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XWord Info Home Teenage constructors

Oldest known NYT constructors

This page lists the oldest constructors by their age at their most recent published puzzle. Count shows the total number of NYT puzzles we know about. The Editor column refers to their first and latest.

Data here is thanks to the careful and extensive research by Flip Koski. Some constructors here did their work many decades ago when records were less reliable or even missing, so this page is subject to change as more information becomes available. Many pre-Shortz puzzles did not even identify the constructor, so there are certainly inaccuracies in this list.

Calculations here include both crosswords and most Variety puzzles. The page will automatically update when current constructors on this list publish new puzzles.

	Name	Birthday	Latest	Age at latest	Count	Editor
1.	Bernice Gordon *	Jan 11, 1914	Mon Aug 11, 2014	36,737 days - 100 yr. 6 mo.	147	Farrar - Shortz
2.	Mel Taub	Sep 4, 1926	Sun Oct 20, 2019	34,014 days - 93 yr. 1 mo.	119	Farrar - Shortz
3.	Reginald L. Johnson	Sep 21, 1900	Sat Aug 7, 1993	33,923 days - 92 yr. 10 mo.	36	Weng - Maleska
4.	Sidney L. Robbins	Aug 21, 1909	Mon Feb 8, 1999	32,678 days - 89 yr. 5 mo.	203	Weng - Shortz
5.	Thomas Meekin	Aug 19, 1878	Wed May 24, 1967	32,419 days - 88 yr. 9 mo.	202	Farrar
6.	Eli Wesoff	Apr 28, 1908	Sat Jul 13, 1996	32,218 days - 88 yr. 2 mo.	94	Weng - Shortz
7.	Frances Hansen	Jun 21, 1919	Wed Mar 29, 2006	31,693 days - 86 yr. 9 mo.	121	Farrar - Shortz
8.	Alfio Micci	Mar 3, 1918	Thu Feb 19, 2004	31,399 days - 85 yr. 11 mo.	102	Weng - Shortz
9.	A. J. Santora	Nov 8, 1919	Sun May 22, 2005	31,242 days - 85 yr. 6 mo.	253	Farrar - Shortz
10.	Robert Dillman	Aug 21, 1924	Mon Jan 14, 2008	30,461 days - 83 yr. 4 mo.	26	Maleska - Shortz
11.	Evelyn Benshoof	Mar 16, 1909	Mon Jul 27, 1992	30,449 days - 83 yr. 4 mo.	71	Farrar - Maleska
12.	Ernst Theimer	Sep 23, 1910	Sun Jan 16, 1994	30,431 days - 83 yr. 3 mo.	51	Maleska - Shortz
13.	Herb L. Risteen	Dec 9, 1899	Mon Jan 24, 1983	30,361 days - 83 yr. 1 mo.	244	Farrar - Maleska
14.	Will Weng	Feb 25, 1907	Sun Jan 7, 1990	30,267 days - 82 yr. 10 mo.	24	Farrar - Maleska
15.	Martha J. DeWitt	Nov 18, 1910	Mon Mar 22, 1993	30,075 days - 82 yr. 4 mo.	72	Farrar - Maleska
16.	Anthony Morse	Jan 23, 1891	Sun Apr 1, 1973	30,018 days - 82 yr. 2 mo.	35	Farrar - Weng
17.	Arthur Schulman	Feb 17, 1935	Sun Feb 12, 2017	29,946 days - 81 yr. 11 mo.	87	Farrar - Shortz
18.	Betty Jorgensen	Oct 23, 1916	Thu Apr 9, 1998	29,753 days - 81 yr. 5 mo.	77	Maleska - Shortz
19.	Joe O'Neill	Nov 1, 1942	Thu Mar 7, 2024	29,712 days - 81 yr. 4 mo.	1	Shortz
20.	Joy L. Wouk	Oct 15, 1919	Tue Aug 8, 2000	29,518 days - 80 yr. 9 mo.	133	Maleska - Shortz
21.	Nancy Nicholson Joline	Dec 19, 1927	Sun Feb 24, 2008	29,287 days - 80 yr. 2 mo.	109	Maleska - Shortz
22.	Charles E. Gersch	Aug 26, 1930	Wed Sep 29, 2010	29,254 days - 80 yr. 1 mo.	48	Farrar - Shortz
23.	Lou Sabin	Jun 25, 1930	Tue Sep 15, 2009	28,937 days - 79 yr. 2 mo.	137	Farrar - Shortz
24.	Jeanette K. Brill	Jan 20, 1917	Sun Mar 24, 1996	28,918 days - 79 yr. 2 mo.	81	Maleska - Shortz
25.	Peter Swift	Jan 20, 1913	Mon Sep 23, 1991	28,735 days - 78 yr. 8 mo.	79	Maleska
26.	Manny Nosowsky	Jan 3, 1932	Fri Aug 13, 2010	28,712 days - 78 yr. 7 mo.	254	Maleska - Shortz
27.	Albert J. Klaus	Oct 16, 1917	Mon Jan 1, 1996	28,566 days - 78 yr. 2 mo.	119	Maleska - Shortz
28.	Wilson McBeath	Mar 21, 1915	Sun Jan 31, 1993	28,441 days - 77 yr. 10 mo.	28	Maleska
29.	Anthony B. Canning	Aug 2, 1901	Sun May 6, 1979	28,401 days - 77 yr. 9 mo.	26	Weng - Maleska
30.	Rich Norris	Nov 12, 1946	Sat Aug 3, 2024	28,389 days - 77 yr. 8 mo.	189	Shortz - Fagliano
31.	Eugene T. Maleska	Jan 6, 1916	Fri Sep 3, 1993	28,365 days - 77 yr. 7 mo.	411	Farrar - Maleska
32.	Lynn Lempel	Dec 27, 1946	Tue Mar 19, 2024	28,207 days - 77 yr. 2 mo.	102	Maleska - Fagliano
33.	Richard Silvestri	Aug 27, 1947	Sun Mar 17, 2024	27,962 days - 76 yr. 6 mo.	181	Maleska - Fagliano
34.	William Canine	May 28, 1922	Mon May 25, 1998	27,756 days - 75 yr. 11 mo.	67	Maleska - Shortz
35.	Mel Rosen	Jul 30, 1941	Thu Nov 3, 2016	27,490 days - 75 yr. 3 mo.	38	Weng - Shortz
36.	Judson G. Trent	Aug 23, 1914	Tue Oct 17, 1989	27,449 days - 75 yr. 1 mo.	51	Maleska
37.	Lewis Rothlein	Oct 11, 1948	Sun Apr 30, 2023	27,229 days - 74 yr. 6 mo.	9	Shortz
38.	Henry Rathvon *	Dec 2, 1949	Sun Jan 21, 2024	27,078 days - 74 yr. 1 mo.	670	Shortz
39.	Roberta H. Morse	Sep 13, 1895	Sun May 4, 1969	26,896 days - 73 yr. 7 mo.	64	Farrar - Weng
40.	Ruth Smith	Aug 1, 1902	Mon Dec 1, 1975	26,785 days - 73 yr. 3 mo.	3	Farrar - Weng
41.	Randolph Ross	Jul 2, 1948	Fri Aug 20, 2021	26,712 days - 73 yr. 1 mo.	117	Maleska - Shortz
42.	Lester Keene	Nov 10, 1874	Sun Aug 31, 1947	26,591 days - 72 yr. 9 mo.	35	Farrar
43.	Lois Sidway	Jul 20, 1929	Thu Apr 25, 2002	26,577 days - 72 yr. 9 mo.	85	Maleska - Shortz
44.	Judy Bowers	Feb 6, 1952	Tue Apr 23, 2024	26,375 days - 72 yr. 2 mo.	1	Fagliano
45.	William Lutwiniak	Nov 24, 1919	Fri Nov 15, 1991	26,289 days - 71 yr. 11 mo.	304	Farrar - Maleska
46.	Ralph G. Beaman	Mar 10, 1923	Sun May 8, 1994	25,992 days - 71 yr. 1 mo.	8	Maleska - Shortz
47.	Emily Cox *	Jan 4, 1953	Sun Jan 21, 2024	25,949 days - 71 yr. 0 mo.	670	Shortz
48.	Tap Osborn	Apr 26, 1923	Wed Dec 1, 1993	25,787 days - 70 yr. 7 mo.	112	Weng - Shortz
49.	Jack Luzzatto	Mar 30, 1909	Sat Sep 29, 1979	25,750 days - 70 yr. 5 mo.	293	Farrar - Maleska
50.	Mabel C. Daggett	Jun 12, 1873	Sun Jun 21, 1942	25,210 days - 69 yr. 0 mo.	2	Farrar

* co-constructed

For comparison, see list of constructors who debuted as teenagers

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