These 60+ Legacy Anthology chapters are a living web site;
now an 18-year volunteers' project documenting our Information Technology industry
history. Our history continues yet today at Unisys as illustrated
by this Legacy Companies icon.
The corporate names changed as many of us had careers spanning
two or more decades during the 20th century.
Over 600
people have contributed items to this anthology. The chapters linked herein are Wikipedia
like in that they have embedded links to supplemental information.
For example,
books listed in Our Stories include the
ERA/UNIVAC products from 1947 to 1959.
This search box is for your use to locate items or people in/on our website. Table of Contents or People index may aid your query. The embedded Google javascript may first identify sites from your browser's cache; then it lists the finds within this site. In the found page(s); use your browser's 'Ctrl Find' function to jump to your topic.
Our Legacy
(Ch 1-8) consists of People
(Ch 10-29) at Locations (Ch 30-39) who Engineered (Ch 40-49) Computers (Ch 50-59) and Systems
(Ch 60-69) used throughout the world. Exhibits (Ch 90) and Our Stories
(Ch 100) complement and supplement this Legacy.
During our early Legacy, a few management and engineering personnel left
to form other companies (chapter 6, spin offs); most notable was the
1957 creation of Control Data Corporation (CDC) led by Bill Norris,
et al'. Seymour Cray joined him, then later left CDC to
establish the the super computer company 'Cray'. This site
mentions those computer industry pioneers but does not detail their
careers outside of this ERA Legacy.
When we eventually write a book, because of the physical size, i.e. printed page count; we may have to publish our legacy/history as volumes (maybe seven of them as numbered hereunder?).
CHAP
supplements and complements our Anthology chapters. Their "Playlist"
simply makes YouTube videos easy to access through one link.
Computer History Archives PLAYLIST for ERA / UNIVAC family of computers,
One month into 2023, Director Mark Greenia began making the Computer
History film PLAYLISTS. The first one updated and
posted was the ERA / UNIVAC playlist. VIP legacy committee members
have helped with the development of several of these {CHAP/Club paper,
http://vipclubmn.org/Articles/CHAP_SummaryRev1.pdf.}
These YouTube videos provide a fascinating early history of ERA / UNIVAC / Unisys
family of computers from the beginnings of “Engineering Research Associates” (1946)
, the EMCC UNIVAC I of 1951, and into the 60's and beyond.
Enjoy these tas each looks back into history. The Playlist includes original Remington-Rand, Sperry, and
Burroughs films. It currently contains 32 films, with room for more in the future -
Sincerely, Mark Greenia, Director, Computer History Archives Project
[1/15/2023]
In late 2005, Lockheed Martin Corporate
(LMCO), motivated by the realization that their current company was
created from over 20 predecessors, asked their operating
units to “capture their legacy”. At LMCO in Eagan Minnesota,
Ole (Dick) Olson was tasked to respond; he formed an ad hoc group of
employee volunteers and then contacted the VIP Club Board to form a
corporate and retirees Legacy Committee. Retirees Lowell
Benson and Dick Lundgren immediately volunteered to be part of the
committee.
In November 2007, Harvey
Taipale wrote: "The committee quickly realized that the history of Engineering Research
Associates (ERA), continuing to the present, was a remarkable story
of technological innovations and contributions to the computer industry
in general and specifically Minnesota. This story, particularly
the early years, has never really been completely told; e. g. the ATHENA
computer launched over 300 missiles at the beginning of the space age
with never an abort caused by the computer system!
To be sure, there are some accounts written from the business
history perspective, from various customer and user perspectives,
and partial documentation or timelines in many places. However; we are
unaware of any account, which properly gives credit to the
ingenuity, vision, and hard work of ERA and its successor company
employees, and their contributions to Minnesota and the world.
The legacy committee feels that it would be a terrible loss not to
capture the full history, thus inspiring our efforts to determine
just what can be accomplished. There is a bit of urgency, as
the memories and materials relating to ERA are rapidly disappearing. Our pioneers are dying, successor corporations are shredding
records, and memories are fading."
YouTube videos have been put together by Mark Greenia telling parts of the story; as chief editor for the Computer History Archives Project he has generated a plethora of video images summarized by Articles/CHAP_SummaryRev1.pdf. An excerpted timeline of the ERA 1st computers shows what was happening in the early 50's:
No, we did not create a Blog nor Facebook nor Tweet nor a Wiki-pedia section because we wanted to assure accuracy of information, identify the source of information, and to integrate with inputs from others.
March of 2007, transferred all collected articles and career summaries from Lowell Benson's personal web site to the VIP Club's new web site.
This poster was created for the 2008 Minnesota Sesquicentennial celebrations.
Quint Heckert, created the poster layout for our volunteer exhibit team
- printing & electronic file by LMCO.
Click here for
a print resolution copy.
A report about our Sesquicentennial activities including a summary of
the Minnesota 2058 time capsule items is also available,
click here.
We appreciate the efforts of the Computer History Museum, located at 1401 N. Shoreline Blvd Mountain View, CA 94043. They have a number of artifacts from Univac including a CP-642B computer as part of their NTDS exhibit. They also facilitate the http://bitsavers.trailing-edge.com/ site where there are pdf files of many UNIVAC/Sperry/UNISYS manuals and brochures among their 32,000 electronic items. To facilitate researchers, we have copied and linked some of the bitsavers files from applicable chapters.
Special thanks to Dr. Tom Misa - former Director, Charles Babbage Institute at the University of Minnesota. From 2007 into 2018, Tom was an advisor to our Legacy committee giving valuable advice on what to preserve and how to do some of that preservation. He also developed a book, The Digital State, incorporating some of our committee findings and referenced some of our web chapters in his Technology History Class lectures. Frosting on the Cake, Tom was the principal narrater of the TPT documentary!
We have not listed the various military equipment nomenclatures that are assigned according to MIL-HDBK-6, i. e. Military Handbook # 6. Examples are 1) the AN/USQ-20B systems aboard Navy ships used the CP-642B computer and 2) the AN/ASQ-114 system aboard the P-3C used the CP-901 computer.
ASA | Army Security Agency | ARTS | Automated Radar Terminal System (FAA) | ASW | Anti-Submarine Warfare |
ATC | Air Traffic Control | B & P | Bid and Proposal | BINAC | BINary Automatic Computer |
CAD | Computer Aided Design | CBI | Charles Babbage Institute at the University of Minnesota | CDC | Control Data Corporation |
CHAP | Computer History Archives Project | CHM | Computer History Museum | CMS-2 | Compiler-Monitor System (US Navy OS) |
CSAW | Communications Supplementary Activity-Washington | DCHS | Dakota County Historical Society | DS | Data System Technician (US Navy) |
EDSAC | Electronic Discrete Variable Computer | EDVAC | Electronic Discrete Variable Automatic Computer | EMCC | Eckert-Mauchly Computer Corporation |
ENIAC | Electronic Numerical Integrator and Computer | ERA | Engineering Research Associates, Inc. | FAA | Federal Aviation Administration |
FMS | Foreign Military Sales | GPS | Global Positioning System | HSA | Hollandse Signaal Apparaten |
IBM | International Business Machines | IEEE | Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers | IFF | Identification, Friend or Foe |
IT | Information Technology | ISA | Instruction Set Architecture | LMCO | Lockheed Martin Corporation |
MATCALS | Marine Air Traffic Control And Landing System | MTDS | Marine Tactical Data Systems | NASA | National AeroSpace Administration |
NEL | Navy Electronics Laboratory | NSA | National Security Agency | NTDS | Naval Tactical Data Systems |
OS | Operating System (software control) | PDA | Product Development Associates | ||
PPI | Plan Position Indicator | POFA | Programmed Operational Functional Appraisals | RCHS | Ramsey County Historical Society |
RFP | Request For Proposal | RFQ | Request For Quote | RGOD | Roseville Good Old Days |
RRU | Remington Rand Univac | SDC | Systems Development Corporation | STEM | Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics |
TPT | Twin cities Public Television | U of MN | University of MinNesota | UNISYS | UNited Information SYStems (Burroughs plus Sperry) |
UNIVAC | UNIVersal Automatic Computers | USN | United States Navy | USS | United States Ship |
Chapter 1 edited 11/30/2024.
1. Anthology Overview
2. CHAP
3. Background
4. Committee
5. Success Log
6. Thank Yous
7. Acronyms
Anthology inputs are yet open; you write it and we'll find
a place for it.
We proudly fly the American Flag, thanks to usfamily.net for the .gif image.
Our committee began at the October 2005 VIP Club board meeting. Ole [Richard D. Olson] representing Lockheed Martin Corporation (LMCO) and Lowell Benson representing the Club volunteered to be co-chairs. Dick Lundgren immediately volunteered to support the committee by writing and editing stories. Then Dick made arrangements for us to meet with Dr. Norberg at the Charles Babbage Institute. Dr. Norberg told us that we should do oral interviews and if we could get 200 mini-bios from people we would have told 'The Story'. Ole said that he would solicit mini-bios and product/systems development stories. Lowell started a web site in March 2006 to make the stories and mini-bios public. The Legacy Committee set three objectives:
Our Committee volunteers have given countless hours over the years: Engineering Manager Lowell Benson, Systems Engineer Bill Bergen, Component Engineer Larry Bolton;Staff Engineer Carl Johnson; Publicist Tom Lindquist; Instructor/Writer Dick Lundgren; Systems Engineer Tom Montgomery; Systems Engineer & Marketing Manager Keith Myhre; Systems Engineer Les Nelson, Program Manager Bob Pagac; Systems Engineer Jon Simon; UNISYS Fellow Ron Q. Smith, VP of Procurement and Semiconductor Development Mike Svendsen; Engineering Manager Harvey Taipale; Engineering Manager Earl Vraa, and Program Manager John Westergren.
We've had steadfast archiving support and guidance; first from Dr. Norberg, then for over a decade from Dr. Thomas Misa, now Dr. Jeffrey Yost, and the staff at the Charles Babbage Institute (CBI) at the University of Minnesota.
Sadly, many of our committee contributors have passed away during this Legacy initiative: Warren Becker, Warren Burrell, Millie Gignac - Human Resources Director and Club Founder, Quint Heckert, Bernie Jansen, Bill Klingner, Tricia Myhre, Edwin Nelson, Richard 'Ole' Olson, Jim 'Rapp' Rapinac, Jack Sater, Marc Shoquist, Tom Turba, Harry Weis, Don Weidenbach, Paul Welshinger, ...