[1401_interest] Re: Nov 10th: 50th anniversary celebration of the IBM 1401 at the Computer History Museum, California.

[jhmccarthy at aol.com]

Robert:  Thanks for the invite, and getting the word about the 
gathering in Endicott, as well. As you know, I will certainly be 
attending the November 10th 1401 reunion in Mountain View, CA. This 
note is to correct the attached notice concerning the date of the 
Endicott gathering.  It is scheduled for Thursday August 6th and if 
appropriate may spill over to Friday August 7th. It will, most likely, 
be an informal gathering for all who consider themselves a member of 
the 1401 Family and / or anyone who wants to be part of the 1400 
Family.

 Best regards -----    Jud (Justin)

-----Original Message-----
From: Robert B Garner <robgarn at us.ibm.com>
To: 1401_all at computerhistory.org
Cc: Matthew McMahon <mattm at us.ibm.com>; Nicholas Donofrio 
<nmd at us.ibm.com>; Robert B Garner <robgarn at us.ibm.com>; 
robgarn at mac.com; sisherwood at earthlink.net; ftang at computerhistory.org; 
Ed Thelen <ed at ed-thelen.org>; jhmccarthy at aol.com; 
georgewwalker at yahoo.com; opawalt at gmail.com; bsouza6280 at aol.com; 
qccsj at comcast.net; dalefisk at gmail.com; EWPugh at aol.com; 
bochannek at computerhistory.org; spicer at computerhistory.org; Paul 
Lasewicz <lasewicp at us.ibm.com>; ahoagland at gmail.com; len at shustek.com; 
kkroslowitz at computerhistory.org; somers at computerhistory.org; 
lsilver at computerhistory.org; mwichary at gmail.com; 
conniemom100 at yahoo.com; Mark Dean <medean at us.ibm.com>; 
brooks at cs.unc.edu; SBelle4612 at aol.com; gbell at microsoft.com; 
kbleher8 at hotmail.com; Michael Melas <mmelas at us.ibm.com>; 
sellam at vintagetech.com; Libby.Craft at pgrp.net; John Deane 
<j3hk at ihug.com.au>; Max Burnet <mburn
et at bigpond.net.au>; David Hawley 
<davidhawley at optusnet.com.au>
Sent: Fri, Jun 12, 2009 7:27 pm
Subject: Nov 10th: 50th anniversary celebration of the IBM 1401 at the 
Computer History Museum, California.

Dear IBM 1401 founders, CHM restoration
team, and computing history aficionados



I would like to cordially invite you
to the Computer History Museum's Nov 10th celebration of the 50th 
anniversary
of the announcement of the IBM 1401 -- the "world's first popular
general business computer."



The event will be graciously hosted
by Jon Iwata, IBM's Senior VP of Marketing and Communications.  The
agenda includes an evening program with presentations by the 1401 
program
manager Chuck Branscomb, marketing lead Shel Jacobs and a video of Fran
Underwood, its lead architect.  Earlier in the day, we're planning
on a reunion of members of the original 1401 hardware, software, 
manufacturing,
support, and marketing team members who are able to make it.  We'll
also be demonstrating the two restored 1401 tape systems on Monday the
9th and continuing through Tuesday the 10th.



Please don't hesitate to spread the
word (i.e., forward this email!) or ask Jud &lt;jhmccarthy at aol.com&gt;,
the reunion coordinator, or me &lt;robgarn at mac.com&gt; any questions. 
(Jud
is also planning another 1401 team reunion in Endicott on Aug 8th.) 
 We'll
maintain information about the 1401 event here:

        http://www.ed-the
len.org/1401Project/Reunion.html



And please let us know of any 1401 member
contact info not on Jud's massive compendium of original 1400 family 
team
members:  

        
http://www.ed-thelen.org/1401Project/JM-1401,40&60Names090531.html



Here is the 1401 event's draft announcement
flyer, which will be posted on the Museum's event web site and sent to
previous attendees of Museum lectures.  (After the event is posted,
you'll need to register for the event at the Museum web site if you can
make it.)  The Museum's web site is:  http://www.computerhistory.org/




Computer History Museum

The 50th Anniversary of the
Legendary IBM 1401




Please join us for a
special celebration of the 50th anniversary of the announcement
of the IBM 1401 Data Processing System, the world's first popular 
general
business computer.  Activities will include presentations by the 
original
1401 management and marketing team leaders and a Q&A panel session.
 We'll also acknowledge the restoration of two recovered IBM 1401s
by a team of Museum volunteers and offer live demos of the running 
systems
during the day.



The IBM 1401 was the first computer
widely adopted by businesses and institutions worldwide. Announced in 
1959,
it was one of IBM’s earliest transistorized computers and led a movement
away from seven decades of punched-card accounting machines. The most 
comm
on
computer during most of the 1960s, by the middle of that decade half of
all computers in the world were 1401s or members of its family. The 1401
brought the benefits stored-program computing to the general business 
marketplace
while its tape and disk configurations freed users from the practice of
storing data records on punched cards.



Known as a “small-scale"
computer, a 1401 system weighted 2-to-4 tons, dissipated 12,000 watts,
and comprised half a million parts!  In today's dollars, a typical
system rented for $45,000 a month or was purchasable for $3.4 million.
The 1401's popularity was due in part to its legendary peripherals, 
including
its chain-based 1403 printer whose speed and outstanding print quality
made it into an industry workhorse.

Speakers and Panelists:

Jon Iwata,
IBM Senior VP, Marketing & Communications

Charles Branscomb,
IBM 1401 Program Manager, 1957 - 1960

Sheldon Jacobs,
IBM 1401 Marketing Lead, 1958 - 1960

Robert Garner,
 Volunteer lead, 1401 restoration project at Computer History Museum






Where
 
Computer History Museum

Hahn Auditorium

1401 N. Shoreline Blvd.

Mountain View, CA 94043

Directions





When
 
Tuesday, November 10, 2009

6 pm Member Reception

7 pm Program

Wine provided by The Mountain Winery





I look forward to seeing you on Nov
10th -- it should
 be fun!



- Robert