COMPUTER MEMORIES, Chapter 62

STATE OF ARIZONA, COMPUTER CENTER
This contract required a study of the installed computing equipment, and the needs of the State Government of Arizona. The report, “Centralization of Computing Activities,” included the statement “This paper discusses some of the reasons for, and some of the problems associated with, the establishment of centralized computer facilities for the State Government of Arizona.”

Usually I just “sold” the job, got the contract, then got out of the way. But this time, since I had worked so hard for this contract, and knew just what I wanted to tell them and just what they needed to hear, I also did the work. I did the study, wrote and delivered the final report in the form of a speech to a group of people that included the Governor, a few Senators, some Representatives, and their staff members. While gathering data for this study, I became a good friend of Governor Jack Williams, and since he was blind in one eye, he was often known as “One-eyed Jack.”

One department head, whose computer order was canceled because of my study, was very unhappy with me and my recommendations. At his insistence I was called to Phoenix to appear before a legislative committee of some kind, and under oath, describe, and justify my report. I have never heard of another computer consultant who had to validate and substantiate his conclusions, while under oath!

Years later, when I was Honeywell’s computer consultant for Western State Governments, who do you think was the head of computers for the whole state of Arizona? He was still unhappy that I had ruined his plans, but had to admit I was right.

When I toured the Honeywell Computer Center at the Capitol in Phoenix, and later dug out that old study report, it read like a history book, if I do say so myself (and no else is likely to)! You better believe I still have a copy of that 10 page report, dated 29 August 1968.