Guide to the Rey Johnson Papers
Elizabeth Borchardt
Computer History Museum
1401 N. Shoreline Blvd.
Mountain View, California 94043
Phone: (650) 810-1010
Email: research@computerhistory.org
URL: http://www.computerhistory.org
© 2007
Computer History Museum. All rights reserved.
Guide to the Rey Johnson Papers
Collection number: X3312.2006
Computer History Museum
- Processed by:
- Elizabeth Borchardt
- Date Completed:
- August 22, 2007
- Encoded by:
- Elizabeth Borchardt
© 2007 Computer History Museum. All rights reserved.
Descriptive Summary
Title: Guide to the Rey Johnson Papers
Dates: 1933-1998
Collection number: X3312.2006
Creator:
Johnson, Rey
Collection Size:
1 linear foot
1 box
Repository:
Computer History Museum
Abstract: Reynold B. (Rey) Johnson's papers are comprised of International Business Machines (IBM) company documents, newspaper clippings,
project ideas and drawings, and photographs from his thirty-seven years with IBM. Of particular note is Johnson's involvement
in the development of magnetic disk storage during the 1950s.
Languages:
Languages represented in the collection:
English
Access
Collection is open for research.
Publication Rights
The Computer History Museum can only claim physical ownership of the collection. Users are responsible for satisfying any
claims of the copyright holder. Permission to copy or publish any portion of the Computer History Museum's collection must
be given by the Computer History Museum.
Preferred Citation
[Identification of Item], [Date], Rey Johnson papers, Lot X3312.2006, Box [#], Folder [#], Computer History Museum
Provenance
The Rey Johnson papers were donated by his son, David R. Johnson, to the Computer History Museum in 2005.
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.
Scope and Content of Collection
Rey (Reynold B.) Johnson's papers are comprised of IBM company documents, newspaper clippings, project ideas and drawings,
and photographs.
The first series is Corporate and consists of papers and publications relating to IBM such as staff listings, internal news,
and programs from company dinners. This series contains several issues of Tabulating Pointers, which detailed tips and tricks
for accounting punch card machines, from the early 1930s. The second series is Johnson's Personal Papers containing personal
correspondence, news clippings, speeches, and accolades. The third series focuses on Johnson's Inventions and Projects.
There are two folders of mostly hand-written project ideas and drawings, as well as a transcript of an interview concerning
his test scoring machine.
- Series 1. Corporate papers
- Series 2. Personal papers
- Series 3. Inventions and projects
Indexing Terms
The following terms have been used to index the description of this collection in the library's online public access catalog.
Computer Industry
Computer Storage Devices
Punched card systems
International Business Machines Corporation. San Jose Research Laboratory
Test scoring machine
IBM 305 RAMAC (Computer)
National Medal of Technology
Johnson, Reynold B.
Separated Material
Physical objects including a prototype of Johnson's test scoring machine as well as photographs, mostly taken at the National
Medal of Technology ceremony in 1986, can be found in the CHM collections database at
http://www.computerhistory.org/search/ .
box 1
Corporate Papers
1933-1998
Creator:
Johnson, Rey
Physical Description: 22 folders
Series Scope and Content Summary
Consists of papers and publications relating to IBM such as staff listings, internal news, and programs from company dinners.
Of note are several issues of Tabulating Pointers, which detailed tips and tricks for accounting punch card machines, from
the early 1930s.
folder 16
102687875
A Quarter Century of Innovation
1977
folder 19
102687878
Clippings from local newspapers
1958-1973
folder 15
102687874
Corporate Recognition Dinner
February 16, 1970
folder 11
102687870
Dedication of IBM San Jose
1958
folder 9
102687868
Fortune with cover story about "Tom Jr.'s IBM"
September 1956
folder 17
102687876
IBM San Jose: The First Quarter Century
1977
folder 7
102687866
IBM memos
1953-1971
folder 20
102687879
IBM news publications
1935-1978
folder 2
102687861
IBM staff listings
folder 10
102687869
Industrial and Housing Review: Santa Clara county edition
May 1956
folder 6
102687863
Luncheon in honor of his excellency the honorable Warren R. Austin
November 13, 1949
folder 13
102687872
Programs from the conference on communication of scientific information
May 26, 1958
folder 14
102687873
Programs from various IBM awards dinners
1962-1971
folder 18
102687877
IBM in San Jose
1978
folder 3
102687862
Tabulating Pointers
1930 ca.
folder 4
102687864
The 5 C's challenge
September 1, 1936
folder 21
102687880
Various issues of Think (the IBM employee magazine)
1940-1989
folder 1
102687859
Think: a biography of the Watsons and IBM
folder 5
102687865
IBM Thirty-eighth annual report for the year ended December thirty-first 1949
folder 8
102687867
Time: the weekly newsmagazine with cover story about "IBM's Thomas J. Watson, Jr."
March 28, 1955
folder 22
102687881
Vision (vol 2, num 3) "This company of ours"
1989
box 1
Personal Papers
1933-1998
Creator:
Johnson, Rey
Physical Description: 7 folders
Series Scope and Content Summary
Contains personal correspondence, news clippings, speeches, and accolades.
folder 27
102687887
Accolades given to Rey Johnson
1965-1994
folder 28
102687888
Hundred percent club convention book
July 12, 1948
folder 24
102687884
Newspaper clippings, mostly articles about Rey Johnson
1952-1998
folder 26
102687885
Rey Johnson biographical information
folder 23
102687883
Rey Johnson correspondence
1959-1986
folder 25
102687886
Speeches given by Rey Johnson
1963-1978
folder 29
102687889
Think notebook containing speech notes
box 1
Inventions and projects
1933-1998
Creator:
Johnson, Rey
Physical Description: 8 folders
Series Scope and Content Summary
Focuses on Johnson's Inventions and Projects. There are two folders of mostly hand-written project ideas and drawings, as
well as a transcript of an interview concerning his test scoring machine.
folder 30
102687890
Products developed by Rey Johnson
folder 35
102687894
RAMAC project information
1954-1957
folder 32 & 33
102687891
Rey Johnson project ideas 1933-1963
1933-1963
Physical Description: 2 folders
folder 36
102687895
Rey Johnson speeches about RAMAC
1984-1988
folder 31
102687860
Test punch cards
August 20, 1948
folder 34
102687893
Test scoring machine
1978
folder 37
102687896
Various pamphlets and articles on hard drive advancements since RAMAC
1962-1994
box Misc oversize 2, folder 9
102687897
Technical Reminiscences, volumes I & II
