IEEE Milestone in Engineering
Inscribed on the plaque, at the corner of Stewart Street and S. Patterson Blvd. in Dayton, designating Bldg. 26 as a site of a Milestone in Engineering:
IEEE Milestone in Electrical Engineering and Computing: United States Naval Computing Machine Laboratory 1942-1945; In 1942, the United States Navy joined with the Nationa Cash Register Company to design and manufacture a series of code-breaking machines. This project was located at teh U.S. Naval Computing Machine Laboratory in Building 26, near this site. The machines built here, including the American "Bombes", incorporated advanced electronics and significantly influenced the course of World War II.
October 2001
Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers.
The Second Reunion of the veterans of the U.S. Naval Computing Machine Laboratory in Dayton in October, 2001, celebrated the designation of Building 26 as a IEEE Milestone in Engineering. The nomination, written by Debbie Anderson, was backed and submitted to the IEEE (the Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers) by the local chapter, especially through the efforts of Jack Cannon. NCR provided assistance in obtaining the granite boulder and bronze plaque. They were also the hosts of our ceremony, held next to Building 26, and the reception following at Sugar Camp.
The marker can be seen by passing traffic at the corner of South Patterson Blvd. and Stewart Street, across from the Great Miami River and the Stewart Street bridge.
At the same ceremony, a tribute written by U. S. Representative Tony Hall was entered into the Congressional Record. Read it.
These are the remarks made by Dr. Earl Swartzlander, representing the IEEE History Committee, at the dedication ceremony:
I'm really pleased to be here, representing the Board of Directors and the membership of the IEEE. I guess I should tell you first that IEEE is the Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers, an organization of about 350,000 engineers around the world, and this organization has identified, at this point, 43 Milestones in the history of engineering and computing.
Of the 43 Milestones, most of them are located within the Unites States--there are, I believe, 13 located outside the United States--and some of the Milestones related to the development of radio and television; some relate to the Transatlantic cable and telegraph system; there are a number that relate to power and creating power plants and companies. There are three that, to me, are very special: those are the three that relate to computers.
Of the three that relate to computers, one was for work that was done in Iowa developing a small experimental machine in 1939. There was another one for the ENIAC, which was the giant computer that everyone sees pictures of as being one of the early computers. But this one is really much more special than the others, and the reason is that this Milestone is commemorating a series of machines that were built, not just a single, one-of-a-kind toy that was built and was stuck into a laboratory and never seen again.
But this activity created production machines that were used to really shorten the war. That's such a significant accomplishment. It's unfortunate that, because of the classificiation, it's being recognized so late but it's good that we're finally getting around to it.
So on behalf of the Board of Directors of the IEEE and the membership I'm really honored to say thank you to all of you for your great work.
Left: Dr. Earl Swartzlander delivering his remarksat the dedication of the site in September, 2001.
Right: The plaque, with traffic on Stewart St. in the background.
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Last updated
13-Sep-2008
. Copyright D. Anderson. All Rights Reserved. Use of materials by permission.