Johnson, Rey

Biography / Administrative History

Rey Johnson graduated from the University of Minnesota with a degree in education. While teaching high school science in Michigan, Johnson developed a machine to electronically grade multiple-choice tests taken in pencil. He sold the idea to IBM in 1934 and took a job as a senior engineer at their Endicott, NY laboratory where he worked on projects involving punch cards.

In 1952, IBM sent Johnson to San Jose, CA to set up a West Coast laboratory. Johnson and the San Jose team developed magnetic disk storage, which was marketed as the IBM 305 RAMAC in 1956. Johnson retired from IBM in 1971. Johnson had more than 90 patents to his name.