People: Feb. 25, 1985

Five years ago, Alfred Butts was content to be unknown as the man who invented Scrabble, one of the most popular board games of all time, with an estimated 90 million games sold over three decades. Then Butts’ wife died, and the widower, who is a retired architect, found that even his own creation was no consolation since at least two people are required to play. So he went back to the tile board to see if he still had the magic touch. The result is called, appropriately, Alfred’s Other Game. Related to Scrabble, though not quite zygomorphically (40 points in the original, 55 in the new), A.O.G. can be played alone or with company, “sort of simultaneous solitaire,” Butts explains. Meanwhile, thanks to a vigorous promotion campaign, Butts, 85, suddenly has plenty of recognition. Says he: “After 80 years of nothing, I’m a celebrity.”