Illinois Hall of Fame: Pat Sajak

By Mark Rhoads

Emmy Award-winning TV host Pat Sajak is anchor of Wheel of Fortune, the highest-rated and longest-running syndicated game show in American TV history. Pat was born in Chicago to Polish-American parents on October 26, 1946 and is the oldest of three brothers. Pat attended Goethe Elementary School and Gary Elementary School.  He graduated from Farragut High School at 2345 S. Christiana Avenue in 1964.  In 1965 Pat won a contest to be a "guest teen deejay" on the Dick Biondi Show on WLS Radio. Biondi was sick the night Pat was to appear so Pat went on the air for one hour on a Saturday night with Biondi's replacement guest host Art Roberts.  Pat read news and commercials and was inspired by that experience to pursue broadcasting.

By Mark Rhoads

Emmy Award-winning TV host Pat Sajak is anchor of Wheel of Fortune, the highest-rated and longest-running syndicated game show in American TV history. Pat was born in Chicago to Polish-American parents on October 26, 1946 and is the oldest of three brothers. Pat attended Goethe Elementary School and Gary Elementary School.  He graduated from Farragut High School at 2345 S. Christiana Avenue in 1964.  In 1965 Pat won a contest to be a "guest teen deejay" on the Dick Biondi Show on WLS Radio. Biondi was sick the night Pat was to appear so Pat went on the air for one hour on a Saturday night with Biondi's replacement guest host Art Roberts.  Pat read news and commercials and was inspired by that experience to pursue broadcasting.

Pat attended Columbia College in Chicago from 1965 to 1968.  While at Columbia Pat also worked a graveyard shift on WEDC reading hourly news from the wire services.  He also worked as a night clerk at the Palmer House Hotel.  After only three years at Columbia, Pat enlisted in the U.S. Army and was sent to Viet Nam.  Although he was trained as a finance clerk, Pat was able to transfer to Armed Forces Radio Network Viet Nam to host a morning show.  Pat hosted the same show that Adrian Cronauer (played by Chicago-born Robbin Williams in Good Morning Viet Nam!) has also hosted earlier and for 18 months Pat Sajak followed Adrian's tradition of signing on with "Goooood Morning Viet Nam!"

After Pat left the Army in 1971, he managed several part time jobs as a hotel clerk and night time deejay on small radio station in Kentucky and on Channel Four WSM in Nashville where he got exposure as a weatherman.  Starting in 1977 Pat worked for KNBC-TV in Los Angeles as a weatherman and talk show host.  He became host of Wheel of Fortune in 1981 and has been the host for the last 26 years. He has been married twice, has two children, and lives in Maryland.  Pat is a political conservative who has been a major donor and fundraiser for the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library and serves on the board of trustees for Hillsdale College in Michigan. 

Pat attended Columbia College in Chicago from 1965 to 1968.  While at Columbia Pat also worked a graveyard shift on WEDC reading hourly news from the wire services.  He also worked as a night clerk at the Palmer House Hotel.  After only three years at Columbia, Pat enlisted in the U.S. Army and was sent to Viet Nam.  Although he was trained as a finance clerk, Pat was able to transfer to Armed Forces Radio Network Viet Nam to host a morning show.  Pat hosted the same show that Adrian Cronauer (played by Chicago-born Robbin Williams in Good Morning Viet Nam!) has also hosted earlier and for 18 months Pat Sajak followed Adrian's tradition of signing on with "Goooood Morning Viet Nam!"

After Pat left the Army in 1971, he managed several part time jobs as a hotel clerk and night time deejay on small radio station in Kentucky and on Channel Four WSM in Nashville where he got exposure as a weatherman.  Starting in 1977 Pat worked for KNBC-TV in Los Angeles as a weatherman and talk show host.  He became host of Wheel of Fortune in 1981 and has been the host for the last 26 years. He has been married twice, has two children, and lives in Maryland.  Pat is a political conservative who has been a major donor and fundraiser for the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library and serves on the board of trustees for Hillsdale College in Michigan.