Guide to the Harry D. Huskey papers

Finding aid prepared by Sherwin Sabado and staff

Computer History Museum

1401 N. Shoreline Blvd.

Mountain View, CA, 94043

(650) 810-1010

research@computerhistory.org

2006, revised 2011 and 2015

Title: Harry D. Huskey papers

Identifier/Call Number: X3247.2006 and X3462.2006

Contributing Institution: Computer History Museum

Language of Material: English

Physical Description: 2.54 Linear feet, 4 manuscript boxes, 1 flat box

Date (bulk): Bulk, 1945-1955

Date (inclusive): 1937-2004

Abstract: Harry D. Huskey was a mathematician who became a pioneer in the field of computer science. During his career, he worked on early and important computing systems such as the ENIAC, EDVAC, Pilot ACE, and SWAC. He also dedicated a significant amount of time to establishing and promoting computer education in both the United States and abroad. Ranging in date from 1937 to 2004, the Harry D. Huskey Papers document Huskey's work in computer science, with the bulk of the collection pertaining to the EDVAC and SWAC. The collection includes technical reports and papers, manuals, meeting minutes, product data sheets, newsletters, conference proceedings, correspondence, handwritten notes, a personal journal, an autobiography, and photographs.

creator: Huskey, Harry D., 1916-

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], Harry D. Huskey papers, Lot X[#], Box [#], Folder [#], Catalog [#], Computer History Museum.

Note: For this collection the lot number citation will either be X3247.2006 or X3462.2006.

Immediate Source of Acquisition

The Harry D. Huskey papers were donated by Dr. Huskey to the Computer History Museum in two donations. Lot number X3247.2006 was donated in August 2005 and contains photographs, manuals, technical reports, and Dr. Huskey’s autobiography. Lot number X3462.2006 was donated by Huskey in February 2006 and contains his personal journal dating from 1948 to 1952, as well as materials related to the National Bureau of Standards and the development of the Standards Western Automatic Computer.

Biographical Note

Harry Douglas Huskey was born on January 19, 1916 in Bryson City, North Carolina, and grew up in Idaho. He received a Bachelor's degree in Mathematics from the University of Idaho in 1937. Upon graduation, Huskey spent a year studying mathematics and working as a teaching assistant at Ohio University. In 1939, he accepted another teaching assistant position at Ohio State University. Huskey received his Master's and Doctorate in Mathematics from Ohio State University in 1943. From 1943 to 1946 he taught mathematics at the University of Pennsylvania while working part time on the Electronic Numerical Integrator and Computer (ENIAC) and Electronic Discrete Variable Automatic Computer (EDVAC) at the Moore School of Electrical Engineering.

In 1947, Huskey spent a year working at the National Physical Laboratory in Teddington, United Kingdom, where he worked alongside Alan Turning on the Pilot Automatic Computing Engine (ACE) and other projects.

In 1948, Huskey returned to the United States and began working in Los Angeles, CA, where he designed and managed the construction of the National Bureau of Standards Western Automatic Computer (SWAC). He worked at the National Bureau of Standards until 1954, when he joined the faculty of the University of California, Berkeley. While at Berkeley, he designed the G-15, which was manufactured and sold by the Bendix Aviation Corporation.

Huskey joined the faculty of the newly formed University of California, Santa Cruz in 1967. There, he dedicated a significant amount of time to bringing computer science and technology to universities in countries around the world. He also contributed to Ford Foundation and USAID-supported projects in India at I.I.T. Kanpur and Delhi University, as well as a UNESCO-funded project at Yangon University in Burma (Myanmar). Huskey retired in 1986, at age 70.

Scope and Content of the Collection

Ranging in date from 1937 to 2004, the Harry D. Huskey Papers document Huskey's work in computer science. The collection includes technical reports and papers, manuals, meeting minutes, product data sheets, newsletters, conference proceedings, correspondence, handwritten notes, a personal journal, an autobiography, and photographs.

The bulk of the collection is comprised of reports, manuals, and scholarly articles pertaining to Huskey's work on the EDVAC, Pilot ACE at the National Physical Laboratory, and SWAC between 1945 and 1955. Huskey's journal documents his daily work and the development of the National Bureau of Standards and SWAC between 1948 and 1952.

Of note are meeting minutes of the Applied Mathematics Executive Council (AMEC) from 1948 to 1952. Additionally, Huskey's 2004 autobiography Harry D. Huskey: His Story, which describes both his personal life and professional career, is included in the collection.

Photographs include portraits of Huskey throughout his career, images of SWAC components, promotional images of Huskey with SWAC, and an image of Huskey's Bendix G-15 computer at the Smithsonian.

Arrangement

The collection is arranged into 2 series:

Series 1, Printed Materials, 1945-2004, bulk 1945-1955

Series 2, Photographs, 1937-2001, bulk 1949-1954

Related Collections at CHM

Husky, Harry oral history, Lot X3455.2006, catalog number 102657983.

Subjects and Indexing Terms

ACE (Automatic Computing Engine)

AMEC (Applied Mathematics Executive Council)

Bendix Corporation

EDVAC (Computer)

ENIAC (Computer)

National Bureau of Standards (U.S.)

National Physical Laboratory (Great Britain)

Swac computer

Printed Materials, Series 1, Bulk, 1945-1955 1945-2004

Language of Material: English

Series Scope and Content

This series contains printed materials relating to Huskey's work in computer science, the bulk of which date from 1945 to 1955. The majority of the materials, including manuals, technical reports, and papers, relate to the EDVAC, Pilot ACE, and SWAC. There are a small number of handwritten notes, both on separate sheets of paper as well as on typed documents. This series also includes meeting minutes from the AMEC, a letter from the War Department addressing what information about the ENIAC and EDVAC could be used by Huskey in his professional work, and a product data sheet for the G-15 computer. Huskey's journal, which contains detailed notes of each work day and includes interfiled correspondence and handwritten notes from between 1948 and 1952, is also included in this series. This series is arranged chronologically.

102659484 EDVAC documents from United States patent office 1945-1968

102659478 First draft of a report on the EDVAC 1946-06-30

102659480 Progress report on the EDVAC (Electronic Discrete Variable Computer) 1946-06-30

102726096 8 index computer description and schematics 1947

102659482 Letter from G. F. Powell to Harry Huskey 1947-03-18

102659479 The EDVAC : a preliminary report on logic and design 1948-02-16

102660277 Progress report on the automatic computing engine 1948-04

102660146 Symposia on modern calculating machinery and numerical methods: July 23, 30, 31, 1948 1948-07

102659483 Applied Mathematics Executive Council (AMEC) minutes and handwritten notes 1948-1952

102659486 H. D. Huskey journal 1948-1952

102660147 Proceedings of a second symposium on large-scale digital calculating machinery 1949-09; 1951

102659485 Manual of the SWAC computing system with handwritten technical notes and diagrams 1949-1954

102660152 Characteristics of the Institute of Numerical Analysis 1950-04

102660150 National Bureau of Standards: Technical news bulletin; The bulletin: A monthly publication of the Los Angeles section Institute of Radio Engineers 1950-1953

102660151 SWAC technical notes and papers 1950-1953

102660149 SWAC technical reports and manuals 1950-1953

102660278 Preliminary copy of engineering manual for the National Bureau of Standards Western Automatic Computer 1950-01

102659481 Report on the pilot model of the automatic computing engine 1951-09

102660148 Performance of electronic components in the SWAC 1952-09

102660487 Manual of the SWAC computing system 1954-1956

102660145 Computer development (SEAC and DYSEAC) at the National Bureau of Standards Washington, D.C . 1955-01-25

102659487 Bendix model G-15 datasheet ca. 1960

102659488 Harry D. Huskey : his story 2004

Photographs, Series 2, Bulk, 1949-1954 circa 1937-2001

Language of Material: English

Series Scope and Content

This series contains photographic prints from 1937 to 2001. Subjects include SWAC, the Bendix G-15, and portraits of Huskey throughout his career. This series is arranged chronologically.

102652157 Portrait of a young Harry Huskey ca. 1937

102652153 Harry Huskey portrait ca. 1940

102630793 Harry Huskey watching the construction of the SWAC computer ca. 1949

102652150 Harry Huskey watching the construction of the SWAC computer ca. 1949

102652151 Harry Huskey working at his desk ca. 1949

102652146 Harry Huskey in front of the SWAC computer console ca. 1950

102652148 Harry Huskey in front of the SWAC computer holding a module ca. 1950

102652147 Harry Huskey sitting in front of the SWAC computer console ca. 1950

102652142 SWAC chassis ca. 1950

102652145 SWAC chassis front view ca. 1950

102652144 SWAC chassis front view ca. 1950

102652143 SWAC chassis rear view ca. 1950

102652139 Set of 3 plug in tubes and transistor board ca. 1950

102710649 The SWAC System Console ca. 1950

102652152 Three woman sitting in front of a computer ca. 1950

102652140 Harry Huskey sits in front of the SWAC ca. 1951

102652149 The SWAC System 1953

102652154 Harry Huskey portrait ca. 1954

102652155 Harry Huskey portrait ca. 1975

102652137 Bendix G-15 computer on display in a museum ca. 1989

102652156 Harry Huskey portrait ca. 1990

102652138 Harry Huskey portrait ca. 2001