Tim Parker
Puzzle master Timothy E. Parker is the senior crossword puzzle editor of USA Today Crosswords and the "World's Most Syndicated Puzzle Compiler" according to "Guinness World Records." He is also the founder of The Puzzle Society, one of North America's largest paid subscriber puzzle clubs and creator and senior editor of the Universal Crossword, one of the Internet's most popular crossword feature since 1998.
Parker's complete line of puzzles, trivia games, custom games, etc., is syndicated worldwide by Universal Press Syndicate. His work has been published in the United States, Canada, South China, Great Britain, New Zealand, France, Turkey, Russia, India, Saudi Arabia, South America, the Philippines and dozens of additional countries.
In 2007, he worked with the late Merv Griffin to produce "Merv Griffin's Crosswords." Parker is CEO of Master Puzzles, which produces all the puzzles that appear on the show.
His puzzle audience for crosswords and word games is one of the largest in the world. He has authored nine books including his new "King James Games" puzzle series which teaches Holy Scripture through puzzles.
His puzzles and games appear worldwide in hundreds of locations including Reader's Digest, New York Post, New York Daily News, Dallas Morning News, Miami Herald, Boston Globe, Baltimore Sun, Toronto Star and many others. He is the author of the annual best-selling "USA Today Daily Crossword Calendar." In 2002, Parker edited the first crossword puzzle to appear in the 80-year-old history of Reader's Digest magazine.
Parker's newest puzzle endeavor is "Kakuro," which has been called the big brother of Sudoku. Kakuro consists of a playing area of filled and empty cells similar to a crossword puzzle. Some black cells contain a diagonal slash from top left to bottom right with numbers in them, called "the clues." The object of a Kakuro is to insert digits from 1-9 into the white cells to total the clue associated with it.
Parker's dual interest in computers and word puzzles converged in 1996. Excited by the possibilities for interactivity, Parker began searching for crosswords online. Frustrated with the lack of quality interactive crossword puzzles, he began developing one of his own. Parker chose Java programming to create his own easy-to-use brand of interactive puzzle, and Universal Crossword became the Web's first syndicated crossword. Parker now produces puzzles in several popular formats including print, Java, Flash, Shockwave and wireless technology.
Parker got into the puzzle business after pursuing a marketing career in the corporate sector and with his own firm. In 1999, he formed Master Puzzles Inc., bringing the talents of more than 100 of the world's top puzzle masters and crossword constructors into one organization. Working with his talented team, Parker regularly continues to expand his selection of syndicated crosswords, word searches and word games. Examples of these puzzles can be found at www.amuniversal.com/ups.
Parker is an ardent baseball fan, enjoys writing short stories, and is an assistant pastor at his church. Parker lives in Maryland with his wife and two children where Parker serves as Elder and Assistant Pastor of the Tabernacle of Deliverance Christian Center.
