I was hoping your friend might have been the winner the year that I competed in the National Spelling Bee, but it looks like he won in 1986---I was there in 1984. I bombed out on my second word, though. (Didn't study even a little.) He might have been there in '84, though--the winners often compete for a few years before they win.
I don't know if he was there in '84, although he probably was there.
I think he finally got annoyed with not winning and simply read the largest dictionaries he could find (including my father's). Since his memory was basically perfect, he won in his last year of eligibility.
We even had a special ceremony in our elementary school for him and watched him perform on the Johnny Carson show.
Spelling was never my thing. I lost on the first round in my elementary school because I couldn't remember the word chute. I will now always remember the word chute (which I spelled shoot).
