Burroughs
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Major Areas of the Burroughs History Section

Click on the areas below to explore!

 

We are actively seeking information  related to any of the topics presented on this page... please email info@smecc.org if you can be of assistance!

Thanks, Ed Sharpe archivist for SMECC

 

Burroughs' Future in Electronics

 

MRS. MARY HAWES   -  NMAA 
1959 Proceedings  - Data Processing

Mrs. Mary Hawes was the Senior Product Planning Analyst with the Burroughs Corporation -Electro Data Division.

 

Jack L. Aldridge 
Burroughs Field Engineer

 

Burroughs B-200

 

Burroughs Address to
Shareholders - 1959

President Ray R. Eppert
74th annual meeting held in Detroit
May
7, 1959

 
 

SAGE BUIC

 

 
 

Burroughs Office and 
Data Processing Supplies

burrou1.gif (214242 bytes)

This was distributed by the Burroughs Company of Detroit to promote its adding, bookkeeping, calculating and billing machines. The blotter pictures a wonderful old Burroughs "wide-carriage visible adding and listing machine." From the 20s?  Check the price out... $200 was a tue fortune back then!

The 30s? Click on it  to see a large image!

???

Burroughs What-Is-It Page
 Artifacts Needing Identification!

Be sure when you visit SMECC in Arizona to see the Burroughs calculators in the office automation display!
   

 

Ed Sharpe visits Jack Aldridge retired Burroughs Engineer.

 

   

Let GEORGE Do It!
Burroughs and TWA

 

 

Unfortunately, I no longer have any of the stuff that I had saved from GEORGE. Just too many moves since those days and things became less and less important to me over time.  The pitch line in those days was "Let George Do It" by the PR types for both Burroughs and TWA.  Burroughs hired me in '64 since they were looking for airline types and I had an fairly extensive airline background along with about 5 years of system programming experience in the data comm area for Eastern Airlines (ADX7300 in NY and Univac490 in CLT). 

 
GEORGE was to be TWA's first try at a passenger reservations system.  When hired, I heard that TWA had been going to go to IBM but somehow changed their mind and initially decided to use Burroughs hardware.  It was also said that TWA then expanded the choice to include system software development by Burroughs with TWA doing the applications software.  I cannot vouch for the veracity of this second hand info.
 
My first job was "reverse" programming and enhancing the "BUS" (Burroughs Utility System) program.  BUS was a functional package but largely in machine code and some assembly language and very minimal documentation.  Had to get it into a user friendly form with sufficient documentation to satisfy TWA.  One of the major BUS capabilities was a realtime debugging package under which application programs could be tested and problems trapped (along with system indications and registers at the time of failure) without crashing the entire system.
 
Burroughs decided to farm out the actual development of the data comm package to a software firm in NJ called DSA.  I ended up with the job of overseeing the design and development effort and being the interface between Burroughs and DSA. both at GVL and later on-site at TWA's Rockleigh, NJ new computer center for GEORGE.  I continued in this area until DSA completed the "COMPAC" package for Burroughs and it was proven to meet the contractual requirements.  I then moved into a Burroughs group doing conceptual system requirement design for future airline offerings with side work on in-house enhancements to the COMPAC package.
 
Eventually left Burroughs in 1969 and turned down a TWA job offer to stay with them on the GEORGE system.  Instead, became one of five principals in starting our own small company.  Coincidentally, not much later TWA pulled the plug on GEORGE, moved those employees who were considered important to the development of a new IBM PARS system to Kansas City and entered a law suit with Burroughs Corp.  I know TWA won the suit but don't know what was received other than a product that Burroughs later produced that provided the capability for an arriving airliner to be parked at an airport loading gate by the pilot (without help from ground personnel) though the use of a colored visual optical display called, I believe, BOLDS.  I was also told that this caused a union issue and never saw wide implementation.
 
For myself, After a lot of overseas travel, plus long commutes in the Philadelphia
area, I got tired of the east coast living and ended up actually working for TWA in '74 and retiring in '91 here in Kansas City.
 
 
E. "Mac" MacDonald KR0I
K.C., MO

 

 
There are videos (1960's) on youtube of three marketing films
for the Burroughs B5000, B5500 and B6500 systems:


B5000 <http://www.youtube. com/watch? v=K3q5n1mR9iM>
B5500 <http://www.youtube. com/watch? v=KswWJ6zvBUs>
B6500 <http://www.youtube. com/watch? v=rNBtjEBYFPk>

 
 What is happening here these seem to be a tower of binders or??

email couryhouse@smecc.org 


We finally got a scanner that  will scan  larger negatives .. sort of  nothing great!
Who are all the people  -  see  large shots below  This was a 4x5 copy negative
of a photograph  that someone had  taken  Jack Aldridge Collection at SMECC

 

Welcome to the Burroughs section it is under construction. Please click on links along the top of this page, or the sections on this page, to explore  all the Burroughs areas the face of the page is always updated last. Some works-in-progress can be seen in the  top of page links at time!  

 

Everyday we rescue items you see on these pages!
What do you have hiding in a closet or garage?
What could you add to the museum displays or the library?

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