====== Al Desuda ======

===== Recruitment =====

I first met [[Btnirn]] (Sandy Kutin) in high school. We both competed in Mathletes, 
the Nassau County math league. Although we were competing together at the same meets 
during my first year of high school, we didn't really meet until my sophomore year, 
when we were together on the Nassau Mathletes all-star team. Mathletes was truly a
bonding experience for both of us (sometime when [[Btnirn]] and I are together, ask 
us about the Rock Hill story.) 

I met [[Squonk]] (Scott Weiss) while I was working as a Summer Student at Grumman 
Aerospace, during the summers of 1991, '92, and '93. Most of the Summer Students would 
eat lunch together, and play cards, and so at some point, the conversation topic 
turned to puzzles (for a shorter story, ask Squonk and me about the time we ran
through a hurricane to play bridge.)

I mention these stories simply because I find it interesting that when I met my 
recruiters, neither one of them was a member of the NPL. Upon graduating from high 
school, [[Btnirn]] and I remained friends, and during some college break, he showed 
me an NPL mini-sample. Similarly, [[Squonk]] gave me a mini-sample during a Grumman 
lunch. Since I received the mini-samples over a year apart, I didn't even realize that
they were the same thing at first.

I didn't decide to join the NPL until March of 1995.  [[Quag]] (Nick Meyer) and I were 
both attending Princeton University at the time, and were both big GAMES magazine fans. 
We even used to race at solving crossword puzzles, just for fun. Finally, we decided to
attend the Stamford tournament, which, in 1995, occurred right at the end of our spring 
break. While at the tournament, we encountered Squonk, who told us about the convention in 
Portland. I decided to take my graduation trip out to the west coast, and attended the 
convention, after which I was hooked.

//First Issue//: Jul 1995

===== Recruits =====

[[Quag]].

===== Nom =====

Al DeSuda is a transposal of the name of the creator of the most famous example of my 
earliest favorite puzzle type. 

==== Combinoms ====

No data.

===== Offices =====

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