In memoriam: Albert Whited

[Your Genial Quizmaster]

I regret to inform the quizbowl community of the recent death of William Albert Whited, one of the leading advocates of quizbowl as we know it for the past two decades.

For those who didn't have the privilege of knowing him, Albert was one of the stalwarts of the powerhouse Georgia Tech program in the Eighties and remained involved with its program through at least the year 2000. An early and avid supporter of ACF, Albert supervised the first three years of balloting for the N. Gordon Carper Award, and I believe he was responsible for naming both that award and the Meredith Cup. Albert was also one of the leading voices calling for CBI to amend the rules for the Honda Campus All-Star Challenge, so that HCASC teams could participate in independent tournaments without losing their eligibility.

On a personal note, I'll always be grateful for his help at a time when we needed it most. When UTC hosted our first intercollegiate tournament (COTKU 1998), Albert came to Chattanooga on his own initiative to help officiate. After the tournament, I treated Albert and two other guest readers, Jason Russell of Lee University and Scotti Whitmire of Tennessee-Knoxville, to an impromptu dinner at TGI Friday's. The fledgling UTC team came along and listened to us old-timers tell quizbowl war stories. The experience was so enjoyable for all parties concerned that we decided to institute the "you read, we feed" tradition that continues today.

Albert was an excellent player, a prolific question writer, and a dynamic advocate of the game. He will certainly be missed.

[First Chairman]

This is definitely sad news. Condolences.

[Rothlover]

I always heard Al was a cornerstone of the game. This is sad stuff.

[PaladinQB]

In addition to his other contributions Charlie mentioned, Al was one of the finest readers I've ever played with -- taken from us far too soon.

My condolences to his family and friends.

[Ethnic history of the Vilnius region]

It was always a pleasure whenever I went into a room and saw that Al Whited was going to read a round for us.

[AKKOLADE]

I always heard Al was a cornerstone of the game. This is sad stuff.

I fully agree with this. While I never had the fortune to meet the man and have only heard a bit about him, losing someone who support quiz bowl as strongly as he did is always a sad thing.

[Your Genial Quizmaster]

In addition to his other contributions Charlie mentioned, Al was one of the finest readers I've ever played with -- taken from us far too soon.

Absolutely, and I was remiss for not including that in my original post. Albert was always a first-choice playoff reader. In fact, I asked him to moderate the finals at the first Sword Bowl in 1999 -- ironic since his memorial service was held the same day as the tenth Sword Bowl.

[sabine01]

He was definitely one of the people I hoped to emulate in my formative years.... for the very reasons Charlie described in the original post.

Very sorry to hear, especially because I hadn't seen him in quite a while. I remember Al being very personable, as well as being a very skilled moderator.

From one Southern-Bred Mod to another: Godspeed...

Tricia

[DrJulieBug]

I was also really stunned to hear about Albert. (His sister Melanie contacted all of his Facebook friends to tell us the news.) I didn't really know him as a player because I started grad school after his undergrad years, but we corresponded on several newsgroups, commiserated with each other about politics, and jointly set at least one entomological net.hoax to rest.

I wish I'd gotten to know him better. Albert will be very much missed.

[Coelacanth]

As one of the few folks around here who had the opportunity to play against Albert in his prime, I wanted to add my condolences here. My thoughts and prayers are with his family and friends.

He had tremedous charisma as a player. It really comes across in the televised matches (from CBI 1987). For years I've used his southern drawl whenever I say "Amahl and the Night Visitors"; for some reason the sound of him giving that answer on TV has stuck in my brain.

Thanks, Albert, for all you've added to the game we all love.

[sobek22]

Al was the absolute gold standard against which other moderators should be measured. He had the ability to turn the most excruciating 10-line ACF question into an exciting, drama-filled event. Had collegiate quizbowl as we knew it been televised at the time (1990s), he would have made an excellent host.

I felt truly honored to play on the same team with (IMO) both the best moderator ever (Albert) and the best player ever (Andrew Yaphe) at the most un-ACF of tournaments: Khon Hoc II. I got to watch both of them answer questions on Playboy, Disney, soap operas, and pro wrestling. :) Seriously, it ranks right up there as one of the most enjoyable experiences of my quizbowl career.

I only wish I remembered Al's wonderful anecdotes (such as chance meetings with celebrities) a little better. If others can recall some of Al's stories, I would love to hear them once again.

-Adam