Edgar “Ed” Cox Atkinson, born: February 13, 1938, died: August 24, 2022, Age: 84 - Harrisburg, PA
Edgar Cox Atkinson passed away on August 24, 2022 during the night, he was 84 years old. He was originally from the Buckingham, Pennsylvania. His brother James P. Atkinson died in 2012. His obituary is not available online. He has at least a nephew and niece also I believe, but I have no contact information. Reported by Laverne Wray tetromino@live.com Thursday, September 29, 2022 7:20 AM.
I found this: This snapshot of Edgar Atkinson's life was captured by the 1940 U.S. Census. https://www.ancestry.com/discoveryui-content/view/27327644:2442 When Edgar Atkinson was born about 1893, his mother, Anna, was 25. In 1940, he was 47 years old and lived in Buckingham, Pennsylvania, with his wife, Vivienne 41, 2 sons (James 15, Edgar 2), 2 daughters (Barbara 17, Vivian 8), and mother 72. One of those sons was Edgar Cox Atkinson, Jr, born 2/13/1938. Again in 1950... https://www.ancestry.com/discoveryui-content/view/236634071:62308
Comments from Brian Hinkle... I think he won the Majors in 1968 out in California. (Please check the records with Jim Loy, though.) We know he played Asa long once and I think he may have played Don Lafferty once. He never got married. I was a big fan of Ed’s excellent compositions. The Student page in the back of each ACFB is a testament to Ed’s teaching ability and generosity. My favorite part of the ACF bulletin is now gone: Ed’s Student page. We wrote many emails to each other and I talked to him on the phone just one time. I will miss him a lot, as will the checker fraternity. I may add some other comments later.
Comments from Bob Newell - Chipschap (ACF forum)... So sad to learn of Ed's passing. He and I corresponded frequently for years. His fine compositions lent sparkle and fun to many a Checker Maven column, usually Marvin J Mavin or the Beacon Cafe. He wrote a piece of original checker fiction that I published. Not only were his compositions by turns clever, original, witty, entertaining, and unique, they were so often brilliant. We have lost one of a handful of remaing grandmaster composers. We were going to publish a book with 25 of Ed's problems and 25 of Brian Hinkle's. Ed wrote to me in August saying he was ill but as soon as he got better he would send me his selection of problems. That was the last I ever heard from him. Ed knew a lot about ... a lot. His emails were as witty and entertaining as his problems. He was not only a great problemist, he was a fine man. He served America in the Navy and told me stories about his being here in Hawai`i. I have maybe of a dozen of his problems left to publish, and then there never will be any more. Rest in peace, Ed, and may your loved ones be comforted.
Comments from George Hay (ACF forum)... RIP Ed Atkinson. Ed was a frequent contributor to The Checker Maven, as chipschap has noted. Ed also contributed to the ACF Bulletin. Ed's frequent contributions to the ACF Bulletin was the Guest Students’ Page where Ed would pick an instructional theme and present classic checkers problems including his own. Ed was a frequent contributor to the Unofficial World Championship Checker Problem Composing Contests, he often won that contest. Ed's large legacy of checkers problems were and are entertaining and instructional. What makes for a good checkers problem? I am convinced that a good checkers problem needs "checkers magic." Whatever that "checkers magic" is, Ed had it! Sincerely, George Hay