1980

The 53rd Scripps-Howard National Spelling Bee took place on May 29th, 1980. It was held at the Capital Hilton in Washington, D.C., and 112 spellers participated.

Dr. Jacques Bailly won this year, and he has served as the Bee’s Head Pronouncer since 2003.

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About the 53rd Bee

Champion

Jacques Bailly

Denver, Colorado

Jacques Bailly, age 14, sponsored by the Rocky Mountain News, won the $1,000 prize by correctly spelling the word “elucubrate.”

Jacques has been the pronouncer of the Bee since 2003. Before that, he was an associate pronouncer. He teaches classics at the University of Vermont and also is the director of graduate studies. He earned a B.A. in classics from Brown University and a Ph.D. in ancient philosophy from Cornell University.

Location

Capital Hilton

at the Presidential Ballroom

Winning Word

elucubrate(v)

ee-LOOK-yuh-brayt

to work out or express by studious effort.

This word is from Latin.

OFFICIALS

Directors

James H. Wagner

Judges

  • Dr. Robert E. Baker
  • Leroy C. Dillard
  • Al Kuettner
  • Mary Brooks

Pronouncers

  • Dr. Richard R. Baker

SPELLER ROSTER

  • Laura Anne Adomian
  • Stacy Asher
  • Jacques Bailly
  • Ran Bang
  • Gwen Batzel
  • Gregory B. Berry
  • Arlene Birt
  • Elizabeth Boland
  • Mark Boley
  • Tammy Bopp
  • Stacey Bowling
  • Jefferson P. Boyer
  • Traci Lynn Bugg
  • Rebecca Carey
  • Cristina Carusi
  • Hearn Cho
  • Melanie Compton
  • Jeffrey T. Cope
  • Jaime Corrigan
  • Jill Crawford
  • Bernice U. Cura
  • Linda Jean Da Rosa
  • Rosalind Dambaugh
  • Barrett Disney III
  • Laura Dulisse
  • Donna Fellows
  • Barry Flanik
  • Christoper J. Fuelling
  • Eleanor C. Fye
  • Nicole Giddens
  • Danny Graettinger
  • Timothy Grafe
  • Judy Grasberg
  • Robert Griffin
  • Tamara Gull
  • Barbie Guzman
  • Ritchey Halphen
  • Jill Hardenburg
  • Jean G. Hersey
  • Pam Horton
  • Heather Hough
  • Leslie C. Hunley
  • Traci Hutton
  • Shantha Jayashekaramurthy
  • Sue Jung
  • David Kim
  • Cheryl Kreiser
  • Jennifer Kuykendall
  • Mary LaBrec
  • Becky Lacy
  • Julie Lafferty
  • John Lafkas
  • Sam Liu
  • Bill Lujan
  • Melody Luker
  • Edna Iris Maceda
  • Karen MacKavanagh
  • Donna M. Mancino
  • Maria Marroletti
  • Kim Massie
  • Darin McNabb
  • Tanya Merkl
  • John Nathan Miyasato
  • Cliff Morrison
  • John Mulhern
  • Maryann Murtha
  • Kent Nee
  • Leslie Neely
  • Anne Marie Newman
  • Michelle Norris
  • Anne Obermeyer
  • Jacqueline Olson
  • Leroy Perz
  • Devon Petty
  • Becky Pinnick
  • Paige Pipkin
  • Bettina Pool
  • Rowena Quodala
  • David Ratchliffe
  • Steven Reinhardt
  • Kenneth Reyes
  • Paul Thomas Rhinehart
  • Kandy Rochow
  • Susan Kay Rogers
  • John Lawerence Root
  • Melinda Safara
  • Amelia Scarpulla
  • John Scott
  • Tony Scott
  • Gina Shaw
  • Nancy Shohet
  • Joseph Signorelli
  • Elizabeth Simons
  • Leslie Tam Sing
  • Fred Slocum
  • Melinda Van Steenwyk
  • Stephen Steiner
  • Javier Tam
  • Mark Taylor
  • Joyce Thom
  • Rich Thome
  • Jay Tu
  • Janice Ugaki
  • Mike Vail
  • Scott Vance
  • Cynthia Dawn Vater
  • Paula K. Walker
  • Scott Alan Weirich
  • Tim Wilkins
  • Kathryn Leigh Woodruff
  • Laura Wyatt
  • Kieran Xantiios

* Winner
** Runner-Up