RS 13/20/51
John Vincent Atanasoff (1903-1995)

Papers, 1925-2003

Special Collections Department
403 Parks Library
Iowa State University
Ames, IA 50011-2140


Descriptive summary

creator:

John Vincent Atanasoff (1903-1995)

title:

 Papers

dates:

 1925-2003

 extent:

 21.16 linear feet (39 manuscript boxes, 3 records center cartons, 1 map case folder)

collection number:

 RS  13/20/51  

 repository:

University Archives, Special Collections Department, Iowa State University.

Administrative information

access:

 Open for research

publication rights:

 Consult Head, Special Collections Department

preferred citation:

 John Vincent Atanasoff Papers, RS 13/20/51, Special Collections Department, Iowa State University Library.

 

 Biographical note

 
John Vincent Atanasoff was born in 1903 in New York State. His father was a Bulgarian immigrant named Ivan (John) Atanasov and his mother was Iva Lucena Purdy, a mathematics schoolteacher. The couple had nine children and resided in Brewster, Florida, during John Vincent’s childhood.  As a young child, Atanasoff was very interested in mathematical principles and studied calculus at the age of 9.  He completed high school in two years and in 1921, he entered the University of Florida in Gainesville.  He graduated from the University of Florida with a B.S. (1925) in electrical engineering and accepted a teaching position from Iowa State College.   

Atanasoff received his masters degree (1926) in mathematics from Iowa State College, and a few days later, he married Lura Meeks.  They had three children: Elsie, Joanne and John II.  He completed his doctoral thesis, "The Dielectric Constant of Helium," at the University of Wisconsin and received his Ph.D. in theoretical physics in 1930.  In the fall of 1930 he became a member of the Iowa State College faculty as assistant professor in mathematics and physics. Atanasoff began developing a computation method for solving complicated math problems in a faster, more efficient way. He was promoted to associate professor (1936) of both mathematics and physics.  

 Atanasoff continued to struggle with the development of a faster computation system and in 1937 developed basic concepts for his computing machine.  After receiving a grant of $650 from Iowa State College in March 1939, Atanasoff  hired an electrical engineering student, Clifford E. Berry, to assist him. From 1939 until 1941 they worked at developing and improving the ABC, Atanasoff-Berry Computer, as it was later named. When the United States entered World War II, the work on the computer came to a halt. Although Iowa State College had hired a Chicago patent lawyer, Richard R. Trexler, the patenting of the ABC was never completed.  

In September of 1942 Atanasoff left for a defense-related position at the Naval Ordnance Laboratory in Washington, D.C. and became Chief of the Acoustics Division.   By 1948 the Atanasoff-Berry Computer had been removed from the Physics Building and dismantled.  Neither Atanasoff nor Clifford Berry were ever notified that the computer was going to be destroyed.  

In 1949 Atanasoff and his wife Lura were divorced.  Lura moved with the children to Denver, Colorado. In the same year, John Atanasoff married Alice Crosby.

In 1949 he became chief scientist for the Army Field Forces and he then returned to Washington as director (1950-1951) of the Navy Fuse Program at the Naval Ordnance Laboratory. In 1952 he established The Ordnance Engineering Corporation, a research and engineering company in Rockville, Maryland, with his friend and former student, David Beecher. The company was sold to Aerojet General Corporation in 1957, and he became Manager of its Atlantic Division from 1957-1959 and Vice President from 1959-1961. In 1961 he retired.  

Although the ABC was never patented, it was part of major court case in the 1960s and 1970s.  In Honeywell v. Sperry Rand, Sperry Rand was attempting to establish the validity of patent rights they had purchased from J. Presper Eckert and John W. Mauchly. These rights included the Electronic Numerical Integrator (ENIAC) which Eckert and Mauchly had patented in 1964. Honeywell, Inc. was trying to establish that Mauchly had obtained important concepts used in the ENIAC from examination of a device known as the Atanasoff-Berry Computer, during a visit to Iowa State in June, 1941. In his decision (1973), the judge agreed that the concepts used in developing ENIAC were based on Atanasoff’s work with the ABC.  

Atanasoff received numerous awards and honors including: the U.S. Navy Distinguished Service Award (1945); Order of Cyril and Methodius (1970);

Iowa Inventors Hall of Fame (1974); Governor's Science Medal (1985);

Holley Medal, American Society of Mechanical Engineers (1985) and the Coors American Ingenuity Award (1986) and the National Medal of Technology (1990).  

After a long illness, Atanasoff died of a stroke on 15 June 1995 at his home in Maryland.  

 

 Collection Description


Series 1, Biographical records (1930-1995), contains biographical sketches and personnel records, newspaper and printed clippings, photographs and scanned image printouts, certificates, oral history interviews with Atanasoff; material from Clark Mollenhoff’s book, “Atanasoff : Forgotten Father of the Computer” (1988), and other published material concerning Atanasoff, awards information, correspondence relating to computer exhibitions and the 1990 trip to Bulgaria, 2 audiotapes, and a film script.  

Series 2, Correspondence (1929-1993), contains a wide variety of professional correspondence from colleagues, friends, and students from throughout Atanasoff’s career.  Correspondents include George Gross, Sam Legvold, Max Munk, Bob Vaile, Jay Woodrow, and Iowa State College (later University).  Several folders of 1993 celebratory birthday cards received from Maryland elementary school children are also in this series.  

Atanasoff was involved with the Aerojet Corporation in the late 1950s, and their records are contained in Series 3, Business records (1956-1961).  Included are memorandum and correspondence concerning company proposals.  The proposals include the development of automation systems, bacteriological weapons, and a satellite program.  

Series 4, Invention records (1930-1981), contains records relating to Atanasoff’s inventions, beginning prior to World War II and extending through to the 1970s.  The files contain notes, information, and drawings relating to the following inventions: an electrical clock (1936); cathode-ray tub and low-frequency detection device (World War II-era); electronic chassis (late 1940s); and several inventions relating to his home in Maryland, including the house itself, a hog house, a dryer for vegetables, and a seeder.  

Atanasoff’s research notes and published materials relating to his career are in Series 5, Research and publications (1926-1986, n.d.).  There are reprint articles, notes for speeches, translations, Iowa State College exam questions and coursework, quantum mechanics notes, portions of a book on underwater acoustics and sound, Naval Ordnance Laboratory project reports, and drafts of “The Advent of Electronic Digital Computing,” published in the Annals of the History of Computing in 1983.  

A large component of the Atanasoff papers is Series 6, Legal records (1925-1980, n.d.), which contains depositions, transcripts of proceedings, testimony, correspondence, black and white photographs, published materials, original notes and drawings, and a finding of fact for the case of Honeywell, Inc. v. Sperry-Rand.  The materials relate to the development of the ABC Computer, and depositions from Atanasoff, John Mauchly, and patent lawyer, Richard Trexler, and a full-length interview with Atanasoff are included.  The correspondents include Cliff Berry, Sam Legvold, Richard Trexler, and Iowa State College (University).  

Series 7, Language study records (1965-1980), contains published materials, notes, and correspondence, related to Atanasoff’s experimentation and study of the creation of a new alphabet.  Atanasoff firmly believed that a digital alphabet should be developed as the current alphabet was too difficult for children to learn.   

Series 8, Printed materials (1927-1993), consists of a varying amount of printed material, relating to Atanasoff’s research interest.  Included are reprint articles and theses of former students and other researchers, and articles and clippings relating to the history of computing.  

 

 Organization

The collection is organized into eight series:

Series 1, Biographical Records, 1930-1995, n.d. (listed alphabetically)
Series 2, Correspondence, 1929-1993, n.d. (listed alphabetically)
Series 3, Business Records, 1956-1961 (listed alphabetically)
Series 4, Invention Records, 1930-1981, n.d. (listed alphabetically)
Series 5, Research and Publications, 1926-1986, n.d. (listed alphabetically)
Series 6, Legal Records, 1925-1980, n.d. (listed chronologically)
Series 7, Language Study, 1965-1980, n.d. (listed alphabetically)
Series 8, Printed Materials, 1927-2003, n.d. (listed alphabetically)
 

 Description of series

 

 

Series 1

Biographical records, 1925-1995, n.d.

extent:

64 folders

description:

This series contains biographical sketches and personnel records; newspaper and printed clippings; photographs and scanned image printouts; certificates; oral history interviews with Atanasoff; material from Clark Mollenhoff’s book, “Atanasoff : Forgotten Father of the Computer” (1988) and other published material concerning Atanasoff; awards information; correspondence relating to computer exhibitions and the 1990 trip to Bulgaria; 2 audiotapes; and a film script.

 

Container list

 

Box

Folder

Title

Dates

41

 11

Addresses, awards, remarks

1974

41

 12

Addresses, awards, remarks

1980

41

 13

Addresses, awards, remarks

1981

20

 11

Allen McIntosh—article in IEEE

1984-1986

20

 12

Allen McIntosh—article in IEEE

1986-1989

Map case

 

Appointment to the Great Navy of Nebraska

1984

50

 

Award:  The National Medal of Technology

1990

21

 1

Awards and press clippings

1986-1990

41

 3

Biographical material

1974

41

 4

Biographical material

1974

41

 5

Biographical material

1981

41

 6

Biographical material

1983-1984

41

 7

Biographical material

1989-1999

41

 8

Biographical material (2 audio cassette tapes: All Things Considered)

1986-1995

41

1

Biographical materials

n.d.

41

 2

Biographical materials

1950-1976, n.d.

12

 1

Biographical sketch

n.d.

4

 13

Biographical sketches

n.d.

41

 22

Bulgaria trip

1970

22

 7

Bulgarian documentary correspondence

1989-1990

7

 1

Centennial Award (University of Florida)

1953

14

 14

Certificate of appreciation

1993

36

 17

Clipping

1985

46

 1

Clippings

1985-1992

46

 2

Clippings

1984

46

 3

Clippings

1942-1983, n.d.

22

 6

Computer exhibit clippings and correspondence

1990

20

 2

Correspondence with oral history interviewer, William Turner

1987-1991

Map case

 

Democrat Chronicle article featuring John Atanasoff in photograph

1960

49

4

“Dr. Atanasoff’s Computer” by Allan R. Mackintosh

1988

21

 7

Field notes (notebook)

1968

42

 8

Film: “From One John Vincent Atanasoff” Notes and initial treatment

1969-1979

42

 6

Film: “From One John Vincent Atanasoff” Script

1983

42

 7

Film: “From One John Vincent Atanasoff” Script

1981-1983

21

 13

Handwritten guidelines for using computer

1989

Map case

 

High school diploma

1920

34

 8

Honorary degree, Western Maryland College

1982-1984

20

 6

“How the Computer Revolution Started Fifty Years Ago,” by William Turner

1988

Map case

 

Iowa State College Master of Science Degree

1926

20

 10

List of patents (incomplete)

n.d.

41

 14

List of publications

1936-1942, n.d.

21

 9

Listing of data documents

1986-1988

21

 10

Listing of data documents

1983-1986

21

 12

Lists and calculator manuals

1985, n.d.

Map case

 

Maryland House of Representatives resolution

n.d.

Map case

 

Maryland State government: photographs upon declaring the resolution

1989

6

 5

Membership certificate

1948

8

 8

Memberships, notes, personnel information, house information, correspondence

1930-1941

21

 4

Mollenhoff ballad and memorial card

1988, n.d.

20

 9

Mollenhoff book, Chapters 11-15

ca. 1988

20

 7

Mollenhoff book, Chapters 1-5

ca. 1988

21

 5

Mollenhoff book, Chapters 16-20

ca. 1988

20

 8

Mollenhoff book, Chapters 6-10

ca. 1988

22

 11

Mollenhoff correspondence and information

1986-1990

22

 10

Mollenhoff release

n.d.

Map case

 

Mount St. Mary’s College Doctor of Humane Letters

ca. 1990

20

 5

Notes and reminiscences on Naval Ordnance Lab for oral history

1987

20

 3

Oral history transcript

1987

20

 4

Oral history transcript

1988

5

 17

Personnel contract

1950

4

 12

Personnel files and notes

1949-1952, n.d.

5

 18

Personnel forms

1948-1951

5

 19

Personnel records

1949-1950

Map case

 

Phi Kappa Phi, University of Florida Class of 1925

1925

41

 21

Photographs, 1940s-1950s (photocopies)

n.d.

Map case

 

Pi Mu Epsilon certificate of membership

1923

Map case

 

Poster: “The people behind computers: A brief history (2 copies and negative transparency)

n.d.

Map case

 

Poster: John Vincent Atanasoff lecture for the Digital Equipment Corporation: “The ABC Machine: Atanasoff-Berry Computer”

1980

21

 3

Presidential Medal

1990

4

 8

Publicity clippings

1960-1961

4

 10

Publicity clippings

1960-1961

21

 6

Reference chronology

n.d.

Map case

 

Russian poster

1983

12

 4

Scanned images (JVA), biographical sketches, birthday correspondence (elementary school)

ca. 1993

15

 2

Scanned images of JVA (color)

1993

38-39

 

See Series 5, Research and Publications; also see article, Annals of the History of Computing

ca. 1980-1983

Map case

 

Sigma Tau Epsilon chapter initiated March 12, 1924

1924

22

 8

Smithsonian exhibit clippings and correspondence

1988-1990

4

 9

Still photographs (6) of Atanasoff

1947-1950

Map case

 

University of Florida B.S. in Electrical Engineering

1925

 

Description of series

 

 

 

Series 2

Correspondence

1929-1993, n.d.

extent:

56 folders

description:

This series contains a wide variety of professional correspondence from colleagues, friends, and students from throughout Atanasoff’s career.  Correspondents include George Gross, Sam Legvold, Max Munk, Bob Vaile, Jay Woodrow, and Iowa State College (later University) departments and offices.  Several folders of 1993 celebratory birthday cards received from Maryland elementary school children are also included in this series.

Container list

Box

Folder

Title

Dates

2

 5

ABC exhibit at the State Historical Society of Iowa

1987

7

 2

A-E

1938-1942

34

 6

Alan Martin

1986

12

 8

Approximate solution research

1941

14

 18

Birthday cards and letters

1993

15

 3-15

Birthday cards and letters

1993

14

 17

Birthday cards and lettersand 6 color still photographs of Atanasoff web site

1993

14

 13

Birthday letters

1993

13

 11

Birthday letters (elementary school)

1993

5

 3

Bob Vaile (Stanford University)

1950-1960

11

 16

Charles P. Wells

1934-1938

3

 13

Computer Medicine

1974-1976

5

 2

Dr. Roy and Betty Weller

1950-1951

8

 5

Earl C. McCracken

1934-1941

8

 4

Erwin Krammer

1940-1942

12

 5

F-J

1938-1942

7

 13

George Gross

1937-1942

12

 17

George L. Clark and S.T. Gross

1940-1941

2

 4

Heat energy from the ocean

1977

14

 5

ISC

1942-1946

41

 27

ISU

1974-1981

41

 26

ISU

1967-1973

41

 24

ISU

1963-1966

41

 25

ISU

1967-1968

8

 10

ISU Dept. of Math letter and ISU Dept. of Physics newsletter

1946-1947

11

 7

ISU Dept. of Physics newsletter

1947

11

 9

J.R. Stehn

1941

11

 10

Jay Woodrow

1941-1942

41

 23

John Mauchly  (photocopies)

1941

8

 7

John Robert Sites

1941

9

 4

K-O

1939-1942

11

 18

Margaret Woodrow

1940-1941

3

 14

Max Munk

1974-1985

36

 15

Max Munk (1 item

1985

6

 4

Miscellaneous

1949-1951

14

 6

National Defense Committee and Council

1942-1943

14

 16

National Polytechnic Museum (Bulgaria) correspondence and 10 black and white still photographs of Atanasoff exhibit

1993

21

 2

Notes for ISU exhibit and clippings

1990

6