Guide to the Larry Grambort Papers, 1968-2019

Overview of the Collection

Repository:
Special Collections & Archives
McIntyre Library
University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire
P.O. Box 4004
105 Garfield Ave.
Eau Claire, WI 54702-4004
(715)-836-2739
http://www.uwec.edu/Library/archives/info.htm

Reference Code: USGZE AS609

Accession Number: 22-003

Collection Number: Archives Series 609

Creator: Larry Grambort

Title: Larry Grambort papers

Dates: 1968-2019

Quantity: 1.2 linear feet (1 oversize box)

Location of Collection: A2/1d

Languages: Collection materials are in English.

Summary: Correspondence, data, code, and other documents related to the installation of the Burroughs Mainframe lead by Larry Grambort.

Biographical/Historical Note

Larry Grambort was hired as the Administrative Programming/System Manager at UW-Eau Claire in August 1968. Not long after he was hired, he was tasked with converting the administrative computer system from IBM 1401 to Burroughs B3500. After a year of commuting from campus to St. Paul, Minnesota to test methods of converting the system at the Burroughs District office there, the redesign began on campus in August 1969. To clear space in the administrative system that was often backed up with students projects, they created a Remote Student Access System for the School of Business and Computer Science students to run without interfering with the main administrative system or files. This system was met with great success towards the end of 1969.

The Administrative Systems & Programming staff attended the 18^th Annual College & University Machine Records Conference hosted by UW-Milwaukee in 1973 where they learned about a Data Definition system from representatives from The State University of New York (SUNY). Taking the knowledge gained from the conference and from those at SUNY, the group engaged in extended research on File Organization Technique (FORTE) and began developing a Field/Value database within the Burroughs Administrative system. Both FORTE and Field/Value are mentioned extensively within the collection.

The success of the system at UWEC caught the attention of the Burroughs company as well as many other universities and private businesses. In 1971, the programming group was invited to California to install the system that they had developed at the Santa Barbara City College. In 1972, The Cooper Group from North Carolina visited the campus to see if the system would suit their needs. Grambort and others in the group also helped several other businesses and universities with various computer and software upgrades, receiving great recognition and praise from the university as well as the UW system.

After having several further development ideas rejected by the university and seeing the growing need for computer consultants by businesses and local governments, Grambort left UW-Eau Claire in 1979 to start a private consulting and software development firm called Data Management Consultants, Inc. (DMC) in Eau Claire. In 1988, Virchow-Krause & Co (now Baker Tilly), from Madison, Wisconsin, bought DMC and used it to create a Civic Systems division within their organization which is still active today.

Content Description

A written history, correspondence, operating documents, logic flow charts, data tables, job documents, and a binder of program code.

Administrative Information

Acquisition Information: Donated to the Special Collections & Archives, University of Wisconsin – Eau Claire by Larry Grambort in August 2019.

Access Restrictions: Collection is open to the public.

Use Restrictions: Researchers are responsible for using in accordance with 17 U.S.C. Copyright owned by the University of Wisconsin – Eau Claire.

Processing Note: Processed by Stephanie Much in September 2021.

Arrangement: Flat arrangement.

OCLC #: 1286693103

Subjects

Personal Names:
Grambort, Larry.

Corporate Names:
Baker Tilly (Madison, Wis.)
Data Management Consultants, Inc. (Eau Claire, Wis.)
Virchow-Krause & Co. (Madison, Wis.)
University of Wisconsin--Eau Claire--Administrative Systems & Programming

University of Wisconsin—Eau Claire—Data processing

LC Subject Terms:

Burroughs B3500 (Computer)

Data processing service centers—Wisconsin—Eau Claire

Detailed List of Contents