Pat Sajak to give Hillsdale College's spring commencement address

HILLSDALE — Pat Sajak, chairman of Hillsdale College's board of trustees, will give the college's spring commencement address this coming May.

Sajak is perhaps best known as the longtime host of the game show "Wheel of Fortune." He has been a member of Hillsdale College's board since 2002 and its chairman since 2019.

“Pat Sajak gave a wonderful convocation speech some years ago,” Hillsdale College President Larry Arnn said in a news release. “He has done long and excellent service for our College, and he has a serious understanding of and commitment to it. I expect his remarks will be worthy of the occasion.”

The commencement ceremony is scheduled for May 11.

Sajak announced his retirement from hosting "Wheel of Fortune" in June. He has been the host of "Wheel" longer than anyone has hosted any program in the history of American television, the college's release said. He joined the show in 1981 and has welcomed contestants to the phrase-guessing game for more than 7,000 episodes.

He began his broadcasting career as a radio announcer in Chicago in 1967 while attending Columbia College, the release said. He left school to join the Army in 1968 and served as the morning disc jockey on the American Forces Vietnam Network in Saigon. Following his military service, his career took him to Washington, D.C., Kentucky and Tennessee before he moved to Los Angeles in 1977. Less than five years later, he was named the host of "Wheel of Fortune."

In a post on X, formerly Twitter, Sajak said "Wheel" creator Merv Griffin "absolutely defied network executives by insisting on hiring an unknown local TV weatherman to take over his show in 1981. That was me, and I’ve been grateful ever since."

Ryan Seacrest will take over as host of "Wheel of Fortune" in September.

Before joining Hillsdale's board, Sajak served as a board member at the Claremont Institute in California when it was headed by Arnn.

Sajak and his wife, Lesly, have two grown children and split their time between California and Maryland.

This article originally appeared on Hillsdale Daily News: Pat Sajak to give Hillsdale College's spring 2024 commencement address