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Title: Hewitt D. Crane papers
Identifier/Call Number: X4338.2008
Contributing Institution:
Computer History Museum
Language of Material:
English
Physical Description:
5.0 Linear feet,
4 record cartons
Date (inclusive): 1959-2005
Abstract: The Hewitt D. Crane papers document Crane’s time as an engineer and inventor at Stanford Research Institute (later renamed
SRI International), from 1956 to 2005. Included in the collection are materials related to some of the systems and products
he developed, including all-magnetic computing and logic systems, the Purkinje Image Eye-Tracker, handwriting verification
systems, and auditory neuroscience systems. Also included are manuscripts for his book “A Cubic Mile of Oil: Realities and
Options for Averting the Looming Global Energy Crisis” and a history of the winery he co-founded, Ridge Vineyards.
creator:
Crane, Hewitt D., 1927-2008
Collection processed by Bo Doub and Kim Hayden, 2015.
The collection is open for research.
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], Hewitt D. Crane papers, Lot X4338.2008, Box [#], Folder [#], Catalog [#], Computer History
Museum.
Immediate Source of Acquisition
Gift of Hewitt D. Crane family, 2007.
Hewitt D. Crane was born in Jersey City, New Jersey, in 1927. After serving in the United States Navy as a radar technician
during World War II, Crane studied electrical engineering at Columbia University, earning his BS in 1947, and Stanford University,
earning his doctorate in 1960. Crane’s first jobs in the computer industry were debugging an early facsimile system at Western
Union Research Laboratory (1948 to 1949), maintaining one of IBM’s earliest computers (the SSEC) (1949 to 1952), working on
the IAS computer project led by John von Neumann at the Institute for Advanced Study (1952 to 1955), and working on magnetic-core
memories at Sarnoff Research Laboratory (1955 to 1956).
In 1956, Crane moved to SRI International in Menlo Park, California, where he spent the rest of his career. His first project
at SRI was helping with the creation of ERMA (Electronic Recording Machine, Accounting), a pioneering automated check processing
system for Bank of America. Later projects included the study and development of all-magnetic computing and logic systems
(a prototype of a very early all-magnetic computer is in the collection of CHM), automatic focus optical systems, the Purkinje
Image Eye-Tracker, handwriting verification systems, optical character recognition, and auditory neuroscience. Crane was one
of SRI’s most prolific inventors with more than 70 patents and 70 published papers to his name. “A Cubic Mile of Oil: Realities
and Options for Averting the Looming Global Energy Crisis,” a book he authored with fellow SRI scientists Edwin Kinderman
and Ripudaman Malhotra, was published posthumously in 2010. In addition to his computer engineering career, Crane co-founded
Ridge Vineyards in Cupertino, California, in 1959. He died June 17, 2008, in Portola Valley, California.
Scope and Content of the Collection
The Hewitt D. Crane papers contain materials collected and primarily authored by Crane during his time as an engineer at Stanford
Research Institute (later renamed SRI International). Included in the collection are technical papers written by Crane, correspondence,
grant applications, personal narratives, and SRI International records relating to client contracts and project proposals.
The records span 1959 through 2007 with the bulk of the collection being from the early 1960s to the late 1980s. Highlights
in the collection include notes, articles, and contract agreements regarding Crane’s handwriting recognition system and eye
tracking technology. Also of interest are research and articles on all-magnetic computing systems, including one co-written
by Crane and Douglas Engelbart, and a wide variety of explorations of human-computer interaction and sensory augmentation
via computing systems. The collection contains very little documentation regarding Crane’s work on ERMA (Electronic Recording
Machine, Accounting) – SRI’s project for Bank of America to automate its check-processing operations. Mentions of ERMA are
limited to Crane’s biographical narratives.
The collection is arranged into 2 series:
Series 1, Writings, 1959-2005, bulk 1960-1990
Series 2, SRI proposals and contracts, 1972-1982
The Computer at the Institute for Advanced Study, photograph, Lot X2556.2003, Catalog number 102707323.
Magnetic logic computer, Lot X2915.2005, Catalog number X2915.2005.
SRI ARC/NIC records, Lot X3578.2006, Catalog number 102706170.
Subjects and Indexing Terms
Crane, Hewitt D.
Electrical engineering
Eye tracking
Magnetic logic
Optical character recognition
SRI International
Stanford Research Institute