David C. Evans photograph collection
Collection
Identifier: P0452
Scope and Contents
The photographs and slides in this collection were extracted from Ms 625, the David C. Evans papers. Evans was a co-founder and chief officer of Evans & Sutherland Computer Corporation in Salt Lake City, Utah, with which most of the papers in Ms 625 are concerned. As a result, the items in this photographic collection, for the most part, document the personnel, facilities, business activities and products of Evans & Sutherland. The bulk of this collection provides a view of the computer graphics capabilities of Evans & Sutherland products.
Box 1, folders 1-10 contain images of David C. Evans, his wife, and some colleagues; other Evans & Sutherland personnel, including Ivan Sutherland and other chief officers; and Evans & Sutherland production space and computer equipment. Folders 11-33 of this box contain images produced by Evans & Sutherland products, namely, Romulus, Novoview, the Picture System, Digistar, CT5 and Day/Nite CGI System.
Box 2, folders 1-6 contain photographs and slides used in Evans & Sutherland presentations to customers and other interested parties. Folders 7-11 contain illustration sets used for unidentified texts. Folders 12-33 hold miscellaneous images of computer graphics for which no product source is indicated, as do folders 1-6 in box 3.
Folders 7-20 in box 3 contain a miscellany of images concerned with the Evans & Sutherland Corporation and the computer graphics science and industry. Folders 21-32 contain photos, slides, and microfiche removed from various parts of Ms 625, as indicated below.
Box 1, folders 1-10 contain images of David C. Evans, his wife, and some colleagues; other Evans & Sutherland personnel, including Ivan Sutherland and other chief officers; and Evans & Sutherland production space and computer equipment. Folders 11-33 of this box contain images produced by Evans & Sutherland products, namely, Romulus, Novoview, the Picture System, Digistar, CT5 and Day/Nite CGI System.
Box 2, folders 1-6 contain photographs and slides used in Evans & Sutherland presentations to customers and other interested parties. Folders 7-11 contain illustration sets used for unidentified texts. Folders 12-33 hold miscellaneous images of computer graphics for which no product source is indicated, as do folders 1-6 in box 3.
Folders 7-20 in box 3 contain a miscellany of images concerned with the Evans & Sutherland Corporation and the computer graphics science and industry. Folders 21-32 contain photos, slides, and microfiche removed from various parts of Ms 625, as indicated below.
Dates
- 1968-1987
Creator
Conditions Governing Access
Twenty-four hour advanced notice encouraged. Materials must be used on-site. Access to parts of this collection may be restricted under provisions of state or federal law.
Conditions Governing Use
The library does not claim to control copyright for all materials in the collection. An individual depicted in a reproduction has privacy rights as outlined in Title 45 CFR, part 46 (Protection of Human Subjects). For further information, please review the J. Willard Marriott Library’s Use Agreement and Reproduction Request forms.
Biographical Sketch
David Cannon Evans was born on February 24, 1924, in Salt Lake City, Utah. He is the son of David W. and Beatrice C. Evans. His father was the founder and president of David W. Evans, Inc., an advertising firm. He married Joy Frewin in 1947, and is the father of seven children.
Evans attended the University of Utah, receiving his Bachelor of Science in Physics in 1949 and his Doctorate in Physics in 1953. After completing his education, he was employed by the Bendix Corp. as Senior Physicist in the Computer Division. In 1955, he was promoted to Director of Engineering of the Computer Division. This position gave him responsibility for research, development and product design of commercial computing systems and special purpose information processing systems for military and industrial applications. Two of the most noteworthy projects he directed while at Bendix were the innovative G-20 computing system and the G-15 computer, the first inexpensive general purpose computer to be mass produced.
In 1962, Evans joined the faculty of the Department of Electrical Engineering at the University of Utah. He later became the University's first Director of Computer Science in 1965, becoming the main force in the founding of the Computer Science Department there. During his years at the University of Utah, Evans pioneered time-shared computing systems, as well as real-time continuous-tone computer graphics. Other research activities included the hidden-line problem, syntax-directed computers, constraint processor declarative languages, and memory systems. Evans left his full-time position at the University in 1966, but continued his involvement with the institution as an Adjunct Professor. In 1967, he served on the University of Utah Academic Policy Committee.
During the same years he was employed by the University of Utah, Evans was also a Professor of Electrical Engineering and the Associate Director of the Computer Center at the University of California at Berkeley. During this time, he was the principal investigator of a project sponsored by the Advanced Research Projects Agency (U. S. Dept. of Defense) aimed at improving computer-aided problem solving capabilities.
Along with Ivan Sutherland, Evans founded Evans & Sutherland Computer Corp. in 1968, serving as President and/or Chief Executive Officer until his retirement.
Throughout his life, Evans was involved in numerous professional organizations. These included the American Federation of Information Processing Societies, the Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers, the National Academy of Engineering, the National Academy of Science, the American Electronics Association, the Utah Engineers Council, the Association for Computing Machinery, the National Research Council's Committee on Computer-Aided Manufacturing, the Committee for Computer Science in Electrical Engi-neering, and various university advisory committees, among others. In addition, he was also involved in community service, participating in directorial capacities for Westminster College and Holy Cross Hospital. He was also Vice Chair of the State of Utah Steering Committee for Systems Planning and Computing, and involved with the Boy Scouts of America throughout his life.
HISTORY OF EVANS & SUTHERLAND
Evans & Sutherland Computer Corporation was founded by David Evans & Ivan Sutherland in 1968. The first offices for the company were in a building on the University of Utah campus. Eventually, the company found a permanent home in the University of Utah Research Park, where it grew to a company occupying four buildings and employing 830 people, with sales of 60 million, by 1982. Before going public, the company was privately held and backed by a group of eastern investment groups. These included Venrock, the Venture Capital Investment Co. of the Rockefeller family, the Endowment Management and Research Corp., GCA Corp., and Hambrecht & Quist investment bankers.
The company was one of the first developers of interactive graphics. The first product produced by the company was the Line Drawing System, a high-speed interactive graphics display system patterned after a prototype based on research done by Dr. Sutherland at Harvard University. The application of the Line Drawing System to flight simulation followed its introduction.
Along with advanced versions of the Line Drawing System, other computer graphics systems have been developed by the company. Novoview was a family of computer image generators which produce visual scenes for use in pilot training simulation. This product was the outcome of Evans & Sutherland's collaboration with Redifon/Rediffusion, a European company specializing in computer simulation. The Picture System product line was a three-dimensional graphics system which yielded smooth motion computations for rotation, translation, clipping, scaling and zoom display requirements. Other products, including Digistar, a system which adapted computer graphics for projection displays in planetariums, have also been developed by the company.
In addition to its collaboration with Redifon/Rediffusion, Evans & Sutherland purchased or invested in other companies to enhance their product line. These include Shape Data, VLSI Technologies, Inc., Mosaic Systems, and Unicad. Major customers included many commercial airlines, Volkswagen, General Motors, McDonnell Douglas, the United States Dept. of Defense, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, Boeing, General Dynamics, General Electric, International Business Machines, and Northrup.
Evans attended the University of Utah, receiving his Bachelor of Science in Physics in 1949 and his Doctorate in Physics in 1953. After completing his education, he was employed by the Bendix Corp. as Senior Physicist in the Computer Division. In 1955, he was promoted to Director of Engineering of the Computer Division. This position gave him responsibility for research, development and product design of commercial computing systems and special purpose information processing systems for military and industrial applications. Two of the most noteworthy projects he directed while at Bendix were the innovative G-20 computing system and the G-15 computer, the first inexpensive general purpose computer to be mass produced.
In 1962, Evans joined the faculty of the Department of Electrical Engineering at the University of Utah. He later became the University's first Director of Computer Science in 1965, becoming the main force in the founding of the Computer Science Department there. During his years at the University of Utah, Evans pioneered time-shared computing systems, as well as real-time continuous-tone computer graphics. Other research activities included the hidden-line problem, syntax-directed computers, constraint processor declarative languages, and memory systems. Evans left his full-time position at the University in 1966, but continued his involvement with the institution as an Adjunct Professor. In 1967, he served on the University of Utah Academic Policy Committee.
During the same years he was employed by the University of Utah, Evans was also a Professor of Electrical Engineering and the Associate Director of the Computer Center at the University of California at Berkeley. During this time, he was the principal investigator of a project sponsored by the Advanced Research Projects Agency (U. S. Dept. of Defense) aimed at improving computer-aided problem solving capabilities.
Along with Ivan Sutherland, Evans founded Evans & Sutherland Computer Corp. in 1968, serving as President and/or Chief Executive Officer until his retirement.
Throughout his life, Evans was involved in numerous professional organizations. These included the American Federation of Information Processing Societies, the Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers, the National Academy of Engineering, the National Academy of Science, the American Electronics Association, the Utah Engineers Council, the Association for Computing Machinery, the National Research Council's Committee on Computer-Aided Manufacturing, the Committee for Computer Science in Electrical Engi-neering, and various university advisory committees, among others. In addition, he was also involved in community service, participating in directorial capacities for Westminster College and Holy Cross Hospital. He was also Vice Chair of the State of Utah Steering Committee for Systems Planning and Computing, and involved with the Boy Scouts of America throughout his life.
HISTORY OF EVANS & SUTHERLAND
Evans & Sutherland Computer Corporation was founded by David Evans & Ivan Sutherland in 1968. The first offices for the company were in a building on the University of Utah campus. Eventually, the company found a permanent home in the University of Utah Research Park, where it grew to a company occupying four buildings and employing 830 people, with sales of 60 million, by 1982. Before going public, the company was privately held and backed by a group of eastern investment groups. These included Venrock, the Venture Capital Investment Co. of the Rockefeller family, the Endowment Management and Research Corp., GCA Corp., and Hambrecht & Quist investment bankers.
The company was one of the first developers of interactive graphics. The first product produced by the company was the Line Drawing System, a high-speed interactive graphics display system patterned after a prototype based on research done by Dr. Sutherland at Harvard University. The application of the Line Drawing System to flight simulation followed its introduction.
Along with advanced versions of the Line Drawing System, other computer graphics systems have been developed by the company. Novoview was a family of computer image generators which produce visual scenes for use in pilot training simulation. This product was the outcome of Evans & Sutherland's collaboration with Redifon/Rediffusion, a European company specializing in computer simulation. The Picture System product line was a three-dimensional graphics system which yielded smooth motion computations for rotation, translation, clipping, scaling and zoom display requirements. Other products, including Digistar, a system which adapted computer graphics for projection displays in planetariums, have also been developed by the company.
In addition to its collaboration with Redifon/Rediffusion, Evans & Sutherland purchased or invested in other companies to enhance their product line. These include Shape Data, VLSI Technologies, Inc., Mosaic Systems, and Unicad. Major customers included many commercial airlines, Volkswagen, General Motors, McDonnell Douglas, the United States Dept. of Defense, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, Boeing, General Dynamics, General Electric, International Business Machines, and Northrup.
Extent
1.251 Linear Feet (3 boxes)
Language of Materials
English
Abstract
The David C. Evans photograph collection documents the personnel, facilities, business activities and products of Evans & Sutherland. The bulk of this collection provides a view of the computer graphics capabilities of Evans & Sutherland products.
Arrangement
Collection is arranged topically.
Immediate Source of Acquisition
Gift of David C. Evans in 1991.
Separated Materials
Audio-visual materials were transferred to the David C. Evans audio-visual collection (A0341).
Processing Information
Processed by Mark Jensen in 1993.
Creator
- Title
- Guide to the David C. Evans photograph collection
- Author
- Finding aid prepared by Mark Jensen.
- Date
- 1993 (last modified: 2018)
- Description rules
- Describing Archives: A Content Standard
- Language of description
- English
- Script of description
- Latin
- Language of description note
- Finding aid written in English.
Repository Details
Part of the J. Willard Marriott Library Special Collections Repository
Contact:
295 South 1500 East
Salt Lake City Utah 84112 United States
801-581-8863
special@library.utah.edu
295 South 1500 East
Salt Lake City Utah 84112 United States
801-581-8863
special@library.utah.edu