Eugene T. Maleska; Crossword Puzzle Editor

Eugene T. Maleska, 77, crossword puzzle editor of the New York Times for more than 15 years. A native of Jersey City, N.J., Maleska spent most of his career as an educator--a teacher, principal and assistant superintendent in the New Jersey and New York public school systems. A lifelong lover of words and puzzles, in 1977 he took over the New York paper’s popular crossword column. He created the innovative puzzles Stepquote, Cryptoquote and Diagonogram. Maleska also edited crossword books for Pocket Books and Simon & Schuster, and wrote books, including “Across and Down,” about crosswords, and “A Pleasure in Words,” on word origins. On Tuesday in Daytona Beach, Fla., of throat cancer.