Nevada County Picayune and Gurdon Times Newspaper Archive

Shane Whitlock Wins Car, Cash

A Benton young man with ties to Gurdon showed exactly how intelligent he is on national television.

Shane Whitlock, who has grandparents in Gurdon, was in the College Tournament for the game show "Jeopardy."

Not only did he do well, he won the tournament, with total winnings of $32,800. The money, he said, will go directly toward paying for his medical school education.

Oh, yes, he also won a Volvo from the program, but hasn't selected a color for it yet.

But Whitlock is low key about his efforts. "That's just the way I am," he said.

Whitlock is majoring in microbiology at the University of Arkansas at Fayetteville. In reaching the final round, and earning the championship, he had to beat students from schools such as Harvard and Yale.

For those who missed his title winning effort on Feb. 23, they will have another chance to watch him in the Tournament of Champions in November.

In this event, Whitlock will compete against winners from the regular "Jeopardy" program and the senior tourney.