Roberta H. Morse author page

Roberta H. Morse constructed the first-ever rebus crossword in the Times. She had a total of 64 known Times crosswords from the mid-1950s to early 70s. Her husband, Anthony Morse, was also a constructor and had the second rebus crossword in the Times. Combined, the Morses had at least 99 known crosswords in the Times, making them one of the most prolific couples of all time. They likely had more than their known 99 puzzles, as their era of constructing includes thousands of Times puzzles with unknown authors.

Will Shortz described Ms. Morse's groundbreaking rebus puzzle in a 2020 Wordplay article:

The first rebus crossword in The Times — way back when Margaret Farrar was crosswords editor — was by Roberta Morse and appeared on Monday, Sept. 6, 1954. Four squares in the grid needed digits in order to work: 1-STEP crossed 1-DOWN (appropriately at 1-Down), 2-WAY crossed 2-FACED, 3-LANE crossed 3-DAY and 4-MAN crossed 4-BIT. As a bonus, running down the center of the grid was FIVE-STAR ADMIRAL, although, in this case, the number was spelled out....

The early rebus puzzles all used standard symbols — usually ones on a typewriter — like dollar signs ($), ampersands (&), digits and the like….From what I've heard, they were controversial, because they "broke the rules,"and some solvers considered them unfair.

David Steinberg featured the puzzle in a Pre-Shortzian Puzzle Project blog post in 2015:

This crossword's theme is centered around a nifty little number rebus. I especially like that the 1, 2, 3, and 4 squares appear in order in the grid, even though they're not placed symmetrically. I also appreciate that 1-Down is literally 1 DOWN—and, by extension, that the 1 is in square one. I find it slightly off-putting that the FIVE in FIVE STAR ADMIRAL is spelled out, but I appreciate the effort to make the central 15-letter entry thematic. I personally would have preferred a reveal entry in that position, but given that this is likely the first published rebus crossword, I'm more awestruck by the innovation than annoyed by the minor inconsistency! By bringing the word count up to 80, the constructor was able to keep the fill smooth and incorporate a handful of lively entries into the nonthematic fill. My favorites are BARRACUDA, OVERTHROW, TEETOTALER, THUNDERS, BARNYARD, and ENDEARMENT—that's a lot of zip for a themed puzzle, let alone a rebus!

Ms. Morse's rebus puzzle was published on Labor Day in 1954. Four months later, on New Year's Day 1955, the second-ever rebus puzzle appeared in the Times, this time by Mr. Morse. Mr. Morse's puzzle featured four rebuses, one each for the suits in a deck of cards. The Morses' two puzzles were remarkably similar. The grid layouts were identical, except Mr. Morse's had two more black squares. Each puzzle's rebuses were placed in the same squares in the grid.

Two more rebus puzzles appeared in 1955 (also on holidays, July 4th and Labor Day) but it is unknown if the Morses constructed them, as the authors of those puzzles remain a mystery. The next rebus puzzle in the Times would not appear until 10 years later, in 1965, by Bernice Gordon.

Roberta "Bobby" Holloway was born in 1895 in Lexington, Kentucky. Her father was a horse trainer and her mother was a homemaker.

She graduated from Vassar College in 1917. According to her grandson, Anthony:

She never saw the inside of a school until her first day at Vassar. Her mother died young, and her father had a passion for hunting and fishing. Rather than leave his daughter behind on his expeditions, he brought her along and had her tutored. The tutors must have been good. She spoke several foreign languages — my recollection is German, Italian, French, Spanish, and Latin.

In 1920, she married Mr. Morse. They had one child, Anthony Junior. They lived in the suburbs of New York for several years. During World War II, Roberta worked as a translator for the Office of Strategic Services, living in Washington DC.

In the 1950s, when the Morses began constructing for the Times, the couple lived in Greenwich Village.

"In their New York City apartment on Washington Square, she would work on authoring puzzles between the innings of Dodgers games," her grandson explained.

The Morses later moved to Naples, Florida. In 1973, Mr. Morse passed away. In 1984, Ms. Morse died at the age of 89.