Collection context
Summary
- Title:
- Guide to the Rey Johnson Papers
- Dates:
- 1933-1998
- Creators:
- Johnson, Rey
- 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.
- Extent:
- 1 linear foot 1 box
- Language:
- Languages represented in the collection: English
- Preferred citation:
-
[Identification of Item], [Date], Rey Johnson papers, Lot X3312.2006, Box [#], Folder [#], Computer History Museum
Background
- Scope and content:
-
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.
- Biographical / historical:
-
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.
- Acquisition information:
- The Rey Johnson papers were donated by his son, David R. Johnson, to the Computer History Museum in 2005.
- Arrangement:
-
- Series 1. Corporate papers
- Series 2. Personal papers
- Series 3. Inventions and projects
- Rules or conventions:
- Finding aid prepared using Describing Archives: a Content Standard
Indexed terms
About this collection guide
- Date Prepared:
- © 2007
- Date Encoded:
- Machine-readable finding aid created by Elizabeth Borchardt. Machine-readable finding aid derived from MS Word. Date of source: August 23, 2007.
Access and use
- Restrictions:
-
Collection is open for research.
- Terms of access:
-
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
- Location of this collection:
-
1401 Shoreline Blvd.Mountain View, CA 94043, US
- Contact:
- (650) 810-1010