LOUDONVILLE — If you were a fan of crossword puzzles in the 1960s, and found yourself stuck on such ambiguous definitions as “Dickens character,” “African boat,” “oleoresin” and “Peleg’s father” you had Loudonville resident George Frank to thank for your misery.
George, who suffered from multiple sclerosis, designed thousands of crossword puzzles that were printed around the country — from New York newspapers to crossword magazines. He began by designing large 23×23 “brain busters” that took nearly 12 hours to design before eventually moving on to smaller 15×15 or 13×13 puzzles.
Though a master designer, puzzles never paid much. In his most lucrative year as a designer he made only $650. A 23×23 Brain Buster brought in no more than $20, while the smaller ones paid $4 to $5, but took only an hour to design compared to an entire day for the brain busters.
To supplement his puzzle income, George ran a steady business in making greeting cards and stationary. He worked in duplicating and typing, as well as serving as a correspondent for several area newspapers.
George’s only gripe with the crossword puzzle industry?
“Crossword puzzles are different now,’ he told the Columbus Dispatch. ‘It seems a lot of young people, teenagers and junior high kids are doing them, and publishers are asking for what I would call easier ones. Publishers are fussy, too. They have a long list of words that must not be used, usually words that have been used too often before.”
For those who cursed his name when they couldn’t solve a puzzle, George claimed he took great pleasure from designing puzzles that couldn’t be completed.
More information on the Cleo Redd Fisher Museum can be found at this link.
