Alex J. Cameron was an English professor at the University of Dayton

University of Dayton

The University of Dayton is a private Roman Catholic university operated by the Society of Mary located in Dayton, Ohio...

 and the official pronouncer of the Scripps National Spelling Bee

Scripps National Spelling Bee

The Scripps National Spelling Bee is a highly competitive annual spelling bee in the United States, with participants from other countries as well. It is run on a not-for-profit basis by The E. W...

 from 1980 to 2002.

Cameron grew up in Dearborn, Michigan

Dearborn, Michigan

-Economy:Ford Motor Company has its world headquarters in Dearborn. In addition its Dearborn campus contains many research, testing, finance and some production facilities. Ford Land controls the numerous properties owned by Ford including sales and leasing to unrelated businesses such as the...

, and attended the University of Notre Dame

University of Notre Dame

The University of Notre Dame du Lac is a Catholic research university located in Notre Dame, an unincorporated community north of the city of South Bend, in St. Joseph County, Indiana, United States...

. He taught American literature

American literature

American literature is the written or literary work produced in the area of the United States and its preceding colonies. For more specific discussions of poetry and theater, see Poetry of the United States and Theater in the United States. During its early history, America was a series of British...

 and the history of the English language at the University of Dayton from 1964 until his death in 2003. In 1978, he began accompanying fellow Dayton professor Richard Baker to the National Spelling Bee, where Baker had served as official pronouncer since the 1950s. After Baker retired in 1979, spelling bee officials asked Cameron to take his place.

Cameron, who had begun reading the dictionary as a third-grader, annually prepared for the spelling bee at his sister's house in Dearborn, where he would pronounce words six hours a day for two weeks in May. National Spelling Bee director Paige Kimble said that Cameron had "a rich voice" and "could relate genuinely and positively with children of all different backgrounds and demeanors."

In February 2003, Cameron died of an apparent heart attack in his Kettering, Ohio

Kettering, Ohio

As of the census of 2000, there were 57,502 people, 25,657 households, and 15,727 families residing in the city. The population density was 3,077.4 people per square mile . There were 26,936 housing units at an average density of 1,441.6 per square mile...

, home. He was 65 years old. Reportedly, he had been reading a book when he died. Jacques Bailly

Jacques Bailly

Jacques A. Bailly was the 1980 champion of the Scripps National Spelling Bee and now serves as the official pronouncer of the Bee, a position he has held since 2003....

succeeded him as the National Spelling Bee's pronouncer.