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{{Short description|American mathematician (1937–2022)}}
'''Jeremiah (Jerry) Farrell''' (b. 1937), is an ] professor emeritus of ] at ] in ]. He is well-known for having designed ]'s favorite puzzle, the 1996 "Election Day" crossword in the ]. He has also written puzzles for many other books and newspapers, such as ]'s puzzle column for ] magazine. '''Jeremiah Farrell''' (December 12, 1937 – July 4, 2022) was an American mathematician and academic who was professor emeritus of mathematics at ] in ]. He constructed ]'s favorite crossword puzzle, the famous 1996 "Election Day" crossword in '']''. He wrote puzzles for various books and newspapers including ]'s puzzle column for '']'' magazine.


==Biography== ==Biography==
⚫ Jeremiah Farrell was born in ] on December 12, 1937, the oldest of three children to Belle Einsphar and Paul Farrell, a third-generation railroad man. Farrell himself worked for one summer on the railroad, as a "grinder", one who planes down the railroad tracks so they stay smooth. He attended ], graduating in 1955, and then the ], graduating in 1963 with degrees in mathematics, chemistry, and physics. He later obtained a master's degree in mathematics, and in 1966 was hired by Butler University, where he worked for the next 40 years, teaching nearly every subject in the mathematics department. He officially retired in 1994 but continued to teach.


⚫ Farrell was best known for constructing many crossword puzzles for '']'', starting in the 1970s for editor ] and continuing when ] took over in 1993. In 1996, he designed his most famous puzzle, the "Election Day" crossword. One of the words had the clue "lead story tomorrow", with a 14-letter answer. The puzzle had two correct solutions: "Bob Dole elected" and "Clinton elected", and all the crossing words were designed such that they could be one of two different words, to make either answer work. Shortz called it an "amazing" feat and his favorite puzzle.
Born in ], his father, Paul Farrell, was a third generation railroad man. His mother, Belle Einsphar, raised Farrell and his two younger sisters. He attended ], graduating in 1955, and also working himself for one summer on the railroad, working as a "grinder", whose job was to plane down the railroad tracks so that they stayed smooth.


⚫ With his wife Karen, Farrell helped organize the biannual Gathering for Gardner conferences, which started in 1993 as an invitation-only event for people connected with ].
⚫ He later studied at the ], graduating in 1963 with degrees in mathematics, chemistry, and physics. He later obtained a Master's degree in mathematics, and was hired as a teacher in 1966 at Butler University, where he worked for the next 40 years, teaching nearly every subject in the mathematics department. He officially retired in 1994, but has continued to teach every semester.


⚫ In 2006 Farrell and his wife took over from ] as editors and publishers of the quarterly publication '']'', established in 1968.
⚫ He started designed many crossword puzzles for the ], starting in the 1970s for ]. In 1996, he designed a famous one called the "Election Day" crossword. It had two correct solutions with the same set of clues, one saying that the "lead story tomorrow" would be "Bob Dole elected", and the other correct solution saying that it would be Bill "Clinton elected". ] called it an "amazing" feat, and said it's his favorite puzzle.


Farrell died in ] on July 4, 2022, at the age of 84.<ref>, Hastings Tribune, Jul 7, 2022</ref>
⚫ With his wife Karen, Farrell has organized the biannual "Gatherings for Gardner", which started in 1993 as an invitation-only event for people connected with ]. The next one is scheduled for early 2008.

Farrell worked on the railroad for one summer. He worked as a "grinder", beveling the tracks so that they would stay level.

⚫ In 2006, Farrell and his wife are taking over as editors and publishers of the quarterly journal called "], the Journal of Recreational Linguistics," which was first published in the 1960s.

Farrell is a card-carrying member of the ], and ], a ] ] professor, has awarded him the title of "Omniheurist, First-Class," for being the first person to correctly solve the embedded puzzle in Shasha's book, ''Puzzling Adventures'', which led to a specific location in ] for a scheduled meeting with the author. (Indianapolis Star)


==Contributed works== ==Contributed works==
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== References == == References ==
{{Reflist}}

== Sources ==
* *
* ''New York Sun'', "A Washington Square Park Puzzle Is Solved", May 19-21, 2006 * ''New York Sun'', "A Washington Square Park Puzzle Is Solved", May 19–21, 2006
* ''Indianapolis Star'', May 25, 2006, "Butler Prof Figures It Out" * ''Indianapolis Star'', May 25, 2006, "Butler Prof Figures It Out"


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Latest revision as of 21:14, 19 August 2024

American mathematician (1937–2022)

Jeremiah Farrell (December 12, 1937 – July 4, 2022) was an American mathematician and academic who was professor emeritus of mathematics at Butler University in Indiana. He constructed Will Shortz's favorite crossword puzzle, the famous 1996 "Election Day" crossword in The New York Times. He wrote puzzles for various books and newspapers including Scott Kim's puzzle column for Discover magazine.

Biography

Jeremiah Farrell was born in Hastings, Nebraska on December 12, 1937, the oldest of three children to Belle Einsphar and Paul Farrell, a third-generation railroad man. Farrell himself worked for one summer on the railroad, as a "grinder", one who planes down the railroad tracks so they stay smooth. He attended Hastings High School, graduating in 1955, and then the University of Nebraska, graduating in 1963 with degrees in mathematics, chemistry, and physics. He later obtained a master's degree in mathematics, and in 1966 was hired by Butler University, where he worked for the next 40 years, teaching nearly every subject in the mathematics department. He officially retired in 1994 but continued to teach.

Farrell was best known for constructing many crossword puzzles for The New York Times, starting in the 1970s for editor Margaret Farrar and continuing when Will Shortz took over in 1993. In 1996, he designed his most famous puzzle, the "Election Day" crossword. One of the words had the clue "lead story tomorrow", with a 14-letter answer. The puzzle had two correct solutions: "Bob Dole elected" and "Clinton elected", and all the crossing words were designed such that they could be one of two different words, to make either answer work. Shortz called it an "amazing" feat and his favorite puzzle.

With his wife Karen, Farrell helped organize the biannual Gathering for Gardner conferences, which started in 1993 as an invitation-only event for people connected with Martin Gardner.

In 2006 Farrell and his wife took over from A. Ross Eckler Jr. as editors and publishers of the quarterly publication Word Ways: The Journal of Recreational Linguistics, established in 1968.

Farrell died in Indianapolis, Indiana on July 4, 2022, at the age of 84.

Contributed works

  • Zen and the Art of Magic Squares
  • A.K. Peters publications (where he is called a "mathemagician")
  • Discover magazine

References

  1. Jeremiah P. Farrell Obituary, Hastings Tribune, Jul 7, 2022

Sources

  • NYT "Election Day" crossword
  • New York Sun, "A Washington Square Park Puzzle Is Solved", May 19–21, 2006
  • Indianapolis Star, May 25, 2006, "Butler Prof Figures It Out"
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