Robert M. Kalb papers
Scope and Content Note
Correspondence, memoranda, manuals, patents, published and unpublished reports, photographs, notes, newspaper articles and reference material relating to Bell Laboratories, Kellogg Switchboard and Supply Company, Engineering Research Associates, the Univac division of Remington Rand and Sperry Rand, and professional organizations such as the American Institute of Electrical Engineers and the IEEE Computer Group, and conferences. Topics covered include Bell Laboratories' Out-of-Hour
courses, air traffic control and airline reservation systems, telecommunications equipment, information exchanges with IBM, computer standards, wages, the electronic data processing industry, and Univac products. Also included are records relating to legal cases in which Kalb was involved, such as the Honeywell vs. Sperry Rand lawsuit and a Federal Communications Commission inquiry of the data processing industry.
While the Kalb Papers encompass both Robert M. Kalb's professional and personal activities, the majority of the papers reflect his work with a succession of companies in the fields of electrical engineering and, later, computers.
Dates
- Creation: 1926-1970
Creator
- Kalb, Robert M., 1904-1976 (Person)
Language of Materials
English
Access to materials:
Access to the collection is unrestricted.
Copyright:
The Charles Babbage Institute holds the copyright to all materials in the collection, except for items that were covered by a prior copyright (such as published materials). Researchers may quote from the collection under the fair use provisions of the copyright law (Title 17, U.S. Code).
Biographical Note
Robert M. Kalb was born in Fostoria, Ohio, on April 30, 1904. He obtained a BEE from Ohio State University in 1927, and did graduate work in electrical engineering at Ohio State (1927-1928) and physics at Columbia University (1929-1932). He was a research engineer with Bell Telephone Laboratories, New York, (1928-1941) where he was engaged in transmission development problems involving submarine cables and repeater lines. He also was involved in ferromagnetics, non-linear circuits, and switching and relay developments. He became chief engineer at the Kellogg Switchboard and Supply Company of Chicago during 1941, and chief electrical engineer with the Automatic Instrument Company (1945-1946). In 1947 he joined Engineering Research Associates, St. Paul, MN, and supervised the development and construction of terminal equipment for communications systems. He was later involved in the automatic airlines reservation system, an air traffic control system, flight plan storage system, and digital computer equipment. He stayed with the company when it was purchased by Remington-Rand in 1952, and after it became a part of Sperry Rand's Univac Division.
Extent
9 boxes (9 cubic feet)
Abstract
Correspondence, memoranda, manuals, patents, published and unpublished reports, photographs, notes, newspaper articles and reference material relating to Bell Laboratories, Kellogg Switchboard and Supply Company, Engineering Research Associates, the Univac division of Remington Rand and Sperry Rand, professional organizations such as the American Institute of Electrical Engineers and the IEEE Computer Group, and conferences. Topics covered include Bell Laboratories' "Out-of-Hour" courses, air traffic control and airline reservation systems, telecommunications equipment, information exchanges with IBM, computer standards, wages, the electronic data processing industry, and Univac products. Also included are records relating to legal cases in which Kalb was involved, such as the Honeywell vs. Sperry Rand lawsuit and a Federal Communications Commission inquiry of the data processing industry.
Arrangement of Collection
The materials in this collection are arranged into the following groups:
- Bell Telephone Laboratories, 1903-1946
- Kellogg Switchboard and Supply Company, 1941-1944
- Automatic Instrument Company, 1944-1946
- ERA, Remington Rand, Sperry Rand, 1939-1969
- Legal, 1956-1973
- Professional Organizations and Conferences, 1926-1972
- Subject Files, 1925-1976
- Photographs, 1926-1942
Acquisition:
The records were given to the Charles Babbage Institute by Robert M. Kalb, Jr. in 1981.
Subject
- Kalb, Robert M., 1904-1976 (Person)
- American Institute of Electrical Engineers (Organization)
- Bell Telephone Laboratories, Inc. (Organization)
- Engineering Research Associates (Organization)
- Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (Organization)
- International Business Machines Corporation (Organization)
- Kellogg Switchboard and Supply Company. (Organization)
- Honeywell Inc. (Organization)
- Remington Rand, Inc. (Organization)
- Sperry Rand (Corporation) (Organization)
- United States. Federal Communications Commission. (Organization)
- Computer Group Conference. (Organization)
Topical
- Air traffic control.
- Airlines -- Reservation systems.
- Computer industry -- United States
- Computers -- Law and legislation
- Digital communications.
- Electronic Data Processing
- Electronic data processing -- Standards
- Telecommunication -- Equipment and supplies.
- Wages -- Electronic data processing personnel.
- Title
- Robert M. Kalb Papers, 1926-1970. Finding Aid.
- Author
- Prepared by Bruce H. Bruemmer, March 1991.
- Date
- March 2004
- Language of description
- English
- Script of description
- Latin
- Language of description note
- English
Collecting Area Details
Contact The Charles Babbage Institute Archives Collecting Area
Elmer L. Andersen Library
222 - 21st Avenue South
Minneapolis MN 55455
612-624-5050
cbi@umn.edu
