Harry Huskey and the Bendix G-15: A Student’s Perspective

Harry D. Huskey was a real, living person. He was also a mathematician who became a pioneer in the emerging field of computer science. Due to war-time secrecy surrounding development of high-speed computing machines during WW2, experience with such machines was limited to only a few people. Huskey, being one of those fortunate few, obtained the requisite experience through various rotating assignments; that experience put him in demand. As a result of being in demand, his advice was frequently sought in the 1950s by others; particularly as related to general-purpose electronic computer facilities. In spite of his early celebrity, today few people remember him or his accomplishments. Politics intruded rudely into his life and career on 3 occasions; each time taking a toll on him. He took positive actions to deal with disruptions and returned to a constructive role. Some consider his G-15 as the first “personal computer,” others regard the G-15 as being physically too large or expensive (or both) to be considered “personal.” During the mid-1950s, the main thrust of his work began changing from pioneering to teaching. He died in 2017 at 101-years of age as an esteemed mentor to his many followers. All of this is described from the perspective of an undergraduate student at UC Berkeley in the early 1960s. During this time Huskey was jointly Professor of Electrical Engineering and History at UCB. The main body of this narrative history is portrayed in a “classic” manner while appendices and sidebars are treated in a more revisionist style.