Douglas Hoylman, American crossword puzzle solver, Died at 72

Douglas John Hoylman was born on July 2, 1943, in Kalispell, Mont and died December 2, 2015.

He was an American crossword puzzle solver.

Douglas Hoylman skipped a grade in high school.

Then earned a bachelor’s degree in mathematics from Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 1964 and a doctorate in mathematics from the University of Arizona in 1969.

Reportedly he told the newspapers, he completed 20 to 30 crossword puzzles a week,and has a young boy he loved reading.

Hoylman settled in the Washington area around 1970 and retired from Geico in the 1990s.

Douglas began competing in crossword tournaments in the mid-1980s by filling out a qualifying puzzle, and he won his first tournament in 1988.

Douglas entered other championships came in 1992, 1994, 1996, 1997 and 2000.

He also had three second-place finishes and three third-place finishes.

Earlier this year, Douglas has finished in the top 40, which is said to be highly unusual for a man of 72.

He has competed in 81 tournaments between 1993 and 2009, at the Washington unit of the North American Scrabble Players Association.

His single best performance was in 2006, when he won a divisional title.

Douglas trivia expertise came in handy in 1999 when a friend and crossword competitor, Trip Payne, appearing on the TV game show “Who Wants To Be a Millionaire,” and use his ask a friend option to call Douglas.

Douglas Hoylman passed away at 72 yrs old due to heart disease.