Collection context
Summary
- Title:
- Paul Armer papers
- Dates:
- 1952-2006
- Creators:
- Armer, Paul, 1924-2016
- 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.
- Extent:
- 30.0 Linear feet, 24 record cartons
- Language:
- Preferred citation:
-
[Identification of Item], [Date], Paul Armer papers, Lot X6896.2014, Box [#], Computer History Museum.
Background
- Scope and content:
-
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.
- Biographical / historical:
-
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.
- Acquisition information:
- Gift of Paul and Joan Armer and family, 2013.
- Processing information:
-
Collection surveyed by Rita Wang, 2016.
- Rules or conventions:
- Describing Archives: A Content Standard
Indexed terms
About this collection guide
- Date Prepared:
- December 2016
- Date Encoded:
- This finding aid was produced using the Archivists' Toolkit 2017-01-04T08:21-0800
Access and use
- Restrictions:
-
The collection is open for research. However, the collection may require review by CHM staff before viewing.
- Terms of access:
-
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], Paul Armer papers, Lot X6896.2014, Box [#], Computer History Museum.
- Location of this collection:
-
1401 Shoreline Blvd.Mountain View, CA 94043, US
- Contact:
- (650) 810-1010