Descriptive Summary
Access
Publication Rights
Preferred Citation
Provenance
Biography / Administrative History
Scope and Content of Collection
Indexing Terms
Separated Material
Descriptive Summary
Title: Harwood G. Kolsky Papers
Dates: 1943 - 1998
Collection number: X3021.2005
Creator:
Kolsky, Harwood G.
Collection Size:
26 linear feet
20 cartons and one oversized box
Repository:
Computer History Museum
Abstract: The Harwood G. Kolsky collection is comprised of documents related to the development of super computers, microprocessors
and microcomputers, computer modeling, digital image processing, computer programming languages, as well as materials related
to teaching computer architecture and computer history. The collection primarily consists of technical papers and reports,
manuals, notes, promotional material, and correspondence related to Los Alamos National Laboratory and International Business
Machines (IBM) Corporation.
Physical location: For current information on the location of these materials, please consult the Library's online catalog.
Languages:
Languages represented in the collection:
English
Access
Collection is open for research.
Publication Rights
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], Harwood G. Kolsky Papers, Lot X3021.2005, Box [#], Folder [#], Computer History Museum
Provenance
Harwood G. Kolsky donated his papers to the Computer History Museum in 2005.
Biography / Administrative History
Harwood G. Kolsky, an emeritus professor of computer engineering from the University of California, Santa Cruz (UCSC), was
a physicist who became a computer scientist well before that field was a recognized department of academic learning. He worked
on many early computers and their applications and architectures. Later in his career he directed a variety of projects involving
programming languages, scientific applications, and digital image processing.
Kolsky was born on January 18, 1921. He received a B.S. degree in Engineering Physics from the University of Kansas in 1943.
He was in the U.S. Army's Central Pacific Signal Corps from 1943 to 1946. In 1950 he was awarded a Ph.D. in Physics from Harvard
University.
In 1957, after seven years at the Los Alamos National Laboratory, he joined International Business Machines (IBM) working
out of the Poughkeepsie, New York facility. He was a member of the product planning group for the STRETCH (IBM 7030) computer.
In 1959, he became assistant manager of the IBM Federal Systems Division (FSD) office in Omaha, Nebraska. Kolsky was named
manager of the systems science department of IBM's San Jose Research Laboratory in 1961. In 1962, he headed an advanced technology
group in the Advanced Systems Development Division at Los Gatos, California. He joined the Palo Alto Scientific Center when
it was formed in 1964 as manager of the atmospheric physics group. Later, he headed projects in programming languages, microprogramming,
and digital image processing.
Dr. Kolsky was named an IBM Fellow in 1969. He served on the IBM Corporate Technical Committee at Armonk, New York from 1974
to 1975. He was also head of the Board of Consultants for the IBM European Scientific Centers. He published over 30 papers
and was a member of four professional societies.
In 1985, he joined the newly-formed UCSC Computer Engineering department as a visiting professor. In 1986, he retired from
IBM and began a new career as a full-time professor at UCSC. At UCSC, Kolsky helped manage research projects and taught courses
in computer architecture and computer history until his retirement in 1996.
Kolsky is married to Frances Cilek Kolsky, also a 1943 graduate of the University of Kansas. She taught high school while
Harwood was in the Army. The Kolskys have four children and three grandchildren.
Scope and Content of Collection
The Harwood G. Kolsky collection contains his personal papers accumulated throughout his professional life as a physicist
and computer scientist. The papers are arranged chronologically from earliest to latest date of creation, and are mostly comprised
of technical papers and reports, manuals, notes, promotional material, and correspondence. They relate to all aspects of his
professional life.
Most of the early papers document Dr. Kolsky's professional and personal experiences living and working in Los Alamos at the
National Laboratory. The largest group of materials relate to his career with IBM and include technical reports and papers,
brochures and promotional materials, as well as correspondence and notes related to significant projects. Projects documented
include the development of the STRETCH (IBM 7030) computer, various computer simulation projects, and digital image processing
projects.
His professorship at UCSC is documented through campus publications, course documents, and lecture notes. Of note are his
lecture materials related to computer history.
Some items related to the IBM 7030 (STRETCH) computer have been scanned and are available on the Computer History Museum's
website.
Indexing Terms
The following terms have been used to index the description of this collection in
the library's online public access catalog.
Computers
Computer industry
Computer simulation
Digital image processing
Image processing Digital techniques
Programming languages (Electronic Computers)
Kolsky, Harwood G.
International Business Machines Corporation
International Business Machines Corporation. Federal Systems Division
International Business Machines Corporation. San Jose Research Laboratory
International Business Machines Corporation. Advanced Systems Development Division
International Business Machines Corporation. Palo Alto Scientific Center
IBM 7030 (Computer)
Los Alamos National Laboratory
Supercomputer industry
Supercomputers
University of California, Santa Cruz. Dept. of Computer Engineering
Separated Material