Born on December 26, 1947, to Cyril and Antoinette Birge in Jasper, Indiana. After graduating from Jasper High School in 1965, Jim enlisted in the United States Air Force, stationed primarily in Turkey during his enlistment. Following his Honorable Discharge from the military, Jim enrolled at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), where he received his Bachelor of Arts (BA) degree in Motion Picture/Television, and Master of Fine Arts (MFA) degree. Upon completing his studies, Jim served as a student counselor in UCLA’s School of Fine Arts. During his time there, Jim founded the UCLA Comedy Club, a student comedy troupe that grew from campus performances to appearances in comedy clubs throughout Los Angeles. Jim and the UCLA Comedy Club helped launch the careers of several successful motion picture and television professionals. He later served in a similar counseling role at the University of Irvine. Throughout his life, Jim maintained relationships with many former students, several of whom went on to write, produce, and direct some of the leading films and television shows in Hollywood today. Jim was an accomplished writer and actor, with several professional roles to his credit, including the famous “toilet scene” opposite Danny Glover in Lethal Weapon II, the cult-classic Chasing Dreams with Kevin Costner and writing credits in such productions such as Tales of the Crypt. For the past quarter-century, Jim produced and hosted “Classroom Jeopardy” student competition events inspired by the long-running television game show. His passion for bringing educational competition into the classroom earned media attention, awards, and recognition from schools throughout Southern California. Along the way, Jim became affectionately known as “Jim, the Jeopardy Guy.”