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Oral history interview with Jay Wright Forrester

 Collection — Box: 1
Identifier: MC-0629

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Scope and Contents

The collection comprises a July 29, 1985 oral history interview with Forrester. Included are both the original audio recording and a transcript of the interview.

Dates

  • Creation: 1985 July 29

Creator

Access note

This collection is open.

Conditions Governing Use

Access to collections in the Department of Distinctive Collections is not authorization to publish. Please see the MIT Libraries Permissions Policy for permission information. Copyright of some items in this collection may be held by respective creators, not by the donor of the collection or MIT.

Biographical Note

Jay Wright Forrester, 1918-2016, BS in electrical engineering, 1939, University of Nebraska; SM in electrical engineering, 1949, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, was director of the MIT Digital Computer Laboratory, 1946-1951, and was responsible for the design and construction of Whirlwind I, one of the first high-speed digital computers. He invented magnetic core memory, which for many years was the standard memory device for digital computers. As head of the Digital Computer Division of MIT's Lincoln Laboratory, 1952-1956, he guided the planning and technical design of the Air Force SAGE system for continental air defense. In 1956 he became professor of management at the MIT Sloan School of Management, where his work on the development of computer modeling and analysis of social systems led to the field now know as systems dynamics. He became Germeshausen Professor in 1972 and Germeshausen Professor emeritus and senior lecturer in 1989. His many books include Industrial Dynamics (1961), Systems Dynamics in Management Education (1985), and The City: Growth, Stagnation, and Revival (1968).

Extent

0.25 Cubic Feet (1 half manuscript box)

Language of Materials

English

Location

Materials are stored off-site. Advance notice is required for use.

Related Materials

Other interviews are located in MIT Archives collections MC 131 and MC 439.

Processing Information note

Some collection descriptions are based on legacy data and may be incomplete or contain inaccuracies. Description may change pending verification. Please contact the MIT Department of Distinctive Collections if you notice any errors or discrepancies.

Title
Preliminary Inventory to the Oral History Interview with Jay Wright Forrester, 1985
Description rules
Describing Archives: A Content Standard
Language of description
English
Script of description
Latin

Revision Statements

  • 2021 November 19: Edited by Lana Mason for compliance with DACS single-level optimum requirements.

Repository Details

Part of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Libraries. Department of Distinctive Collections Repository

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