South OC Veteran Chases Crossword Dreams With Crowdfunding Campaign

SAN CLEMENTE, CA — Navy veteran and family man Bob Sandelman invented the Crossword Calendar in 1974 and claimed a patent for his creation in 1978. After receiving a patent, Bob moved on to enjoy a long career in marketing, including 33 years heading his own successful market research firm.

But Bob's love for unique clocks and calendars held strong through the years, as did his healthy addiction to crossword puzzles and word games. This inspired the 77-year-old San Clemente resident to return to his invention from the '70s.

Bob rebooted his Crossword Calendar and upgraded the design from a no-tech plexiglass construction to a modern digital design with LED letters and numbers arranged across and down — just like a regular crossword puzzle.

Bob also created a companion product, the Crossword Clock, which he will market along with the Crossword Calendar.

Residents can help support the South Orange County inventor by supporting his crowd-funding campaign, which is set to launch Tuesday. According to a news release, products will be shipped to backers before Christmas.

Residents can learn more about the crowd-funding campaign here.