JF Ptak Science Books
This is a group of materials from the estate of Ralph Mullendore (see below), an early and integral team member of the electronic computation section of the U.S. Bureau of the Census, who was responsible for the installation and maintenance of the UNIVAC there, at Census. The papers are on their way to a history of computer science section at the library at North Carolina State University where they will hopefully be enjoyed by any and all who have an interest in the early stages of the maintenance and tinkerings on America's first commercial computer. It should be remembered that the hands of the man who wrote all of these notes were the same hands that worked on this monumentally important machine, the first of its kind in existence.
Many more images, below.
Ralph Mullendore Archive//UNIVAC (for UNIVersal Automatic Computer)
Mullendore was one of the principal engineers responsible for the installation of the UNIVAC I at the U.S. Census Bureau. [From the Miami Herald-Mail, 16 February 1999. “Ralph E. Mullendore, 88, of Silver Spring, died Thursday, Feb. 11, 1999. Born Sept. 2, 1910, near Hagerstown, he was the son of the late Harry and Atha Mullendore. He graduated in 1933 from the University of Maryland at College Park with a degree in chemical engineering. He was a charter member of the Maryland Alpha Chapter of Phi Delta Theta fraternity. He worked for the Census Bureau in Suitland, Md., where he was a member of the team working on the nation's first computer, UNIVAC I. He worked for the bureau as a computer diagnostician and troubleshooter, retiring in 1984 after 33 years. He served in the U.S. Marine Corps and then as a Navy officer, attaining the rank of commander. During World War II, he developed and patented an azimuth finder, a navigational aid used aboard Navy vessels.”]
Text section (pictures below)
Section A
Origional drawings for different parts of the UNIVAC, mostly having to do (I think) with card reading. All executed on 11x8.5-inch sheets. 15 items.
Section B
BINAC, two sheets, each 13x17 inches.
Section C
Repetoire of instructions.
Section D
Original drawings for card drive apparatus. Each 11x8.5 inches. 2 items.
Section E
Manuscript drawings of different parts of the UNIVAC. 25 items, each in pencil on 11x8.5 inch sheets.
Section F
Specifications and Basic Details of Basic High Speed Typer Contract 10pp, carbons, with occasional penciled corrections. A great deal of technical data plus the UNIOVAC to printer code conversion table (illustrated). (March 7, 1955) 7pp. 2 copies.
Plus:
Specifications and Logic Details of Additional Components to Basic., Contract Coo-7135 for High Speed Typer. February 15, 1955. Typed carbons. 4pp.
Section G
Training for UNIVAC employees. September 1955.
4pp. Printed document.
Section H
UNIVAC Practical Test Course, Auxiliary Exercises.
8pp. Purple-ink mimeo copy, stapled. 1955 (?)
Section I
List of Function Table Signals. Eckert-Mauchley Computer Corporation, May 1, 1950.
Purple-ink mimeo sheets, faded. Stapled.
8pp, 13x8 sheets, folded in half, printed one side full sheet.
Another copy:
List of Function Table Signals. Eckert-Mauchley Computer Corporation, U-200, 1 May 1950. Mimeographed , 8pp.
Section J
UNIVAC System. 1 sheet of instructions.
Eckert-Mauchley Computer Corporation. 1951. 9x6 inches.
Section K
Basic Operations Cycle-UNIVAC.
1 sheet, 9x11 inch. Ca. Early 1950's.
Bi-octal Equivalents of Present Unityper II Characters.
1 sheet, 9x11 inches.
Section L
(Manuscript?) sheet of symbols for UNIVAC Operations
12x17 inches, ca. Early/mid 1950's.
Section M
Lancelot Armstrong and Morris Solomon. Some Guides for Improvement of UNIVAC Utilization. 8 June 1955. 11x8 mime sheets, 19 leaves.
Increasing Performance of UNIVAC Operations. Report of Bureau of Census.Carbon sheets, pp 2-19. 1955.
Section N
Acceptance Tests
1 sheet, onion paper, carbon.
Section O
The USE Compiler. January 1959 21pp
–
USE Compiler Warning Codes . July 18, 1957 4pp
Section P
ML T001 Octal Tape Read. By Roger Skinner, Lockhead Missile Systems Division, December 1956 4pp. Mimeographed. Stapled.
Tape Test. Mimeographed. 4 lvs. Ca. 1956.
Discussion of the Program Interrupt Feature of Model 1103 II. Mimeographed. 7 lvs. 1956
Census Bureau Course. Sample Problems. Mimeo. 5 lvs. Ca. 1956.
Proposed Flex Codes Equivalents for BDC XS# Representation. Mimeographed. 1958. 2lvs.
Octal Card Dump. Mimeographed. 5 lvd. Ca. 1956/8.
Operational Characteristics of the Ferranti Tape Reader on the ERA 1103 A. Mimeographed. 4 lvd. Ca. 1955
Section Q
Using Compiler Subroutines. Mimeographed. 1959. 7 lvs.
Section R
Editing for Nonpermissible Codes. Mimeographed. 1953. 12 lvs.
Section S
[Test routines (?) Manuscript on three-ring binder paper.] 13 lvs. Ca. 1950's.
Section T
Color Code for Capacitors. Oct 22, 1953. Mimeographed. 2 lvs.
Color Code for Resistors. Oct 22, 1953. Mimeographed. 3 lvs.
Section U
Training Course #1 Carbon paper. 1953.
Training Course #2 Carbon paper. 1953.
Training Course #3 Carbon paper. 1953.
Section V
Manuscript drawings for various parts of the UNIVAC. 17 items.
Section W
5 items, about 30 leaves, combination manuscript, mimeograph and typed-carbon material on replacement parts for the UNIVAC I, dated 1952/1953.
Section X
List of Function Table Signals. Eckert-Mauchley Computer Corporation, U-200, 1 May 1950. Mimeographed , 8pp.
Section Y
{Manuscript/penciled document on what looks to be job descriptions for running and maintaining the UNIVAC} 4 lvs, legal-size. PLUS one document, 2 lvs, carbons, for a job description, 1954.
Section Z
Editing Routine. 19 May 1951. Mimeographed, 8 lvs.
WITH:
UNIVAC Symbols. 21 November 1951. 2lvs.
Not pictured:
A-26 Punching Instructions. Sept 10, 1959, Mimeo. 2 sheets. Bureau of the Census.
Discussions of the Program Interrupt of the 1103A, II . 7Pp, mimeo sheets. Ca. 1956
-
Card Read Subtroutine. February, 1955. 5lvs, mimeographed.
-
Census Bureau Course, Sample Problems. 2 leaves, mimeographed, ca. 1955/6.
-
Tape Test. 4 laves, mimeographed. Ca. 1955/6.
-
Personnel Flag Codes Equivalents for BCD XS3 Repreentation., January, 1958. 2 leaves.
I've labeled Mullendore's own segregation and organization of the papers as “sections”, offering them exactly as found:
Section A
Manuscript drawings and diagrams of sections of the UNIVAC:
Section B
Section C: single printed sheet.
Section D
Section F
Specifications and Basic Details of Basic High Speed Typer Contract 10pp, carbons, with occasional penciled corrections. A great deal of technical data plus the UNIOVAC to printer code conversion table (illustrated). (March 7, 1955) 7pp. 2 copies.
Plus:
Specifications and Logic Details of Additional Components to Basic., Contract Coo-7135 for High Speed Typer. February 15, 1955. Typed carbons. 4pp.
Section G
Training for UNIVAC employees. September 1955.
4pp. Printed document.
Section H
UNIVAC Practical Test Course, Auxiliary Exercises.
8pp. Purple-ink mimeo copy, stapled. 1955 (?)
Section I
List of Function Table Signals. Eckert-Mauchley Computer Corporation, May 1, 1950.
Purple-ink mimeo sheets, faded. Stapled.
8pp, 13x8 sheets, folded in half, printed one side full sheet.
Another copy:
List of Function Table Signals. Eckert-Mauchley Computer Corporation, U-200, 1 May 1950. Mimeographed , 8pp.
Section J
UNIVAC System. 1 sheet of instructions.
Eckert-Mauchley Computer Corporation. 1951. 9x6 inches.
Section K
Basic Operations Cycle-UNIVAC.
1 sheet, 9x11 inch. Ca. Early 1950's.
Bi-octal Equivalents of Present Unityper II Characters.
1 sheet, 9x11 inches.
Section L
(Manuscript?) sheet of symbols for UNIVAC Operations
12x17 inches, ca. Early/mid 1950's.
Section M
Lancelot Armstrong and Morris Solomon. Some Guides for Improvement of UNIVAC Utilization. 8 June 1955. 11x8 mime sheets, 19 leaves.
Increasing Performance of UNIVAC Operations. Report of Bureau of Census.
Carbon sheets, pp 2-19. 1955.
Section N
Acceptance Tests
1 sheet, onion paper, carbon.
Section O
The USE Compiler. January 1959 21pp
–
USE Compiler Warning Codes . July 18, 1957 4pp
Section P
ML T001 Octal Tape Read. By Roger Skinner, Lockhead Missile Systems Division, December 1956 4pp. Mimeographed. Stapled.
Tape Test. Mimeographed. 4 lvs. Ca. 1956.
Discussion of the Program Interrupt Feature of Model 1103 II. Mimeographed. 7 lvs. 1956
Census Bureau Course. Sample Problems. Mimeo. 5 lvs. Ca. 1956.
Proposed Flex Codes Equivalents for BDC XS# Representation. Mimeographed. 1958. 2lvs.
Octal Card Dump. Mimeographed. 5 lvd. Ca. 1956/8.
Operational Characteristics of the Ferranti Tape Reader on the ERA 1103 A. Mimeographed. 4 lvd. Ca. 1955
Section Q
Using Compiler Subroutines. Mimeographed. 1959. 7 lvs.
Section R
Editing for Nonpermissible Codes. Mimeographed. 1953. 12 lvs.
Section S
[Test routines (?) Manuscript on three-ring binder paper.] 13 lvs. Ca. 1950's.
Section T
Color Code for Capacitors. Oct 22, 1953. Mimeographed. 2 lvs.
Color Code for Resistors. Oct 22, 1953. Mimeographed. 3 lvs.
Section U
Training Course #1 Carbon paper. 1953.
Training Course #2 Carbon paper. 1953.
Training Course #3 Carbon paper. 1953.
Section V
Section W
5 items, about 30 leaves, combination manuscript, mimeograph and typed-carbon material on replacement parts for the UNIVAC I, dated 1952/1953.
Section X
List of Function Table Signals. Eckert-Mauchley Computer Corporation, U-200, 1 May 1950. Mimeographed , 8pp.
Section Y
{Manuscript/penciled document on what looks to be job descriptions for running and maintaining the UNIVAC} 4 lvs, legal-size. PLUS one document, 2 lvs, carbons, for a job description, 1954.
Section Z
Editing Routine. 19 May 1951. Mimeographed, 8 lvs.
WITH:
UNIVAC Symbols. 21 November 1951. 2lvs.
Not pictured:
A-26 Punching Instructions. Sept 10, 1959, Mimeo. 2 sheets. Bureau of the Census.
Discussions of the Program Interrupt of the 1103A, II . 7Pp, mimeo sheets. Ca. 1956
-
Card Read Subtroutine. February, 1955. 5lvs, mimeographed.
-
Census Bureau Course, Sample Problems. 2 leaves, mimeographed, ca. 1955/6.
-
Tape Test. 4 laves, mimeographed. Ca. 1955/6.
-
Personnel Flag Codes Equivalents for BCD XS3 Repreentation., January, 1958. 2 leaves.
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