1961 to 1987 Career Summary.  Corporate names were Remington Rand Univac, Sperry Rand Univac, Sperry Univac DSD, Sperry DSD, and, briefly - UNISYS.
     July 1961 - Joined Remington Rand Univac as Production Planner for ADD, Advanced Digital Device, an airborne computer for ICBM guidance.  Project was later cancelled by the Air Force.
     1962 - Assigned as Production Coordinator for CP-667 Program.
     1963 - Became a PERT Planning Engineer under Lyle Franklin who reported to Gerry Brings.  I did the CP-667 Pert Planning.
     1964 - Transferred to Navy Avionics Marketing and reported to M. R. Clement Jr., who reported to Vern Leas.  Assigned to ANEW, the development program for a digital version of the P-3C ASW aircraft.
     1966-70 - Group Manager, Avionics Marketing
     1970-71 - Director, Marketing, Salt Lake City Operations
     1972-74 - General Manager, Special Programs, Salt Lake City
     1974-1978 - General Manager, Technical Services Division, St. Paul, MN
     1978-1985 - Vice President, Marketing & Sales, Sperry Univac DSD
     1985-1987 - Vice President, Systems Operations, Sperry Defense Products Group and later - UNISYS.
     April, 1987 - Resigned.  At this time I was responsible for Avionics Systems, Surface Systems, Undersea Systems, Ground Systems, Field Engineering, International Operations, and Canadian Operations.
     I served under the following DSD Vice President/General Managers before resigning: Bob McDonald, Gerry Probst, Forrest Crowe, Dick Gehring, Ernie Hams, Dick Seaberg, and Bill Geiger/Ed Decker

Career Highpoints and Impact Items
     1966 - Won P-3C CP901 Computer production and operational software contracts.  Over 400 CP-901’s were produced. CP-901 was the first high volume airborne computer on the market.
     1968 - Teamed with Lockheed Aircraft and won S-3A 1832 Computer production and operational software contracts, the largest single DSD contract at that time.
     1972 - As General Manager, Special Programs, Salt Lake City, shut down unprofitable Sergeant and Shrike missile lines and focused on wide band airborne data links and UAV microwave control and guidance systems.  This division, now part of L-3 Communications, is a leading supplier of tactical data links with over $300M in annual revenues.
     1974-78 As General Manager, led the growth of Technical Services Division from a base of 300 professionals to over 1100 professionals over 4 years with corresponding growth in revenues and profits.
     1983 - DSD bookings exceeded $600 million and we won 5 major new business programs over the space of 5 months including UYK-44 production, UYK-43 production, Canadian Patrol Frigate program, AYK-14 second source production, and CP-890 Poseidon Computer production.

Leading Technology Items:
     CP-667 Computer Development: The U.S. Navy’s first 36 bit military computer with 32 I/O channels and mil-spec approved wire wrapped back panels.
     S-3A 1832 Computer: The first and only airborne computer with thin film memory. 
     X-Ray Enhancement Program:  This program provided for early detection of breast cancer using 1218 computers and Jet Propulsion Lab image enhancement software.  This system, located at the DSD facility in Valencia, CA. detected breast cancer in retrospective studies of enhanced mammogram x-rays 3 years earlier than with other detection methods.  Program was terminated by Sperry Corp. in 1975 due to potential medical liability problems.
     Canadian SHINPADS:  The first shipboard digital data bus that was used on the Canadian Frigate Program (CPF) along with the UYK-502 computer designed for CPF and produced in Winnipeg, Canada. 

    In July 1976, I was hired by Clyde Allen, Director of Engineering Programs.  His organization was principally responsible for maintaining and enhancing the support software suite that was used by the USN and our allies who used the AN/UYK-7 and AN/UYK-20 computers.  By that time, I had almost 20 years' experience with two large software contractors working on military systems.  I was familiar with most of the existing military standards and specifications applicable to hardware and software development and support and had prepared and implemented without the benefit of software based standards, Software Configuration Management (SCM) and Software Quality Assurance (SQA) Plans and Procedures for several large-scale U.S. Army and U.S. Air Force systems.  Shortly before my job interview, the Department of Defense had issued DoD Directive 5000.29, Management of Computer Resources in Major Systems. Implementation of the directive would require that computer software would be managed as a Configuration Item (CI), and be subject to a disciplined development approach equal to that which was required for system hardware.  Software was no longer going to be the forgotten step-child in the development of computer systems, but would be recognized as a critical element in the overall effectiveness of the system.
     In the next few years, there was a virtual explosion of computer systems initiatives.  The USN and USAF published software development standards which establish format and content requirements for software requirements and design documentation, SCM and SQA Plans, and a new software development life cycle.  Software language and computer architecture standards were proposed. Terminology for classification of military systems evolved from computer systems to “Mission Critical Computer Resources (MCCR)”.  Computers and software were identified as crucial elements in developing military systems which would compensate for the perceived numerical superiority of our potential enemies by developing systems that would serve as “force multipliers”.
     New SCM and SQA standards were developed and published.  The introduction of microprocessors to military systems created management visibility issues: Was the application hardware or software intensive?  How would the software (aka firmware) to be documented, tested, and controlled and by whom?  The concept of conducting Independent Verification and Validation (IV&V) or internal contractor V&V was adopted by various large system developments to improve quality and system reliability.  A new DoD standard higher order language (i.e., Ada) was developed and proposed to replace existing service language standards.  The Joint Logistics Commanders (JLC) became actively involved in defining requirements to ensure effective Post Deployment Software Support (PDSS).  NASA began to move, for the first time, to establish computer software standards to support the International Space Station development.  The DoD published their own Software Development Standard (DOD-STD-2167/2167A) and Software Quality Assurance Standard (DoD-STD-2168).  Finally, commercial off-the-shelf hardware and software were making in-roads into military combat systems.  The latter development posed a direct threat to our core business of producing ruggedized military computers and using standardized USAF and USN software.
     With the support of Clyde Allen, Dick Seaberg, Bill Geiger, Ed Decker, and my supervisors from 1979-1987: Jim Kiwus (Product Planning), Pat Casey (TSD), Neil Hahn (R&D Marketing), Bob Bro (System Design Engineering), Jim Olijinek (System Development), and Dick Johnson (Planning and Marketing Resources); I was able to pursue an active role in industry/government relations.  In this position I was able to establish personal contact with DoD, Services, and industry leaders.  This allowed me to communicate to Sperry Univac, Sperry, and Unisys management and technical personnel the perceived impact of the DoD/Services computer resources initiatives on current and future system development, contract management, and the development of supporting technology.  I was also able to distribute review and final copies of applicable directives and standards within the corporation and coordinate the submittal of review comments to the appropriate government agencies.  Further, I worked to try influence, in a positive manner, the impact of the DoD/Service initiatives on our short- and long-term business plans.
     I was able to apply the knowledge I had gained in performing these activities to the day-to-day technical functions I performed.  Examples: proposal preparation support, proposal Red Team reviews, briefings to Sperry Univac, Sperry, and Unisys management and technical personnel and to our current or potential customer base, preparation of project SCM and SQA plans, preparation of a brochure and technical briefings for Dick Seaberg in support of the benefits of USN computer hardware and software standardization, participation in corporate task forces including Future Systems Planning and Analysis, Technology Action Team, and Next Generation Embedded Computer Task Force, and preparation of an Industry/Government Network Plan to extend the corporation’s involvement in current government/industry actions and programs.
     My eleven year career with Sperry Univac, Sperry, and Unisys from 1976 to 1987 were wonderful years.  I was given the opportunity to learn a great deal about the various aspects of the operations of a large computer hardware and software company, to interact with a talented group of upper and mid-level managers, and accomplished technical personnel working together to meet the challenges of a rapidly changing computer system development and support environment, to gain recognition as a corporate professional and leader within the government/ industry management and technical community, and to know that my contributions made Sperry Univac, Sperry, and Unisys better companies: companies which made a positive impact on the defense of the nation. 

3.3 O. WYNN ROBERTS, 1958-1970 and 1976-1996

MY HISTORY WITH REMINGTON RAND THROUGH UNISYS

     On August 11th 2008 I will celebrate the 50th anniversary of my joining the company, which at that time was known as Remington Rand Univac, if my memory serves me. In March of 1958, I arrived in the United States from Wales, right out of college. I came here with my father, mother, and sister with literally the clothes on our backs. Since our sponsors to the USA lived in Utica, New York (Fifty miles east of Syracuse), we settled there.
     I got a job right away in construction while I shopped around for a job in industry. I interviewed with local companies such as General Electric, Bendix, Rome Air Development Center etc. Each wanted to hire me but since they were all engaged in military programs and since I was an alien, the law prevented them from doing so. (I became a Citizen in1964.) Naturally, I was getting quite worried, when I stumbled into the Univac plant in Utica who said "No problem, we are a non military Commercial Division, you are hired." The General Manager at that time was Jim Ward.
I said earlier that they were called Univac Division of Remington Rand but they might also have been called the Univac Division of Sperry Rand. This plant employed about 4,000 people and manufactured computer peripherals such as Card Punches, Card Readers, Uni-servo Tape Drives and medium sized Mainframes - Univac III at the time, later 1004s, 9200s, 9400s etc. It was a very large complex, which during the war was occupied by Savage Arms Corp, producing machine guns etc. At that time it housed 10,000 employees.
     The elevators were quite an experience to ride in. They were old, probably prewar and steam operated. You got on, lowered the gates and started yanking on a rope which tipped some kind of balance and the elevator started rattling and hissing steam as it went up. You were glad to get off. One day a workman had just taken it up to the roof to work on it, he had just stepped off when it let go and hurtled down four floors to the basement. I was on the second floor just about to summon it when it hurtled by and smashed to smithereens in the basement. I took the stairs from then on.
In those days vacuum tubes and grasshopper fuses were still being used and every cabinet was huge. My first job was with Test Equipment Development. Starting as a Draftsman, then moving on to Manager of Technical Publications.
In 1961 I was transferred to the Illion, NY plant which was also a big employer, located across the street from Remington Arms and just 10 miles from Utica. I am not sure how the Remington of Remington Arms was connected to the Remington of typewriter and computer fame. Here I worked as a cable and harness designer for the mainframes of the day.
     In 1962, I was asked to join a special secret program under development in Darien, Connecticut. It was housed on the estate of Jimmy Rand who no longer resided there. It was located in a very exclusive area of Darien, the last place you would expect to find such an operation. The offices were in the mansion and the engineering labs were in converted barn buildings on the estate. Hence the term ‘Barn Project’. The project’s official name was ‘The BumbleBee Program.’ Because of the secrecy involved, Pinkerton guards protected the place. People with special skills were drawn from Univac facilities all over the country. The BumbleBee Program evolved into the 1004 Mainframe, which was a Printer/Reader/Mainframe. It was programmed via a plug board. This was a very advanced punched card product that was designed to leap ahead of IBM, hence the secrecy. Later, it did indeed become very successful and was transferred to Utica for production. Other individuals on the program down there, whose names may be familiar to Univac veterans, were: Don Neddenriep – later to become a Unisys President, George Cogar, Lauren King, Ted Robinson, and Joe Ming.
     Years later, Ed Johnson, the General Manager of the Utica plant, Cogar, King, Robinson, and Ming proposed a revolutionary new product called Keyboard to Magnetic Tape (as opposed to punch cards) to the Univac hierarchy. It was rejected, so they resigned amass to found a new spin off company and produce it themselves. This company was called Mohawk Data Sciences which was located just down the road from Utica, in Herkimer NY and became wildly successful. I remember people coming through the Univac plant selling Mohawk Founder's stock at 50 cents a share, which had to be purchased in blocks of $5000. Many people took them up on this investment which was highly speculative at the time. God Bless them. There are many interesting stories about these people and what drove them to invest. The investment of $5,000 of Founder’s stock was worth over a million dollars in 4 years, a huge amount for the 1960s. Regretfully, I did not take advantage of it. It had just seemed a tad too risky to me since their competition in the Key to Tape field was IBM. Who knew? I can empathize with many of the Roseville folks who did not elect to invest in Control Data following its successful spin off from Univac.
     There is an interesting alternative side to this success story. George Cogar, Founder and the brains behind the Mohawk system, left Mohawk and founded yet another spin off called Cogar Corporation. Many of the people who had not invested in Mohawk and saw their friends and neighbors become millionaires, assumed old Cogar is going to do it again. They invested their life savings in Cogar Corporation. In addition, people who did make a killing on Mohawk and thought they could repeat their good fortune did the same. Cogar Corp became the darling of Wall Street, based on George's past reputation and were touting the company to high heaven, so this just served to hype the investing frenzy.
     Tragically, Cogar went under and many people lost their shirts. Fortunately, I had not invested in Cogar either.
Years later, George Cogar and a few friends were flying in a private plane over a desolate part of Canada on a hunting trip. They were never seen again. No wreckage was ever found.
     In 1963, I returned to the Utica plant as Manager of Technical Publications.
     In 1966 while toiling at this job I was presented with the greatest job opportunity of my life. At that time there was position at the Utica Plant called International Representative. It was held by a man named Heintz Mathea, a German National, who reported to the International HQ in Roseville. His boss was Gerry Nelson Director of International Operations who in turn reported to Paul Spillane. Heintz’s job took him all over the world, since he was responsible for the support of our plants in Roedelheim, Germany; Naples, Italy; Tokyo etc. He was tasked with solving problems at the International plants and managing the transfer of products being manufactured at Utica, to those foreign plants for manufacture for the international markets. Needless to say, having such a glamorous job, he was revered by all of us drones at the plant who were lucky if we got to go the 10 miles down the road to the Illion plant. I knew Heintz casually since I had helped him with resources for these obligations.
     One day I am sitting there minding my own business when Heintz shows up at my desk and says “Wynn, I am transferring back to Germany to head up the 9400 Program. How would you like to take over my job as International Representative?” At first I thought it was a cruel joke but he was quite serious. It was as if he had just asked me if I wanted to be CEO of the company. I don’t know if the term nano-second was invented back then, but that’s about how long it took me to blurt out my acceptance. I did not even think to ask about salary etc. Hell, I was so excited I would have done it for free. He informed me he would recommend me, and if accepted, I would be hearing from his boss shortly. I am deeply indebted to Heinz.
     Gerry Nelson showed up in my office a few days later to interview me. It was a very intimidating situation. There were no initial pleasantries; he got right to it. The questions came at me like a machine gun, and this went on for a couple of hours, I was petrified. I thought it was doom on Wynn as far as getting the job went. He then jumps up, slams his briefcase closed and snaps “You got the job, I want you at the Roedelhiem Plant (Germany) next week” and he was gone. Despite his intimidating demeanor, Gerry was one of the best bosses I ever had, before or since. I sat stunned, wondering what just happened and how I could get ready to fly on such short notice and even what I was supposed to do when I got there. Fortunately my passport was still active so it turned out to be OK after all. This job took me all over the world, often with very little notice. Each day I went to work with my bags packed for International travel, in the trunk of my car. When I left, I never knew when I would be back. It was exhilarating, but never a problem. I was single in those days so it was easy.
     My salary was split between Univac Roedelheim in Germany and OKI Univac Kaisha in Tokyo, who I also supported. The nice thing about this arrangement was neither one saw the whole amount and therefore I did not appear too prominently on their bottom lines. The downside was the fact that since I reported on a dotted line to the VP and General Managers of both facilities, each thought my whole purpose in life revolved around their operation. I had to walk a tightrope.
     A point of interest for those in Roseville - In the 60s when I used to come out there, International was located in building 3. We co-occupied those buildings with Honeywell on one side and us on the other. The two companies were separated by a railroad that ran down the middle of the buildings. There is no evidence of this today.
In 1970 I was approached by a former Univac man, now working for the aforementioned Mohawk Data Sciences, who, along with some other Mohawk people and a couple of Univac employees, were about to quit and found yet another spin-off called Mobydata. I was offered the spot of Co-founder and VP Operations. Their objective was to develop and manufacture a data processing system for the Hotel/Motel industry, which hitherto had used cumbersome Kardex files. The system we developed was based around a minicomputer made by Data General. It had a whopping 4K memory and cost $19,000. Data General was a spin off from a company called Digital Equipment Corporation who had developed a minicomputer called a PDP 11 in 1969. This company had previously spun off from Univac.
This presented me with a terrible dilemma. To leave my dream job with International and join a wildly risky startup outfit which could leave me extremely wealthy or extremely broke. Since I had recently seen the incredible success of Mohawk Data Sciences, an opportunity I had let pass me by, not to mention Control Data and other successful spinoffs, I decided that I was not about to let it happen again. I reluctantly resigned from Univac. My tenure with Mobydata lasted 6 years before the Sweda Division of Litton Industries acquired us off the court house steps as they say - a victim of cash flow and the 70s economy. I did not become extremely rich according to my plan, I became extremely broke. I then decided that if I were to ever work for a major corporation again, I would just as soon have it be Univac instead of Litton, since Univac had treated me very well in the past.
     In 1976, I called one of my previous bosses, Bert Mueleners, who was then Vice President of Peripherals in Blue Bell, running operations around the country and the world. My question to him was, "Have you got a spot for a good man?" His response was "Yes I do, whom do you have in mind?" After I made a rude retort I realized that he already knew of my predicament and had been expecting my call. He asked me if I would like to go out to his ISS - Information Storage Systems Division in Cupertino, CA as Program Manager. Since beggars cannot be choosers I accepted immediately. I then had to go home to my wife of six months and tell her to pack her things we were moving to California. Fortunately she was used to me moving and took it in stride. It turns out that I was to be reporting to Ted Vosu who was formerly a friend and colleague when I was with the International Division. Things could not be better.
ISS was itself a start up company and an innovator in the Disk Subsystem world which had been acquired by Sperry. They went on to produce disk subsystems for Sperry mainframes as well as OEM systems for others. The VP and General Manager was Everett Behr who reported back to Bert Mueleners in Blue Bell.
     In 1978, I transferred to Blue Bell as Business Manager for ISS affairs. This time I worked for Ray Maurstad, a Director in the Peripherals Division. Years prior Ray was also a friend and colleague in the International Division. Ray ranked with Ted Vosu and Gerry Nelson as some of the finest individuals I have had the privilege of working for. Years later when I transferred to Roseville, I was fortunate to have Ray on my staff when I was setting up a Program Management Operation there. It is amazing how the web of people weaves its way back and forth over the years. {Editor’s note: Years before, Ray Maurstad was on duty for the Navy when he picked up the first SOS from the Andria Doria, then in trouble in the North Atlantic.}
     In 1981, I was offered a job with the Semiconductor Division as their Business Representative in Blue Bell, but reporting in to Eagan, MN. How I got this job was also an interesting episode. I was down at an Operations Review at the Bristol, Tennessee plant along with folks from other Divisions. The group was sitting around at the hotel after the meeting, when Bob Erickson the VP and GM of the Semiconductor Division in Eagan (Whom I had never met before) says "Wynn, do you know how to spell Semiconductor?" So like a fool I spell it out since I thought it was some kind of gag. He says "Good, how would you like to come and work for me?" I was of course taken back, but explained to him that I knew as much about semiconductors as I did brain surgery. He said he didn't want me to design them, but rather to attend to his Division's interests in Blue Bell, similar to what I was doing for the ISS Division. The deal was right so I said OK. It seemed like all the remote General Managers wanted their own eyes and ears at Headquarters.
     In 1983, I returned to the Peripherals division still located in Blue Bell.
     In 1984, another job materialized out of the blue, reminiscent of my introduction to the International Division. I was in the cafeteria at Blue Bell, with a group. I was kidding Pete Manskar, a colleague who was about to transfer to Roseville, about the horrors of Minnesota winters. At this point, one of the other members of the group, who I hardly knew, said "Wynn do you have anything against Roseville.” I said no not really I was just joking with Pete, why do you ask? He said, 'Because I want you to come and work for me, I am about to transfer out there myself as VP and General Manager of Manufacturing Operations and I need a Director of Program Management.’ When something like this happens, your first impression is 'He's putting me on.' I had only spoken to this man a few times, but he seemed to know a lot about me. The deal was right so I said here we go again, and went home to tell the wife "Pack your stuff, we are moving to Minnesota"
     Around 1986 Sperry merged with, read that, taken over, by Burroughs Corporation headed by Michael Blumenthal (Formerly, Jimmy Carter's Secretary of the Treasury) That should have told us something right there. To give you an idea of what we were dealing with, there was an explosive article written in a 1991 issue of the Philadelphia Enquirer, documenting Blumenthal's total mismanagement. I don’t have the issue date in 1991 but I urge all Sperry employees to seek it out and read it. You will find it sickening. It was the beginning of the end for the company, going steadily downhill to the pathetic condition of Unisys stock we see today.
     I served at Roseville until about 1996 when Roseville manufacturing operations was shut down. The intriguing web of Univac contacts all over the country did not end there. I continued working, this time as a Consultant to Hughes Communications on the East Coast. I was tasked with transferring one of Qualcom's products to Hughes. Qualcom was located in San Diego and their CEO happened to be a former member of Unisys. Their VP of Operations was Ted Vosu, my former friend and colleague from the Univac International Division years prior. Needless to say it was an easy transition.
     It never failed to amaze me he how Univac people were so dispersed around the country. I still keep bumping into them in my travels even though I am now retired and living in Aitkin, MN - near Brainerd. Even in this out of the way place, I joined the Ham Radio club in Brainerd and lo and behold the President of the club is Lyle Amundson from Roseville's Manufacturing Quality department. It’s incredible.

3.4 Dick Roessler,

     I am very grateful for having been associated with UNIVAC/Sperry/Unisys (The Company) organizations for over 33 years.  It has been an absolute delight to have been deeply immersed in the transition from analog electronics to digital electronics by our customers and our company in this period of time.  I’d like to summarize several personal development opportunities which had a rather significant impact on my personal growth and contributions to the company and the community:

Farwell Electric Company – Upon graduation from high school in 1947, I was employed by two brothers who had formed a small electrical business in a rural community near Madison, WI.  In this post Word War II era, the United States had undertaken a mission and given a political and economic priority to the Rural Electrification of America (REA).  This priority gave rural America an opportunity to recover from the depression and war economy and to upgrade their farms. It also provided me an opportunity to be involved in and develop skills supporting the electrical, consumer appliance and plumbing needs of the community.  Lesson Learned – At an early age the importance of providing competent and cost effective customer service was demonstrated repeatedly by my employers.  Not only was I learning the important elements of Ohms Law, but also that providing prompt and effective service to farmers and small town consumers, was giving their issues and malfunctions a high priority.  Technical competence and giving priorities to customers was the daily mission.  This two-year lesson in customer satisfaction was helpful in my future career at The Company especially in customer service and field engineering disciplines as a continued cultural theme.

     U.S. Navy – In 1949 it became more obvious that I needed to achieve some post secondary academic accomplishments.  School year 1949/1950, found me trying to adjust to the University of Wisconsin-Madison by enrolling in their ILS (Integrated Liberal Studies) program.  That turned out not to be a good academic fit for me.  When the relationships between the U. S. and North Korean governments soured, my interest in enlisting in the U. S. Navy was heightened.  Navy recruiters were anticipating military action and were trying to sell four year enlistments to eligible men.  My entrance exams were good enough so my enlistment was as an Electronic Field Seaman Recruit.  Boot Camp at Great Lakes in the spring of 1950, was followed by Electronic Technician Class A School.  This was my welcome into the Navy.  My first Navy billet was a two year one as a Ships Repair Technician in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba functioning as a shore-based logistic resource for Atlantic Fleet vessels.  Upon successful completion of duty in Cuba, an assignment began as a lead Electronic Technician aboard the USS Stormes (DD-780) which was in a Destroyer squadron in DESLANT with home port in Norfolk.  The fleet was still trying to determine the dimensions of responsibility of Electronic Techs relative to their responsibilities vs. that of Radio Communications, Sonar, Radar & IFF technical disciplines.  Lessons Learned – This immersion in Fleet issues in the logistical support of military systems was of great value in my experience base.  It also permitted me to become familiar with a new opportunity.  Broadcast Engineering! While stationed at GTMO Bay, one of my duties was to be the chief engineer of a 250 watt AFRS AM station.  The four years experience in the Navy, were invaluable in my future assignments.