Compare Constellations

Anderson, Walter L. (Walter Leonard), 1922-. Oral history interview with Walter L. Anderson, 1986 Sept. 11.

Title: Oral history interview with Walter L. Anderson, 1986 Sept. 11.

Anderson began with ERA in 1946. He was hired by Joseph Walsh and worked with Howard Daniels, Frank Mullaney, and George Hardenbergh on engineering design problems. Anderson discusses the influence Arnold Cohen had on him. In 1949 Anderson moved to ERA's Arlington office. There he worked with the sales office as a technical liaison under Herbert H. Goodman. He worked on development of the UNIVAC and the 1100 series, and he discusses some of the applications that he was involved in assessing and the technological constraints of the time.

ArchivalResource: Computer data (1 file : 100K)

http://www.worldcat.org/oclc/63282991 View

Norris, William C., 1911-2006,. Oral history interview with William C. Norris, 1982 Jan.

Title: Oral history interview with William C. Norris, 1982 Jan.

Norris discusses his role in the development of Engineering Research Associates and Control Data Corporation, and his views on entrepreneurship.

ArchivalResource: Sound cassettes : 3 (90 min. each) : analog, mono.Transcript: 42 leaves.

http://www.worldcat.org/oclc/62423885 View

Sperry Corporation. Univac Division. Records, 1877-1970.

Title: Records, 1877-1970.

The records of Sperry's Univac Division are an important source for the history of the American computer industry, from its beginnings into the 1970s.

ArchivalResource: Mss.: 616 linear ft.Photographs: 3,189 items.

http://www.worldcat.org/oclc/122459234 View

Sperry Corporation. Records, 1893-1976 (bulk 1927-1965).

Title: Records, 1893-1976 (bulk 1927-1965).

The Sperry Rand Corporation records consist of presidential files and the minutes of the parent firm and its predecessor and subsidiary companies. The Hagley Museum & Library also houses separate record units from the corporation's Univac and Sperry Gyroscope Divisions.

ArchivalResource: 30 linear ft.

http://h92010.eos-intl.net/H92010/OPAC/Details/Record.aspx?BibCode=2698651 View

Engineering Research Associates. Records, 1946-1953.

Title: Records, 1946-1953.

The records include the administrative and operating records conveyed to Remington Rand after its 1952 merger with ERA. Included are minutes of executive, planning, and management committee meetings as well as correspondence which documents the organization of ERA. The records also include financial papers and copies of the firm's budgets from 1947 to 1952. Progress reports and engineering log books of Arnold Cohen, John Coombs, and William Keye describe work on the Atlas computer which was delivered to the Navy on December 9, 1950. These records document the important contributions made by the engineers at ERA and trace how they drew on the work at the Harvard Computation Laboratory and at MIT's Project Whirlwind.

ArchivalResource: 4 linear ft.

http://www.worldcat.org/oclc/122396871 View

Tomash, Erwin,. Oral history interview with Erwin Tomash, 1973 Mar. 14, 1973 Apr. 5.

Title: Oral history interview with Erwin Tomash, 1973 Mar. 14, 1973 Apr. 5.

Tomash discusses his work with Engineering Research Associates (ERA). Topics include: the firm's management, the roles of William Norris, Frank Mullaney, and Arnold Cohen in ERA, Tomash's development of West Coast marketing for ERA after it became a part of Remington Rand, competition with International Business Machines, the development of Williams tube storage devices and core memories, and the ERA 1103 computer. He also recounts his move from Remington Rand to Telemeter Magnetics, later Ampex Computer Products, the formation of Dataproducts Corporation and its subsidiary, Informatics Inc., headed by Walter Bauer.

ArchivalResource: Transcript : 128 p.

http://www.worldcat.org/oclc/63288484 View

Norris, William C., 1911-2006. Control Data Corporation Records. William C. Norris executive papers 1946-1995.

Title: Control Data Corporation Records. William C. Norris executive papers 1946-1995.

This series documents William C. Norris' tenure as President and CEO of Control Data Corporation (1957-1986). Materials include correspondence, dayfiles, interviews, newsclippings, subject files, talks and writings, and scrapbooks.

ArchivalResource: 35 boxes (29.5 cubic feet).

http://www.worldcat.org/oclc/613437272 View

Norris, William C., 1911-2006,. Oral history interview with William C. Norris, 1986 July 28 and Oct. 1.

Title: Oral history interview with William C. Norris, 1986 July 28 and Oct. 1.

Norris begins by describing his employment before World War II, his civilian work with the Navy, and his commission in the Naval Reserve. He then discusses his work with Communications Supplementary Activities-Washington. Norris' description of the formation and operations of ERA after the war comprises the majority of the first half of the interview.

ArchivalResource: Computer data (1 file : 152K)

http://www.worldcat.org/oclc/63295524 View

Ryden, Arnold J.,. Oral history interview with Arnold J. Ryden, 1983 Mar. 15.

Title: Oral history interview with Arnold J. Ryden, 1983 Mar. 15.

Ryden describes the formation of Control Data Corporation. He discusses his role and the roles of the other founders, especially Bill Drake and William Norris, in organizing the company and arranging the initial financing.

ArchivalResource: Sound cassette : 1 (90 min.) : analog, mono.Transcript: 34 leaves.

http://www.worldcat.org/oclc/62436633 View

Control Data Corporation records. Corporate administration., 1957-1991

Title: Control Data Corporation records. Corporate administration. 1957-1991

This series consists of meeting notes and reports of the Control Data Corporation Board of Directors as well as company advisory committees, executive councils, committees, subcommittees, and task forces.

ArchivalResource: 5.33 boxes (6 cubic feet)

http://special.lib.umn.edu/findaid/xml/cbi00080-06.xml View

Control Data Corporation Records. William C. Norris executive papers, 1946-1995

Title: Control Data Corporation Records. William C. Norris executive papers 1946-1995

This series documents William C. Norris’ tenure as President and CEO of Control Data Corporation (1957-1986). Materials include correspondence, dayfiles, interviews, newsclippings, subject files, talks and writings, and scrapbooks.

ArchivalResource: 35 boxes (29.5 cubic feet)

http://special.lib.umn.edu/findaid/xml/cbi00080-09.xml View

Svendsen, Edward C.,. Oral history interview with Edward C. Svendsen, 1986 Sept. 16.

Title: Oral history interview with Edward C. Svendsen, 1986 Sept. 16.

Svendsen begins with a description of his early life and education and a discussion of his work in the Navy during World War II. The bulk of the interview concerns the relationship between ERA and the Navy. Topics include: John Parker and the management of ERA; the work of Howard Engstrom, William Norris, Ralph Meader, John Howard, and Sid Rubens at ERA; and ERA's projects for the Navy.

ArchivalResource: Computer data (1 file : 85K)

http://www.worldcat.org/oclc/63283847 View

Butler, William W., 1919-. Oral history interview with William W. Butler, 1984 Nov. 8, and 1984 Dec. 11.

Title: Oral history interview with William W. Butler, 1984 Nov. 8, and 1984 Dec. 11.

Butler begins with a brief description of his early life and education. He discusses his work on radar and sonar with Radio Corporation of America during World War II. He describes his decision to obtain a graduate degree in electrical engineering after the war and his subsequent employment with Douglas Aircraft. The focus of the interview then shifts to Butler's work with Engineering Research Associates (ERA). He recounts his start with ERA in sales under William C. Norris and his contributions to High-Speed Computing Devices, and his work with John L. Hill and Arnold A. Cohen.

ArchivalResource: Computer data (1 file : 149K)

http://www.worldcat.org/oclc/63283844 View

Norris, William C., 1911-2006,. Oral history interview with William C. Norris, 1977.

Title: Oral history interview with William C. Norris, 1977.

Norris describes the beginnings of Engineering Research Associates and Control Data Corporation (CDC). He also discusses PLATO, CDC's attempts to improve economically depressed areas, and CDC's employee assistance programs.

ArchivalResource: Sound cassettes : 3 (90 min. each) : analog, mono.Transcript: 31 leaves.

http://www.worldcat.org/oclc/62401888 View

Sperry Corporation. Aerospace Division. Records 1948-1975.

Title: Records 1948-1975.

Sperry Corporation's Aerospace Division records consist largely of technical papers, research reports, and research and development related correspondence documenting the work of the division and its predecessors from 1948 to 1975. Most of these files appear to have been generated by the office of Sidney Rubens who headed the division from 1957 to 1975.

ArchivalResource: 110 linear ft.

http://www.worldcat.org/oclc/122458607 View

Sperry Corporation. Univac Division. Technical documents, 1946-1975.

Title: Technical documents, 1946-1975.

The technical document series describes thirty-five years of research and development (1946-1975) at Sperry's Univac Division. The file is arranged chronologically and documents the development of the company's major computer systems. There are progress reports and technical descriptions for the UNIVAC I, II, III, the File Computer, the 100 series, the LARC, the 490, and the solid-state systems of the 1960s and 1970s. This series also includes the records of the St. Paul, Minnesota, technical operating group (1958-1959) which describes Sperry's work with the Defense Department on the Nike-Zeus project. In addition, there are reports from the Norwalk Laboratory and the Sperry Research Center (Sudbury, Massachusetts) which document research on the computer applications of lasers, radar, and microwave.

ArchivalResource: 41 linear ft.

http://www.worldcat.org/oclc/86119163 View

Robinson, Herbert W. (Herbert William). Oral history interview with Herbert W. Robinson, 1988 July 13.

Title: Oral history interview with Herbert W. Robinson, 1988 July 13.

The Council for Economic and Industry Research, Inc. was formed in 1952 to perform operations research and model building for the U.S. Air Force. In 1953 Robinson took over the project, which was designed to identify strategic bomb targets in the Soviet Union based on potential economic damage. In 1954 a public company named the Corporation for Economic and Industrial Research, later C-E-I-R, Inc., was formed with Robinson as its president. Robinson discusses C-E-I-R acquisitions Automation Institutes, General Analysis Corporation, Data Tech, Arbitron (a television program rating company), and C-E-I-R de Mexico.

ArchivalResource: Computer data (1 file : 107K)

http://www.worldcat.org/oclc/63295505 View

Norris, William C., 1911-. William C. Norris papers 1946-1988.

Title: William C. Norris papers 1946-1988.

The collection documents William Norris' professional activities and interests, primarily in the years after his tenure as president of the Control Data Corporation (1986-1995). Materials consist of articles about and interviews with Norris, correspondence, Norris' talks and writings, and subject files.

ArchivalResource: 7 boxes (4.75 cubic feet).

http://www.worldcat.org/oclc/311749750 View

Control Data Corporation records, 1946-1991

Title: Control Data Corporation records 1946-1991

The Control Data Corporation Records documents the company's operations, goals, plans, and products from its inception in 1957 to 1992.

ArchivalResource: approximately 500 boxes (approximately 350 cubic feet)

http://special.lib.umn.edu/findaid/xml/cbi00080a.xml View

Organization records., 1982-1994.

Title: Organization records. 1982-1994.

Correspondence and memoranda, audit reports, board minutes, and other recordskept by Minneapolis businessman Judson Bemis as chairman of a national nonprofitorganization he and other business executives founded in 1985 to assist for-profitentrepreneurs to privatize the delivery of human services in the hope of relievingthe burden on government and philanthropy of providing these services and of makingtheir delivery more efficient and effective. Includes some files of predecessor andrelated organizations.

ArchivalResource:

http://www.mnhs.org/library/findaids/00003.xml View

Parker, John E., 1900-1989,. Oral history interview with John E. Parker, 1985 Dec. 13, 1986 May 6.

Title: Oral history interview with John E. Parker, 1985 Dec. 13, 1986 May 6.

Parker discusses his career: his years in the Navy, acquisition of Porterfield Aviation Company, start-up of Northwestern Aeronautical Corporation, and especially the formation of Engineering Research Associates (ERA). Parker explains how his business brought him to St. Paul and into contact with the Navy , and how the Navy approached him to direct a new research company, ERA, to continue war-time work done for the Navy. Parker recalls his meetings with key ERA personnel including William Norris, Ralph Meader, and Howard Engstrom.

ArchivalResource: Computer data (1 file : 153K)

http://www.worldcat.org/oclc/63306952 View

Control Data Corporation. Control Data Corporation Records, 1957-1991.

Title: Control Data Corporation Records, 1957-1991.

Contains the records of the Control Data Corporation, including correspondence, reports, photographs,films, videotapes, and publications.

ArchivalResource: 445 cubic ft.

http://www.worldcat.org/oclc/62731715 View

William C. Norris papers, 1946-1988

Title: William C. Norris papers 1946-1988

The collection documents William Norris' professional activities and interests, primarily in the years after his tenure as president of the Control Data Corporation (1986-1995). Materials consist of articles about and interviews with Norris, correspondence, Norris' talks and writings, and subject files.

ArchivalResource: 7 boxes (4.75 cubic feet)

http://special.lib.umn.edu/findaid/xml/cbi00164.xml View

Computer & Communications Industry Association (U.S.). IBM antitrust trial records, 1969-1982.

Title: IBM antitrust trial records, 1969-1982.

Photocopies and microfiche of trial transcripts, trial exhibits, depositions, legal memoranda, motions, subpoenas, and other documents relating to U.S. v. IBM, Control Data v. IBM, Greyhound Computer Leasing v. IBM, Telex v. IBM, CalComp v. IBM and IBM v. Catamore Enterprises. The transcript of the trial proceedings and the collection of court exhibits provide a record that brings together a wealth of detailed documentary evidence on the electronic data processing industry in the 1960s and 1970s. Technical research priorities, product development decisions, marketing and sales practices, and maintenance and service arrangements for many firms in the computer industry are to be found in the trial record. Much of the voluminous evidence presented by both parties was drawn from IBM's internal correspondence and files. Many other systems and components manufacturers also presented testimony. The court documents additionally incorporate extensive hearing transcripts, testimony and memoranda concerning important legal and economic issues, e.g., measurement of market share, pertinent to the case and to antitrust law in general. Some items are missing from the collection. Many documents and exhibits, however, were presented as evidence in more than one of the cases and documents not found in one trial's record may be located in another trial in the collection.

ArchivalResource: Mss.: 90 linear ft.Microform: 945 microfiche.

http://www.worldcat.org/oclc/86134280 View

Alpha Center for Public/Private Initiatives, Inc. (Minneapolis, Minn.). Organization records, 1982-1994.

Title: Organization records, 1982-1994.

Correspondence and memoranda, audit reports, board minutes, and other records kept by Minneapolis businessman Judson Bemis as chairman of a national nonprofit organization he and other business executives founded in 1985 to assist for-profit entrepreneurs to privatize the delivery of human services in the hope of relieving the burden on government and philanthropy of providing these services and of making their delivery more efficient and effective. Includes some files of predecessor and related organizations.

ArchivalResource: 2.5 cu. ft. (3 boxes).

http://www.worldcat.org/oclc/313867494 View

Wakelin, James Henry,. Oral history interview with James Henry Wakelin, 1986 Feb. 27.

Title: Oral history interview with James Henry Wakelin, 1986 Feb. 27.

The interview covers Wakelin's career, including his education, work at the Navy Department and Engineering Research Associates (ERA), and later consulting work. Wakelin reviews his education and early work experience in the first part of the interview. He next discusses his work in the Navy Department, where he was involved in their first use of electronic computers. Through this Wakelin came into contact with William Norris and others who founded ERA. Wakelin recounts his own plans to establish a consulting company after the war and his decision to join ERA.

ArchivalResource: Computer data (1 file : 59K)

http://www.worldcat.org/oclc/63282993 View

Control Data Corporation. Control Data Corporation records. Corporate administration. 1957-1991.

Title: Control Data Corporation records. Corporate administration. 1957-1991.

This series consists of meeting notes and reports of the Control Data Corporation Board of Directors as well as company advisory committees, executive councils, committees, subcommittees, and task forces.

ArchivalResource: 5.33 boxes (6 cubic feet).

http://www.worldcat.org/oclc/613437263 View

Sperry Rand Corporation. Univac Division. Sperry Rand Corporation vs. Control Data Corporation records, 1947-1975.

Title: Sperry Rand Corporation vs. Control Data Corporation records, 1947-1975.

The records of the Sperry Rand CDC case includes plaintiff's and defendant's briefs, pleadings of selected depositions (John Mauchly, Arnold Cohen, John Vincent Atanasoff), attorney correspondence, and exhibits. The exhibits addressed the issue of who invented the magnetic storage drum. There is a copy of ERA's 1948 contract with the Office of Naval Research to build the Atlas computer, Project Goldberg progress reports, laboratory notebooks of ERA engineers Arnold Cohen, William Keye, Lowell Brown, and Dr. Donald Dubbert, and 1947 report by Arnold Cohen, "Internal Storage by Magnetic Recording". Also included are copies of Eckert and Mauchly's notes on memory systems and delay storage, as well as progress reports on the EDVAC computer which was developed by the Eckert-Mauchly Computer Corporation and the lawyers for Sperry Rand claimed was the first computer with stored-memory capability.

ArchivalResource: 14 linear ft.

http://h92010.eos-intl.net/H92010/OPAC/Details/Record.aspx?BibCode=2718996 View

Rubens, Sidney Michel,. Oral history interview with Sidney Michel Rubens, 1986 Jan. 6, 1986 Jan. 15.

Title: Oral history interview with Sidney Michel Rubens, 1986 Jan. 6, 1986 Jan. 15.

Rubens discusses his career through his employment with Engineering Research Associates (ERA). He reviews his education in physics at the University of Washington, graduate study at the University of California, Los Angeles, and his teaching position at the University of Southern California beginning in 1937. In 1940, he joined the Naval Ordnance Laboratory. There he met Howard Engstrom, Robert Gutterman, Howard Daniels, and William Norris. In 1945, under the sponsorship of the Office of Naval Research, this group formed ERA to continue their war-time work, and Rubens joined them in 1946.

ArchivalResource: Computer data (1 file : 202K)

http://www.worldcat.org/oclc/63288474 View

Yuter, Seymour C.,. Technitrol, Inc., lawsuit records, 1945-1976.

Title: Technitrol, Inc., lawsuit records, 1945-1976.

The collection consists of copies of trial records collected by Seymour C. Yuter, a patent attorney for Technitrol, Inc. They include documents from the interlocking suits of Technitrol v. Control Data Corp., Technitrol v. Sperry Rand, and Technitrol v. U.S.A., which came to trial between the late 1950s and the mid 1970s. The principal point at issue was, who was the inventor of the magnetic storage drum. The records provide a fascinating picture of the early history of the computer industry and trace the role played by the military in the years immediately after World War II.

ArchivalResource: 23 linear ft.

http://www.worldcat.org/oclc/122457977 View

Duncan, Hugh,. Oral history interview with Hugh Duncan, 1986 Aug. 14.

Title: Oral history interview with Hugh Duncan, 1986 Aug. 14.

Duncan begins by describing his engineering education and entrance into the Navy in World War II. He discusses his work at Communications Supplementary Activities-Washington and the events leading to the formation of Engineering Research Associates (ERA). Topics include: the introduction of John E. Parker to Engstrom, Meader, and Norris by the financial brokerage firm of Auchincloss, Redpath, and Parker, the work of John Howard, the level of Navy involvement with ERA, research activities, especially regarding memory devices, and the management of the firm.

ArchivalResource: Computer data (1 file : 63K)

http://www.worldcat.org/oclc/63276399 View

Dumey, Arnold,. Oral history interview with Arnold Dumey, 1984 Oct. 9.

Title: Oral history interview with Arnold Dumey, 1984 Oct. 9.

Dumey begins with a description of his work for the Army Signal Corps during World War II. He discusses the development of a system for comparing data, which used a contrast-reversal film process and a Reed Research reading device. He also considers some of the problems inherent in working for a secret organization. In the post-war period, he focuses on the contractual work done by Engineering Research Associates (ERA) for the Navy. He emphasizes the benefits to the Navy in their negotiations with International Business Machines in having an alternative contractor of such engineering excellence as ERA.

ArchivalResource: Computer data (1 file : 58K)

http://www.worldcat.org/oclc/63282982 View

Sperry Rand Corporation. Univac Division. Honeywell vs. Sperry Rand Records, 1935-1973.

Title: Honeywell vs. Sperry Rand Records, 1935-1973.

The Honeywell-Sperry Rand lawsuit produced 50,000 pages of trial transcript, and over 36,000 documents were entered in evidence. Sperry Rand's lawyers produced a huge archive of trial documents. Two major files were created, the "Original file" of documents from Sperry Rand's own archives, and the "Chronological file" of all documents located during the discovery process and entered as exhibits. The trial archive is a major source on the history of the computer industry.

ArchivalResource: 181 linear ft.

http://www.worldcat.org/oclc/122503543 View

Keye, William R., 1921-. Oral history interview with William R. Keye, 1981 Nov.

Title: Oral history interview with William R. Keye, 1981 Nov.

Keye discusses the establishment of Control Data Corporation and William C. Norris.

ArchivalResource: Sound cassette : 1 (60 min.) : analog, mono.Transcript: 34 leaves.

http://www.worldcat.org/oclc/62436502 View