Pioneer Day, 1982

Pioneer Day at the National Computer Conference (NCC) has been organized by the History of Computing Committee (HOCC) of the American Federation of Information Processing Societies (AFIPS) since 1974, and has been a formal part of the NCC operations since 1979. It differs from a "normal" program in that although the topic is well defined in the same manner as other NCC programs, solicitation of presentations does not necessarily imply the production of formal papers-nor an open invitation for any author to submit proposed topics for inclusion in the sessions. An essential part of the work of the person who chairs Pioneer Day is the research that forms a backdrop against which the NCC sessions are placed. In some sense, Pioneer Day is the result of an extensive research program sponsored by HOCC and NCC instead of being a vehicle for the presentation of independently supported activities.