Damon Gulczynski, ’01, B.S. and ’03, M.S., mathematics, first started solving crossword puzzles about 20 years ago in breaks between tutoring students at the WWU Math Center.
He later became a crossword puzzle creator while earning his doctorate in mathematics from the University of Maryland at College Park. He has published puzzles in Games Magazine, the New York Sun and the New York Times—and was a competitive Scrabble player for a time.
Now the director of research and development at RouteSmart Technologies in Columbia, Maryland, Gulczynski is still a regular puzzle constructor for the Times. Window magazine recently asked him to craft a puzzle just for us with a few Western Washington University clues.
Need help? Email window@wwu.edu for a reasonable number of hints -- or for a large-print version of the clues. Solve the puzzle and send a photo to window@wwu.edu. We’ll select a few successful Viking puzzlers to receive a surprise.