In Honor of Seymour Cray

In Honor of Seymour Roger Cray

Growing up in Minnesota gave me early access to computers, for both Control Data Corporation and Cray Research made their homes nearby. One of the pioneers in the computer field was Seymour Cray, responsible for the design of several of the world's fastest computers. This includes the first computer I ever programmed, the CDC 6600, at the University of Minnesota Computer Center in 1967. Mr. Cray passed away on October 5, 1996, and his loss is mourned by many:

A Tribute to Seymour Cray
Obit on Seymour Cray
1995 Smithsonian Interview with Seymour Cray
1996 Interview: An Imaginary Tour of a Biological Computer
A Seymour Cray Perspective by Gordon Bell
Seymour Cray: Wikipedia entry
Virtual Museum Exhibit sponsored by the Chippewa Falls Museum of Industry and Technology. The Seymour Cray Supercomputer Collection is on exhibit at the (real) museum, and pictures from the exhibit are available here.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) about Cray computers
History of Cray, Inc.

The Charles Babbage Institute used to have a nice virtual exhibit about Seymour Cray, but unfortunately it's been removed and the current museum archivists don't know what happened to the files. About the only thing left is this great photo of Mr. Cray seated in front of serial #1 of the CDC 1604, taken circa 1961.