Thirteen letters for "record-breaking crossword-puzzle builder"?
That would be Bernice Gordon.
At 96, the Center City resident is the oldest person to create a crossword puzzle for the New York Times, according to editor Will Shortz. (She was oldest last year, too, when she submitted one.)
"I had a very fine education and a good vocabulary," the Penn grad, whose first NYT entry appeared in 1952, told me. "I was babysitting two little children and decided to make some money on the side."
Her latest effort will appear Sept. 20. Start now: 15 across is "the capital of Ghana."
On the mend
Suzanne Roberts broke her neck but caught a break. In what can only be described as a freak accident over the summer, the 89-year-old Comcast Corp. matriarch and TV host got clunked on the head by an iron door knocker. Thinking it was just a bad bump, she waited three weeks before seeking a doctor. The diagnosis: a C1 Jefferson fracture - that is, a break of the cervical vertebra that connects the skull to the neck. Docs told her that had she turned her head the wrong way, she could have become paralyzed. Surgeons at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania re-fused her C1 ring, so after physical therapy and time in a neck collar, she's back to work.Soon to launch is a series of reports called "Exploring the Arts" within her current Comcast-produced series, Seeking Solutions With Suzanne.