Jim Birge, creator of Long Beach student Jeopardy tournament, dies at 78

Jim Birge, who spent 25 years building a Jeopardy!-style academic competition for middle school students in Long Beach, died Friday of pancreatic cancer just hours before the final round of the tournament's 25th anniversary, according to ABC7 Los Angeles. He was 78.

Birge's death closes a quarter-century chapter in Long Beach education: his annual competition tested thousands of middle school students with rapid-fire academic clues in the style of the Jeopardy! television game show, making academic achievement the centerpiece of youth competition in the city.

Birge had told those close to the tournament earlier this season that the 25th anniversary would be his last, as he battled pancreatic cancer, ABC7 Los Angeles reported. Despite his illness at 78, he continued overseeing preparations alongside the crew and family members who had long made the competition possible.

"To get to June, our Tournament of Champions, there's absolutely no way this would've happen if it wasn't for my crew and my family," Birge said in a previous interview, according to ABC7 Los Angeles.

Jordan McGuffie, who became the tournament's first middle school champion in 2002, returned for the milestone event. "I definitely wanted to make sure I made it back for this one," McGuffie told ABC7 Los Angeles. "I knew it was the 25th and it was the potential to be the last one."

McGuffie described Birge as a natural educator who made learning an adventure. "Jim has always been a vibrant character," McGuffie said, according to ABC7 Los Angeles. "He wants everybody to learn. He finds fun ways to learn."

Donna Bergeron, Birge's widow, recalled the late-night sessions that fueled more than two decades of tournament questions. "We would laugh at stuff and come up with silly stuff, and ideas in the middle of the night," Bergeron told ABC7 Los Angeles. "It was all his idea. I had no idea it was going to last this long."

Organizers pressed forward with the final round as a tribute to Birge's legacy. McGuffie voiced the sentiments of those gathered. "His energy is still in the building, his spirit is still here, all of his loved ones are here, and we want to make sure that we're still carrying on his legacy," he said, according to ABC7 Los Angeles.

The tournament, which began with McGuffie's inaugural championship in 2002, tested thousands of Long Beach middle school students over its 25-year run. Jim Birge was 78.