Bob was active on the Unihog-Turkey committee, shown in 1992 with speaker Bill Norris and event photographer, Jim Nikitas .
During his 35 years at ERA and UNIVAC, he was a mentor to many younger engineers. His systems management skills were recognized in the P3C and S3A program developments. Thanks Bob for your many years of friendship both in and out of the office.
[Submitted by Lowell Benson & Bernie Jansen]
3.4 About Pat Casey: I only knew Pat by his association with our boss, Vern Leas, back in 1956-57. Vern was hired by RRU to set up the operation known as Wire Tabs. Up until then the computers; 1101, 1103, 1105 and the UNIVAC II were wired from schematics and logic drawings. The odds of any two having the same electrical characteristics and therefore operational characteristics were infinitesimal - therefore the need for Wire Tabs. Pat and Vern were good friends back then. The last practitioner of Wire Tabbing that I knew was Merwyn Alferness and he was classified as a Physical engineer. [By Jim Hyslop]
3.5 Arnold Cohen
- as extracted and edited from the August 10, 2003 Star Tribune obit section:
Arnold was solving engineering problems for computer hardware in the Twin Cities when computers barely existed. He is considered one of the founding engineers of Engineering Research Associates (ERA) which became part of the Remington Rand Corp. in the 1950s. That company then became the UNIVAC division of Sperry Rand, now known as UNISYS. ERA was started in 1946 by a group of Navy 'code-busters' including William Norris, who later founded Control Data Corp.
An early project was figuring out what eventually was patented as "selectively alterable digital storage on revolving magnetic drums." That meant having a way of locating a bit of information you want to change then being able to change it, said Sid Rubens, who also joined ERA in 1946. The patent awarded to Cohen and two other became basic in the field. Cohen led a system design that became the Atlas I, believed to be the first stored-program electronic digital computer actually shipped to a customer site, according to "Computer Pioneers", published by the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers.
In October 1950, the Atlas I - all 2,700 vacuum tubes of it - was sealed in a railroad car and shipped to Washington, D.C. according to Warren Burrell who worked with Cohen. The customer was a unit of the navy that later became part of the National Security Agency.
In the early 60s, Cohen was invited to the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) to participate in Project MAC, or Multiple Access Computer and Machine-Aided Cognition. Part of the work was getting computers to talk to each other. When he returned to UNIVAC a year later, he started wok on the first multi-computer system which was sold in 1965 to United Airlines for reservations work.
In 1971, Cohen became assistant dean for industrial and professional relations at the University of Minnesota's Institute of Technology. He helped develop an early version of distance education via TV and telephone hookups because IBM in Rochester wanted to offer technology courses on-site. {Editor's note: UNIVAC/UNISYS personnel also participated with the University's UNITE classes in Plant 8 - see Keith Myhre's career summary.}
After retiring from the university in 1979, he was active in founding the Charles Babbage Institute, a center for the history of information processing, now part of the University of Minnesota. {Editor's note: Dr. Cohen is mentioned in several other publications which chronicle the early years of ERA.} [LABenson]
3.6 Fred Hargesheimer (1951-1978 employee of ERA, Remington Rand, Sperry UNIVAC) Fred Hargesheimer passed away On Thursday December 23rd, 2010 in Lincoln Nebraska where he was in a hospice near his son, Richard's home. Fred's career is documented in a Legacy publication written by Ed Nelson. His last formal communication with the Legacy Committee was in 2007 as documented in section 3.2 of the Oral Interview page. His obit from an on-line posting is: "LINCOLN, Nebraska (AP) — Fred Hargesheimer, a World War II Army pilot whose rescue by Pacific islanders led to a life of giving back as a builder of schools and teacher of children, died Thursday morning. He was 94. Richard Hargesheimer said his father had been suffering from poor health and passed away in Lincoln. On June 5, 1943, Hargesheimer, a P-38 pilot with the 8th Photographic Reconnaissance Squadron, was shot down by a Japanese fighter while on a mission over the Japanese-held island of New Britain in the southwest Pacific. He parachuted into the trackless jungle, where he barely survived for 31 days until found by local hunters. They took him to their coastal village and for seven months hid him from Japanese patrols, fed him and nursed him back to health from two illnesses. In February 1944, with the help of Australian commandos working behind Japanese lines, he was picked up by a U.S. submarine off a New Britain beach. After returning to the U.S. following the war, Hargesheimer got married and began a sales career with a Minnesota forerunner of computer maker Sperry Rand, his lifelong employer.
But he said he couldn't forget the Nakanai people, who he considered his saviors. The more he thought about it, he later said, "the more I realized what a debt I had to try to repay." After revisiting the village of Ea Ea in 1960, he came home, raised $15,000 over three years, "most of it $5 and $10 gifts," and then returned with 17-year-old son Richard in 1963 to contract for the building of the villagers' first school. In the decades to come, Hargesheimer's U.S. fundraising and determination built a clinic, another school and libraries in Ea Ea, renamed Nantabu, and surrounding villages. In 1970, their three children grown, Hargesheimer and his late wife, Dorothy, moved to New Britain, today an out-island of the nation of Papua New Guinea, and taught the village children themselves for four years. The Nantabu school's experimental plot of oil palm even helped create a local economy, a large plantation with jobs for impoverished villagers. On his last visit, in 2006, Hargesheimer was helicoptered into the jungle and carried in a chair by Nakanai men to view the newly found wreckage of his World War II plane. Six years earlier, on another visit, he was proclaimed "Suara Auru," "Chief Warrior" of the Nakanai. "The people were very happy. They'll always remember what Mr. Fred Hargesheimer has done for our people," said Ismael Saua, 69, a former teacher at the Nantabu school. "These people were responsible for saving my life," Hargesheimer told The Associated Press in a 2008 interview. "How could I ever repay it?"
Besides Richard, of Lincoln, Hargesheimer, a Rochester, Minnesota, native, is survived by another son, Eric, of White Bear Lake, Minnesota, and a daughter, Carol, of Woodbury, Minnesota; by a sister, Mary Louise Gibson of Grass Valley, California; and by eight grandchildren and 10 great-grandchildren. "
From Legacy Committee member, Don Lovely "Yes, I did see the St. Paul article on Fred Hargesheimer. I sat beside him his last year or two at Sperry. I just talked to his daughter Carol whom I know reasonably well. No funeral. He was cremated and his ashes will be spread over his vineyard as were his wife’s. The vineyard next to his California home immediately bought his acreage so they could expand. Fred had spent his last two months in an assisted living facility in Lincoln, NE. His eye sight had almost completely failed. When I visited him in Grass Valley in 1997, I spent an hour showing him how to use a PC and data processing so he could get started writing his book. He visited me several times when he was back in the Twin Cities. Fred was a saint if ever there was one.
Don "
3.7 Higginbotham, Grover Stanley [Obit edited from the July 10, 2007 Minneapolis Star Tribune] age 92, of Edina, Minnesota and Naples, Florida, died July 8, 2007. One of the youngest graduates United States Naval Academy, class of 1935. He had a distinguished 29-year career as a United States naval officer. His first ship was the battleship U.S.S. Arizona, BB-39, from 1935 to 1938 where he served in the Gunnery and Engineering departments. 
During WWII, he served aboard the battleship U.S.S. Texas, BB-35, and was promoted to commanding officer of the destroyer U.S.S. Albert W. Grant, DD-649, in the Pacific where he received the Bronze Star. After the war he attended the Army Guided Missile School in Ft. Bliss, TX then graduated from the Naval War College in Newport, RI. Later notable career assignments included staff officer to the Chief of Naval Operations in the Pentagon; Chief of Staff to Commander Cruiser Division Two, United States Sixth Fleet; commanding officer U.S.S. Ponchatoula, AO-148, Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, the then largest oil tanker in the Navy; commanding officer Destroyer Squadron 25 "The Pineapple Fleet", Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, then largest destroyer squadron in the Navy; and Chief of Staff to Commander United States 7th Fleet, Yokosuka, Japan.
Upon retirement from the Navy as a Captain, he worked for 15 years in management for Sperry Univac at their offices in Salt Lake City, UT, Los Angeles, CA, and St. Paul, MN. In Salt Lake City he earned a Master's Degree in Engineering Administration from the University of Utah and was made a member of the Phi Kappa Phi honorary society. While in Los Angeles he headed the development of the on-board computer system for the S-3A carrier-based anti-submarine aircraft built by Lockheed. He continued to provide consulting services to Univac after retirement. He and Vivian traveled extensively with destinations to China, Europe, and an around-the-world cruise. His family lost a loving husband and father; our communities lost a dear friend; and our country lost an honored patriot and a wonderful ambassador. [LABenson]
3.8 John 'Jack' Lindsey Hill
Jack, we honor you as a real Information Technology Pioneer – thanks for our Legacy start. 59 years ago, the fall of 1950, Jack and others completed design, assembly, and factory test of the Atlas I computer at Engineering Research Associates (ERA) in St. Paul, MN. In October that year they took it apart and shipped it [in a sealed railroad box car.] During November ’50 they re-assembled it at the Communications Supplementary Activity-Washington (CSAW) facility – Jack had stated that they were home for Thanksgiving. The ATLAS was fully operational in December 1950 performing cryptography algorithms and other intelligence processing for CSAW - shrouded in secrecy for over 25 years by CSAW's successor, the NSA. This was the world’s first stored-program computer to be delivered and operational in a customer’s facility [History books credit one or two other laboratory units as the first stored-program computer.] In 1951 ERA received government permission to market a commercial version of the ATLAS which Jack identified as model 1101 because it was designed on contract Task #13. [13 in binary is 1101] The ERA 1101 with updates became the UNIVAC 1102, …, 1108 - a computer line which still operates today, the UNISYS 2200 series.
The prototype of the ATLAS drum memory is now on exhibit at the Minnesota Historical Society.
Jack, your compatriots of the ‘Original Geek Squad’ will miss you! Memorial service was be at 2 p. m. on 17 October, 2009. Don Weidenbach spoke for the Legacy Committee at the service.
[LABenson]
3.9 Dick Huberty - Dick passed away in September, 2011, survived by wife and family.
from Jim Rapinac - I worked with Dick in Lyle Franklin's PERT group in the early 60"s. Dick later was in 
Navy marketing. He was a part of my DSD marketing organization from 1978 until I left in '87. Great guy, great family man. Dick and Lyle were very close friends.
Ciao for Now! Rapp
from Lyle Franklin: Thank you , Lowell. I first met Dick in 1956 when I was an instructor in training. Dick was the expert on the Model 35 Tektronics display and later an experet in Tactical Air Command Systems training. Dick and I also shared the Jack and Jill bathroom at Shaw AFB BOQ while teaching the TACS specialist courses. Dick then joined Lyle Gilbertson and worked on the TACS large screen display. Dick was in the PERT group and later in the Navy Marketing group. Thanks to his efforts the 1219 became the NAVORD standard computer. From there he joined Navy Program Management. Dick also was an instructor with St. Paul Vocational Technical schools as well as pursuing a degree in the U of M night school program. We bowled together, played cards together, picnicked together. We were not only close associates at work we were good friends. Dick was a HAIL FELLOW WELL MET. Those of us that were fortunate enough to know him will miss him greatly. Lyle
3.10 Earl C. Joseph - As copied from the Minnesota Futurists web site - [Editor's Note: Earl had indicated that he'd get us a career summary at last December's 'First Friday' Luncheon. Unfortunately he passed away on 2/24/2007 before he could edit his biography for our use. }
"Earl's credits include: A pioneering scientist, management consultant, & futurist in many fields; 3 computer patents; the systems architect of 5 major computer systems; authored chapters in 50 books & had published over 500 technical, managerial, educational, and scientific papers; makes over 100 presentations per year [over 4000 in his career]. He has been featured in the Wall Street Journal, USA Today, Business Week, U. S. News & World Report, Science News, and many other national publications. Has received two contracts from the U. S. Air Force to advance the state-of-the-art of strategic management and futuring efforts. Earl was the Science Guest of Honor at the 25th anniversary meeting of MINICON 25. In 1996, during the 50th year of computers, Earl was honored with his picture on a poster for the event, elected to Beta Phi Beta, and has received numerous honors from various professional associations. The Wall Street Journal claims Earl was the first in Corporate America to have the title of “Futurist,” Business Week claims he was one the first to use the phrase “smart machine” and forecast that the central processing unit (CPU) of computers would become a “bulge in the cable.” He was a member of an early 1970’s team that initially studied and outlined the design of The Internet. He convinced the Defense Department at a Naval Academy workshop to fund the development of Very High Speed Large Scale Integration (VLSI/VHSI) circuit chip technology that lead to today’s chip advances.
Earl's main consulting services were in strategic & visionary management: forecasting, futures research, COMPUTERS, issues management, planning, teaching, training, etc.. He researches the future of many areas including the future of libraries. Earl’s professional activities includes: the founder and a current director of the Minnesota Futurists (a chapter of the World Future Society); Founding Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Minnesota Computer Industry Coalition (MCIC); member of the IEEE, ACM, American Association for the Advancement of Science, Robotics Section of Society of Manufacturing Engineers, the Society for General Systems Research and the founding president of its Minnesota's chapter; past Chairman of a Metropolitan Young Adult Ministry; President of the Twin Cities chapter of the ACM for 1976/77 and 1986/87; Co-Program Chairman of the 1981 Society for General Systems Research International Conference; General Chairman for ACM 75 conference, and the World Futures Society’s 1991 conference “Creating the 21st Century.” Earl is an adjunct professor and a visiting lecturer at the University of Minnesota designing and teaching graduate level courses on alternative futures. He is the former futurist in residence at the Science Museum of Minnesota; a distinguished visiting lecturer for the IEEE Computer Society; lecturer for DPMA, WFS, ACM and ASM.
Earl is listed in American Men and Women of Science; Who's Who in the World, Midwest, Finance, & Management. Listed in the National Reference Institutes for Who’s Who among Human Service and Education Professionals. Board Member of: Chairman of the Board of Future Systems; on the Board of Directors of Dorn Swenson Meyer [Colle & McVoy Public Relations], Chairman of the Board of Advanced Energy Technology Company [and its founding CEO] and Expo Graphics. Earl has designed and taught 100’s of university level courses in the areas of computers, business, management, marketing, advertising, entrepreneuring, futures, and other topics. Taught at all education levels; K-12, college and graduate.
Until 1983, Earl was with Sperry Univac for 32 years as a computer scientist including 20 years as a staff scientist/futurist. Earl directed and managed large complex computer and communications projects, departments and divisions and performed the system design, logic design, programming and manufacture of a number of computers. Earl is an internationally recognized leader as a futurist, manager, scientist, computer architect, professor, systems designer/engineer, lecturer and consultant in the diverse fields of future studies, human resource development, computers, AI, peace, medical, social, agriculture, economics, business, education, nanotechnology, expert systems, defense, and manufacturing. He is the founder and Editor of the journal Futurics; Advising Editor for the journals Futures, Human Resource Development Quarterly, and the Journal of Cultural and Educational Futures; Editor of the newsletter Future Trends; Former Editor of the Systems Trends newsletter and MCIC Newsletter; has been featured worldwide on 100's of TV and radio programs and in science fiction books. The ERA 1101 computer started the computer industry in Minnesota and Earl was its first programmer. Earl’s picture at the 1101 computer console was on a poster at the 1999 Minnesota state fair. In 1960 Earl had in operation the first embedded computer, now known as a “smart machine,” it was for the Nike Zeus Multifunction Array Radar and missile detection system for a Anti-Ballistic Missile system." [LABenson]
3.11 William 'Bill' Keye
Obit at the left scanned from the St. Paul Pioneer Press by LABenson, webmaster. 
William Key is the last of the Drum Development Management group pictured at the right. The people in this photo at the right are from left to right:
Bill Keye, Arnie Hendrickson, Bob Perkins, Frank Mullaney, Arnold Cohen, and Jack Hill.
Yes, Lowell, You had it right. I can confirm that this is our Bill Keye. He supervised two of my bosses at ERA/Univac and also hired me into Control Data. He was a good man.
Jerry Williams
3.12 Robert E. 'Bob' McDonald - extracted and edited from the April 2000 VIP Club newsletter.
Bob started with Engineering Research Associates in 1953 and retired in 1980. He was the first person from the Twin Cities to progress to higher management in Blue Bell and New York. He had a total of 27 years experience in the computer industry at the time of his retirement.
Mr. McDonald became operations manager for Remington Rand Univac in 1956, general manager of the Univac Military Department in 1959, and general manager of all Univac operations in St. Paul in 1963. In 1964, Bob was named vice president and general manager of the Univac Defense Systems division in St. Paul. He was appointed president of Univac in 1966, and served in that position into 1971 (UNIVAC was was renamed Sperry UNIVAC in the early 1970's).
Sperry Corporation recognized McDonald's successful leadership by naming him Executive Vice President of Sperry in 1968. He was elected President of Sperry in 1972 and President and Chief Operating Officer in 1974. In 1979 Bob was elected a Vice Chairman of Sperry Corporation. [LABenson]
3.13 About Jack Reid:
Just as an aside, I thought you might be interested in a little more of Jack Reid's background. First, he was a great teacher for the week we had him. Of all the instructors that I had over 42 weeks of training, (24 at Ft. Monmouth, NJ and 18 at Aberdeen Proving Grounds, MD) he was the only one who's name I could remember. He was drafted into the Army and because of his background was sent to school to learn how to trouble shoot and repair a Sperry designed fire control system called the T38 Skysweeper.
Basically it was a 75mm gun with a combination Acquisition/Tracking radar on the left side of the mount and an electro-mechanical analog computer on the right side. It could fire one 75mm round every second and was very accurate for maybe the first 4 or 5 seconds. Then the effects from firing; i.e., concussion and vibration knocked the computer out of alignment. In 1956 when I was stationed at Misawa AFB, there was a battalion of Skysweepers guarding the base in addition to the battalion of M33s that I supported. It was interesting to watch the T38s at the firing range (out over the Pacific). A B26 would flyby towing a target sleeve. A T38 would open fire, the first round would put a hole in the sleeve - the second would blow apart the knuckle that held the sleeve to the tow cable and then before the crew shut it down it would start tracking up the cable shooting chunks off of it.
Anyhow, after Jack finished school, he got shanghaied to Iceland for a year. When his year was up he was sent back to the states. He only had a few months left and thought/hoped he would be discharged. He wasn't and instead was sent to Ft. Monmouth to instruct for his remaining time. Not a happy camper. The first day he strolled into class, he was in a Khaki class A uniform minus the tie. He walked up to the blackboard, picked up a piece of chalk, wrote his name and the class title and then in large letters below, scrawled out "I hate this bleeping (or something comparable) Army!" We got along fine with him and learned a lot. I was happy I didn't have to work on that system though. That computer would have driven anyone nuts.
He was/is a great guy although I don't remember having had much contact with him at Plt 1. I left there at the end of 1967 and started work in commercial. I don't have any idea of what became of him. [by Jim Hyslop]
3.14 Dr. Sidney Rubens: Paraphrased from the St. Paul Pioneer Press, December 16, 2007
Dr. Rubens passed away December 13th, 2007 at the age of 97. He received his Physics BS and PhD from the University of Washington. while doing post doctoral work at USC and UCLA, he was recruited to join the Naval Ordinance Laboratory where he invented methods to degauss ships to make them immune to magnetic mines. After WWII, he joined Engineering Research Associates in St. Paul, MN. He became director of research in charge of classified and large scale computer systems. One of his lab's early development was thin-film magnetic memory, essential to all computers. After retiring in 1975, he became an honorary Professor of Electrical Engineering, mentoring graduate students. Dr. Rubens was awarded over 30 U.S. Patents. He was the inaugural recipient of the IEEE Magnetics Society Information Storage Award (1987) and received the IEEE Society Millennium Medal for lifetime achievement (2000). He was on the advisory board of NASA. Photo circa 1955 from Curt Nelson's collection.
Sid was one of four originators of the First Friday luncheon group in the mid-50s. It wasn't until the mid-60s that this group allowed Chuck Homan (#5) and Warren Burrell (#6) to join them. This luncheon group continues to meet today, until November 2007 had passed a cell phone around the table so old friends (about 20) could chat with him. [by LABenson]
3.15 Robert 'Bob' Wesslund: Paraphrased from family 'mini-bio' picked up by Ed Nelson at Bob's Memorial.
Robert Evan 'Bob' Wesslund, 4/22/27 to 9/16/2008.
Bob's early interest in electronics included work at radio station KOWH (Omaha Nebraska) for which he earned credit toward his high school diploma. He served in the Navy during the close of WWII from '45 to '46 as an assistant electrician. He entered the U of Omaha in 1946, later transferred to U of Nebraska to receive a BSEE in 1950. He worked as an engineer at radio station KFAB during college.
Bob began working for Engineering Research Associates in November 1951 in St. Paul, MN. As ERA transitioned to UNIVAC, he worked on several computer development projects. He received two patents during his time at ERA/UNIVAC: 'Reading Saturable Cores and 'Magnetic Core Devices'. These two patents helped develop early disk drives for reading and writing to tape-driven computer memory systems. These formed the basis for more recent patents that influenc today's hard drive and data storage technology.
In 1959, Bob became Vice President (VP) of Engineering for the newly formed Transistor Electronics Corporation, a Minneapolis firm developing and manufacturing computer industry components.
In 1960, he began a 26-year career with Control Data Corporation. He started there as a senior engineer, was promoted to director of product development, then later to VP of several departments before retiring in 1986 as VP for Technology Exchange.
After retirement, began consulting including co-ownership of Mobile Radio which provided radio communictions systems to area businesses. As an amatuer radio operator (ham), he became one of the leading members of the Northern Lights Radio Society. In 2004, that group created the annual Robert Wesslund Award, presenting the first year's honor to him, "for his many years of significant contributions to the Northern Lights Radio Society and for his continuous work with mentoring others in the World Above 50 Mhz."
In closing, Bob will be missed by his former co-workers and friends from the Original Geek Squad monthly meetings and the Annual Unihogs/Uniturkeys luncheons. [LABenson]