Guide to the George R. Trimble Jr. collection
Finding aid prepared by Bo Doub, Kim Hayden, and Sara Chabino Lott
Processing of this collection was made possible through generous funding from The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, administered
through the Council on Library and Information Resources' Cataloging Hidden Special Collections and Archives grant.
Computer History Museum
1401 N. Shoreline Blvd.
Mountain View, CA, 94043
(650) 810-1010
research@computerhistory.org
May 2015
Title: George R. Trimble Jr. collection
Identifier/Call Number: X4586.2008
Contributing Institution:
Computer History Museum
Language of Material:
English
Physical Description:
10.0 Linear feet,
8 record cartons
Date (bulk): Bulk, 1955-1975
Date (inclusive): 1948-2000
Abstract: The George R. Trimble Jr. collection contains reports, papers, manuals, correspondence, conference proceedings, and notes
that document Trimble’s career in computer and data processing design and development from 1948 to 2000, with the bulk of
the collection from 1955 to 1975. Materials come from Trimble’s work at the Ballistic Research Laboratory at Aberdeen Proving
Ground, IBM, Computer Usage Company, Penta Computer Associates, and as an independent consultant. Projects Trimble worked
on include programming the ENIAC computer, design and software development of the IBM 650 and 700 series computers, design
of traffic control and transit systems, and software and system design for companies like Lockheed Electronics Company and
Texas Instruments. The collection also includes manuals, reports, and papers authored by Trimble.
Processing Information
Collection processed by Bo Doub and Kim Hayden, May 2015.
Access Restrictions
The collection is open for research.
Publication Rights
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.
Preferred Citation
[Identification of Item], [Date], George R. Trimble Jr. collection, Lot X4586.2008, Box [#], Folder [#], Catalog [#], Computer
History Museum.
Immediate Source of Acquisition
Gift of Helen Trimble, 2007.
Biographical/Historical Note
George R. Trimble Jr. was born April 26, 1929, in Elkton, Maryland. He received his BA from St. John's College in Annapolis,
Maryland, in 1948, and his master's degree in mathematics from the University of Delaware in Newark in 1952.
In 1948, Trimble began working at the Computing Laboratory of the Ballistic Research Laboratories at Aberdeen Proving Ground
in Aberdeen, Maryland, where he contributed to the programming and development of the ENIAC, EDVAC, ORDVAC computers as well
Bell Laboratories and International Business Machine's (IBM) relay calculators. He joined IBM's research labs in Endicott,
New York, in 1952 and worked as a senior staff member of the Applied Science Division where he helped design many of IBM's
early computers, including the 650 and 700 series systems, and wrote one of the first commercially available software programs
for the 650.
Trimble moved on to Computer Usage Company (CUC) in 1956, spending 12 years at the software development company as corporate
technical director of systems programming. While at CUC, he supervised major application programs and was involved in most
of the company's projects, including heading the design of a computer-based air traffic control system for the Federal Aviation
Administration and the development of software and an operating system for the Texas Instruments Advanced Scientific Computer.
In 1968, Trimble left CUC and went to Penta Computer Associates as the vice president of research and development. At Penta,
he worked on the design and development of applications, mainly real-time and systems programming, and conceived and developed
Penta's KeyLogic data entry system. Trimble left Penta in 1971 after it was acquired by REDCOR and began working as an independent
consultant with his own business, T-Logic. Projects Trimble worked on as a consultant include the design of personal rapid
transit systems for the U.S. Department of Transportation's Urban Mass Transportation Administration and the creation of software
for companies like Mergenthaler Linotype Company and Lockheed Electronics Company, among others. Trimble also led seminars
and talks on computing around the world. He died March 13, 2007.
Scope and Content of the Collection
The George R. Trimble Jr. collection contains technical papers, conference proceedings, and manuals from Trimble's work at
institutions including the Ballistic Research Laboratory and Computer Usage Company, as well as records from Trimble's projects
as an independent consultant. The majority of the collection's independent consulting reports relate to the Mergenthaler 5500
System and also personal rapid transit system projects for the Urban Mass Transportation Administration. A significant amount
of the technical papers and conference proceedings in this collection were authored by Trimble and relate to his work at BRL,
CUC, and Penta Computer Associates, though writings by others are also included. Small amounts of promotional materials and
catalogs are interfiled with technical papers and manuals when they are related to the same programs and products. The collection
spans 1948 through 2000 with the bulk of the collection being from 1955 to 1975 during Trimble's years at CUC, Penta Computer
Associates, and as an independent consultant.
Arrangement
The collection is arranged into 4 series:
Series 1, Projects, 1966-1995, bulk 1972-1975
Series 2, Technical papers, notes, and program descriptions, 1948-2000, bulk 1952-1982
Series 3, Conference proceedings, 1952-2000, bulk 1953-1974
Series 4, Manuals and specifications, 1966-1988, bulk 1968-1973
Related Collections at CHM
Professional Services History Meeting, Lot X3805.2007, Catalog number 102657948.
Subjects and Indexing Terms
Computer engineering
Computer software--Development
Computer systems--Handbooks, manuals, etc.
Computer systems--Specifications
Computer Usage Company
Personal rapid transit
Trimble, George R., Jr.
Projects, Series 1,
Bulk, 1972-1975
1966-1995
Language of Material:
English
Series Scope and Content
This series contains materials related to Trimble's work as an independent consultant after he left Penta Computer Associates
in 1971. Materials consist mainly of reports, correspondence, and notes related to projects that Trimble worked on dating
from 1966 to 1995, with the bulk of materials from 1972 to 1975. The largest portion of this series is made up of reports
for personal rapid transit system projects for the Urban Mass Transportation Administration. Another large portion of this
series consists of reports and manuals, most of which were authored by Trimble, for the Mergenthaler 5500 System. There are
also records related to a rejected patent application for Trimble's Computer Tutor, Penta project proposals from Trimble's
time with the company, and folders containing records related to Penta, KeyLogic, and Penta's acquisition by REDCOR, including
press releases, promotional material, photographs, clippings about Trimble, and his letter of resignation. This series is
arranged alphabetically by folder title.
102734237
Advanced Group Rapid Transit System (AGRT)
1975-09
102680144
Commodity activity display board
1980-1981
102672848
Computer Tutor
1962-1974; bulk 1972-1974
102672672
Data General Corp. antitrust litigation
1980
102672838
Debevoise &test Plimpton communication system
1983
102734235
Dual Mode Transit System (DMTS)
1973-1974
102734179
High Performance Personal Rapid Transit (HPPRT)
1972-1975
102680146
Interact
1980-1981
102672843
Lockheed Electronics Company project proposals
1972-1974
102734236
Mergenthaler 5500 System
1966-1978; bulk 1977-1978
102672844
NetWeave Corp. manual project and sale records
1995-2000
102734240
Penta Computer Associates Inc. and REDCOR Corp.
1969-1974
102672841
Penta Computer Associates Inc. proposals
1970
102672673
Sombers business development agreement
1989
Technical papers, notes, and program descriptions, Series 2,
Bulk, 1952-1982
1948-2000
Language of Material:
English
Series Scope and Content
This series contains technical papers, notes, articles, and correspondence relating to various computing machines, software,
and companies that Trimble was associated with. Some of the earliest papers in this series were written by Trimble and others
during work at the Ballistic Research Laboratory at Aberdeen Proving Ground in Aberdeen, Maryland, in the early 1950s. This
material also includes writings about BRL written at later dates. Other institutions represented as either publishers or clients
in these records include Auerbach Info Inc., Computer Usage Company, IBM, Penta Computer Associates Inc., Lockheed Electronics
Co., Texas Instruments, Gilbarco Inc., and Amtrak. A small amount of promotional material, brochures, and newsletters are
interfiled with papers that address the same products and companies. Other topics covered in this series include the Monte
Carlo Method, ENIAC, linear programming, Project MAC (for multiple access, time-shared computers), work performed at the Los
Alamos Scientific Laboratory, the CPC Model II, and systems addressing transportation technologies. This series is arranged
chronologically.
102672671
Computing machines, programming, and statistical methods
1948-1994
102672847
George R. Trimble Jr. writings
1951-2000
102672666
Ballistic Research Laboratory (BRL) at Aberdeen Proving Ground, Maryland
1952-1961
102734238
Auerbach data communications and handling reports
1969-1970
102672668
Penta Computer Associates, Inc.
1970
102672842
Lockheed Electronics Co.
1973-1974
102734256
Texas Instruments Professional Program Exchange (PPX)
1981-1982
102734239
Amtrak Centralized Electrification and Traffic Control (CETC) system
1982-1990
Conference proceedings, Series 3,
Bulk, 1953-1974
1952-2000
Series Scope and Content
This series contains proceedings from conferences including the Deep South High-Speed Computer Conference (1954), various
Association for Computing Machinery (ACM) conferences and workshops, and the Third Australian Computer Conference (1966).
Many of the proceedings in this series feature papers and talks by Trimble. Trimble's work is featured in conferences and
educational symposia held by the American Management Association (AMA), the Computer Usage Company, Computer Usage Education,
Inc., and the University of Chicago Center for Continuing Education. The most recently published proceedings (2000) document
a symposium and celebration inspired by the 50th anniversary of the invention of the ENIAC, held at Aberdeen Proving Ground,
Maryland, in November 1996. These proceedings were bound and published by the United States Army Research Laboratory (ARL).
This series is arranged chronologically.
102734232
Association for Computing Machinery (ACM) proceedings
1952-1974
102734233
Computing equipment conferences
1953-1954
102672667
Conference and symposium proceedings featuring George R. Trimble Jr.
1957-1984
102734234
Proceedings of the Third Australian Computer Conference
1966
102672675
50 years of army computing : from ENIAC to MSRC
2000
Manuals and specifications, Series 4,
Bulk, 1968-1973
1966-1988
Language of Material:
English
Series Scope and Content
This series contains manuals, brochures, and product descriptions from computer companies from 1966 to 1988, with the bulk
of materials from 1968 to 1973. A few of the folders also include product catalogs, product price lists, order forms, worksheets,
sales agreements, and invoices. The REDCOR folders include a large corporation profile report of the company from 1970. This
series is foldered by company and arranged alphabetically by folder title.
102734192
A guide for software documentation
1969
102734246
Computer Machinery Corporation (CMC)
1970-1972
102734248
Digital Equipment Corp.
1969-1973
102734247
Entrex Inc.
1971-1974
102672846
Four-Phase Systems Inc.
1972-1973
102734254
General Computer Systems Inc.
1972-1973
102734250
Honeywell Inc.
1966-1968
102672669
IBM Card-Programmed Electronic Calculator (CPC)
ca. 1952-1954
102672845
Inforex Inc.
ca. 1972
102734241
Interdata Inc.
1968-1975
102734244
Lockheed Electronics Company Inc.
1971-1973
102734255
Logic Corp. and GTE Information Systems
ca. 1971
102734245
Mohawk Data Sciences Corp. (MDS)
1972
102734253
Prime Computer Inc.
1978-1979
102734249
Radio Shack TRS-80
1979-1981
102734251
REDCOR Corp.
1969-1970
102734243
Scientific Data Systems Inc. (SDS)
1966-1968
102734242
Texas Instruments Inc. (TI)
1968-1980
102672670
Training materials
1970; 1988-08-18
102672839
UNIVAC
1967-1968
102734252
Varian Data Machines
1968-1972; bulk 1968
