Born on April 28, 1926 Maura Jacobson is the creator of more than 1,000 crosswords for New York Magazine for the past two decades. She graduated from Hunter College at the age of 19, with a degree in English, and became a kindergarten teacher. In 1964, Jacobson was among the first contestants ever on a new quiz show, winning three times and taking home $3,150. She is said to be the only person to have contributed a puzzle to every American Crossword Puzzle Tournament since its inception in the year 1978. For crossword fans, Maura is a superstar and is known to fill them up with puns and sparkling thematic clues. In 1971 she was seriously injured in a car accident and as a result was not able to stand on her feet for a year. However, by 1978, she was again making puzzles for a listings magazine called Cue. In 1980, New York Magazine bought Cue, so Jacobson and her puzzles were part of the package. After creating crossword puzzles for 31 years – beloved by aficionados for their pun-filled wit – Maura died on December 25, 2017 in White Plains, New York at 91 years of age.