Guide to the Paul Armer papers
Finding aid prepared by Rita Wang and Sydney Gulbronson
Computer History Museum
December 2016
1401 N. Shoreline Blvd.
Mountain View, CA, 94043
(650) 810-1010
research@computerhistory.org
Title: Paul Armer papers
Identifier/Call Number: X6896.2014
Contributing Institution:
Computer History Museum
Language of Material:
English
Physical Description:
30.0 Linear feet,
24 record cartons
Date (inclusive): 1952-2006
Abstract: The Paul Armer papers consist of documentation, subject files, and printed materials pertaining to Armer's professional interest
in the relationship between computers and society. The collection includes journals, correspondence, handwritten notes, and
clippings, as well as published material such as newsletters and periodicals, academic journals, conference proceedings, technical
reports, and documentation from professional associations. Additionally, the collection contains subject files relating to
Armer's personal interests and some A/V material.
creator:
Armer, Paul, 1924-2016
Collection surveyed by Rita Wang, 2016.
The collection is open for research. However, the collection may require review by CHM staff before viewing.
The Computer History Museum (CHM) can only claim physical ownership of the collection. Users are responsible for satisfying
any claims of the copyright holder. Requests for copying and permission to publish, quote, or reproduce any portion of the
Computer History Museum's collection must be obtained jointly from both the copyright holder (if applicable) and the Computer
History Museum.
[Identification of Item], [Date], Paul Armer papers, Lot X6896.2014, Box [#], Computer History Museum.
Immediate Source of Acquisition
Gift of Paul and Joan Armer and family, 2013.
Paul Armer was a pioneer in computing whose work focused on the relationship between computers and society. Armer was born
in Montebello, California in 1924 and graduated from UCLA in 1946 with a degree in meteorology. From 1947 to 1968, Armer worked
at the RAND Corporation in Santa Monica, California. For ten of those years, Armer served as the head of the computer science
department. It was under his leadership that the institution built the JOHNNIAC, one of the first computers used for engineering
calculations.
From 1968 to 1970, Armer was the director of the Stanford Computation Center. In 1970, he left Stanford for a brief time to
join Harvard's Technology and Society program. He returned to Stanford in 1972, lecturing in their computer science department
until the 1980s. In 1978, Armer went on to become the founding executive of the Charles Babbage Institute, an archives and
research center dedicated to preserving the history of information technology.
Outside of his work in computer science, Armer was also an officer in the U.S. Army Air Corps and fought in the European theater
of World War II, receiving three medals for his service. Additionally, he had a multitude of interests including bird watching,
photography, and conservation.
After suffering from dementia for the last 10 years of his life, Armer passed away January 6, 2016 at the age of 91. He donated
his brain to be studied at the Stanford Neuroscience Institute.
Scope and Content of the Collection
The Paul Armer papers consist of documentation, subject files, and printed materials related to both his personal and professional
life. Materials include journals, correspondence, handwritten notes, clippings, and subject files on technology, computing,
and other areas of interest. There are also printed materials such as newsletters and periodicals, academic journals, conference
proceedings, technical reports, and documentation from professional associations. The collection also contains photographs,
VHS tapes, magnetic tapes, films, audio cassettes, and a CD-rom.
Physical objects and ephemera were separated from the main collection. To view catalog records for separated material, search
the CHM catalog at
www.computerhistory.org/collections/search.
Related Collections at Other Repositories
Paul Armer Collection, Archives Center, National Museum of American History,
http://sova.si.edu/record/NMAH.AC.0323. .
Subjects and Indexing Terms
Charles Babbage Institute.
Rand Corporation.
Stanford Computation Center.