Title
Richard B. Talmadge papersCatalog Number
102784971Type
DocumentDescription
The Richard B. Talmadge papers range in date from 1953 to 1997 and consist of manuals, technical reports, internal memos and documentation, daily activity logs, and subject, personal, and project files relating to Talmadge’s work at International Business Machines Corporation (IBM). About a quarter of the collection is made up of IBM manuals ranging in date from 1953 to 1991, with the majority being published between 1960 and 1980. Most of these materials are published manuals, but there are some internally distributed and confidential manuals, specifications, and development guides.The second quarter of the papers consists of internal materials from IBM, such as technical reports and reviews, division operating plans, project outlines, course and workshop materials, internal memos, and handwritten notes. The technical reports come from several different IBM research laboratories and some are authored by Talmadge. Technical reviews included in this portion of the collection include subjects such as the 7040/7090 DC System, the 7740 Data Control Package, and the 7095 Data Processing System. There is also material from a 1973 Development Methodology Task Force as well as documentation on awards evaluation methodology. There are also two boxes of Talmadge’s daily activity diaries. Ranging in date from 1965 to 1997, these activity logs chronicle his daily work at IBM as well as his work after leaving the company.
Another quarter of the papers are made up of subject, personal, and project files related to Talmadge’s work at IBM during the 1960s, 1970s, and 1980s. Types of materials include memos, correspondence, project proposals, presentation materials, company training materials, meeting minutes, and reports. Two boxes hold materials on graphics and displays research, including materials from IBM’s Displays Task Force and Displays Working Group, as well as technical reports on computer graphics and 35mm presentation slides. There are also memos, reports, and correspondence from the 1970s related to the RTSX control program. Of particular note are two boxes of material on the Manned Orbiting Laboratory (MOL) project, which Talmadge worked on between 1966 and 1968 while employed at the IBM Space Systems Center.
The final quarter of the collection consists of manuals, technical reports, meeting minutes, and notes from companies and organizations other than IBM. A significant portion of these materials are from Talmadge’s time at Lockheed, where he worked on the Univac 1103A. Therefore, there are a number of Univac and Remington Rand manuals, as well as manuals from other companies from that time, such as the National Cash Register Company, Philco, and SDS. Other materials from Lockheed include program listings, reports, and meeting minutes. There are also materials from the 1967 Fall Joint Computer Conference and a small amount of various manuals from the 1980s, for systems such as the Bluejay Project and Maestro by Softlab.