year, Trebek and his wife, Jean, donated an additional $1 million to expand the program to East Harlem, saying he hoped the scholarships would have a "beautiful rippling effect" by helping its recipients use their education to help others.

More than 250 Harlem students applied for the scholarship in 2018, Fordham said.

“We have a soft spot for Harlem,” Jean told the university last year.

No doubt, those who benefited from the Trebeks' generosity held the same affection for him.