Guestbook

Thank you for visiting our pages. We would love it if you would Add to this guestbook we are keeping!

In 1970, I started my first real job at Litton Data Systems in Van Nuys, CA as a "repro typist". We were paid 3x the going rate ($1.35/hr) because we had to type over 100 words a minute. There were 20 of us between first and second shifts using IBM Composers. I absolutely loved typing on that machine. Litton was a military venue, so we in the Techpubs area got the best and newest. We had two of the MT/SCs as well. I'm very impressed that you still have working machines. Marvelous!
Cyndee Haggart <chaggart@hrtextron.textron.com>
Saugus, CA USA - Friday, January 14, 2005 at 14:15:22 (EST)

I sent you a separate e-mail as follows:

Discovered your site quite by accident and one thing led to another. What a trip down memory lane!

I worked for IBM at the time and then owned many, many Selectric Composers, MT/ST & MT/SC set-ups, MagCard Selectric Composers and Electronic Selectric Composers as part of my graphic arts business. I loved them all! For the time period, they were state-of-the-art. I wish I had known about you a few years ago, before I finally put the Mag Card Composers out on the curb--they had been in controlled storage since about 1984--along with hundreds of fonts (standard and custom) and about 80,000 magnetic cards. No one wanted them--I could not give it away. It was a sad, sad day!

I know of the whereabouts of a Model IV MT/ST and MT/SC with third tape station (lets you merge master tape and correction tape into a new fully merged tape as you were setting type), with Precon 340 series enhancement, with automatic add 4 points lead enhancement, several hundred tapes and the Precon tapes: 256, 260, 261, 262, 340, 341 (mail merge using prefix W switch code on MT/ST), 342 and 343 (mail merge with auto paragraph selection). They, too, have been in controlled storage since the mid-80's. I am sure I could convince the owners (long time friends) to donate these to your cause. Would you be interested? You would have to bear the burden (and expense) of packing, shipping, moving. They are on Long Island, NY. Please let me know. Thanks for the site--it is wonderful.

Steve Eichner <steve456@optonline.net>
Glen Cove, NY USA - Friday, January 07, 2005 at 16:52:10 (EST)

I can't believe that a website dedicated to the SELECTRIC would exist!
Yes -- i remember this thing!
Brian whipp
USA - Wednesday, January 05, 2005 at 23:05:15 (EST)

Nice site, I just had got one with a lot of extra stuf, but was not sure what the machine was capable of.
But it is a side effect of my computercollection from IBM machines 1980-till now.
It was a IBM and someone wanted to dump it so I said well give it to me!
So now I know in a short time a lot more about it, thanks!
Lino Lampers <pinoli@hetnet.nl>
A trip down memory lane! I used to fix these machines for many years when I used to be a 'Customer Engineer' for IBM.
Martyn Chaplin <Martyn_Chaplin@whirlpool.com>
Redhill, Surrey England - Thursday, November 18, 2004 at 11:46:43 (EST)

Hey - remember me? I certainly remember you and all of the laughs we had at RHS. It was fantastic to see your name and photo in the paper and to read about your life (how BIG TIME you've become), but then I always knew you were destined for greater things than Rockledge. I've thought of you often through the years, and it made me happy to see how successful you've become!
Topper
Leslie Topper <2toppers@bellsouth.net>
Rockledge, FL USA - Saturday, October 23, 2004 at 09:34:51 (EDT)

I remember using the SC/MT unit to type out form letters in the very late 60s and early 70s (including one useful weekend when I churned out a few hundred letters looking for a new job).

I first saw them as a graduate student and then again in my first "real" job, so it has always been my impression that pretty much any organization which needed to send decent looking large mailings had one. The Xerox copies of the time, were, shall we say, inadequate. I had quite forgotten the name of the beast. Having spent the last few weeks racking my memory after my younger colleagues informed me that there was no such thing, I was quite pleased to find your site. It was not a senior moment.
Eli Rabett <EliRabett2003@yahoo.com>
USA - Saturday, October 16, 2004 at 23:51:24 (EDT)

I worked for IBM in the early 70's repairing Composers as well as other products. I did some developmental work on the Electronic Composer at the plants in Austin and Lexinton. It's interesting to see them come up in the news lately, regarding the Bush documents.
Tom Buck <tom.buck@dtag.com>
Tulsa, OK USA - Thursday, October 07, 2004 at 17:13:42 (EDT)

I learned to set type in 1969 on the IBM MT/ST as a work-study student at the University of Utah Press. We produced several dozen titles on the MT/ST, some of which won graphics awards, and we had only three typefaces: Baskerville, Times Roman, and Univers. The machines were, of course, far less versatile than my Mac G4 (with digital type), but by God they did the job with far less noise and smell than a Linotype machine. Far smaller, too.
Larry Platt <scarriff@comcast.net>
Costa Mesa, CA USA - Wednesday, September 29, 2004 at 22:57:41 (EDT)

The internet is full of wonderful stuff. Now if we could just get people to stop putting two spaces after a period when they use a computer to write.
Edward Johnson <powernav@cybertron.com>
APO, AE USA - Tuesday, September 28, 2004 at 15:42:09 (EDT)

I do pre 1980 S-100 microcomputers. Getting into classic type writers is quite new to me. But, I like the mechanical genius that brought all of us to the brink of understanding.
Bary L. Goode <blgoode@blgoode.net>
Humble, Tx USA - Saturday, September 25, 2004 at 00:18:45 (EDT)

My company had two IBM Mag IIs (?) and still has two functioning Correcting Selectric IIIs. For technical documents - we do finite element analysis and software programming - these were what we could afford late 70's/early 80's. Eventually went to Frame on Suns and PC word processing. Looked at some old technical documentation we produced after the cBS furor broke and couldn't believe how easily we've grown to accept the power of modern word processing/printers/printer drivers. But what an amazing accomplishment that all-mechanical Composer was.
Chuck Ritter <ritter@jar.com>
USA - Wednesday, September 22, 2004 at 21:06:58 (EDT)

Ok, I admit it. When "Rathergate" hit the news, the first thing I thought of was the Selectric I was privileged to learn in 1967. I was quite positive that it was capable of creating this document. From what I have gathered, since I insisted that it could indeed do varied adjustable type spacing and verified lines, it must have been a composer. I do know that it was the best machine there (was warned repeatedly of how expensive it was,) and that it was always locked up at the end of class. Now, I am not really interested in getting into the debate, but I do want to refresh my aging memory on what it could do and how. I tried to view the online version, but get java scripts errors. When the furor dies down, I'd really appreciate getting the pdf. version from you. Thanks for putting up with this sudden flurry of interest! Tien
tien avielle <oloremalle@nls.net>
LeRoy, OH USA - Sunday, September 19, 2004 at 22:09:05 (EDT)

I worked on the technical support staff at IBM's Lexington Plant from 1965 to 1968, where the typewriters were engineered and manufactured. I wrote the service manual for the Model D Executive and Standard typewriter line. I sat at the desk next to man who wrote the manual for the Selectric Composer, which was released in 1966. I returned to Lexington in 1972 and was trained on the Composer and serviced them in Denver. I can guarantee that the Bush National Guard memos were not typed on an IBM Executive or a Selectric Composer. I have been corresponding and trading information with Joe Newcomer, the Professor who has been on TV debunking this story. Joe is certain these memos were done on a modern word processor. I duplicated them myself in just a few minutes on my computer. What a great site this is and it is a real trip down memory lane. I recognized Joe Manion's name who was the Regional Marketing Manager in Seattle while I was the IBM Branch CE Manager in Salem.
Larry R. George <larryRgeorge@comcast.net>
Salem, OR USA - Sunday, September 19, 2004 at 20:06:47 (EDT)

I sold IBM Office Products in 1972. Among those products was the IBM Selectric Composer and a newer machine called the IBM Mag Card Executive typewriter. I recall that it used a similar set of fonts as the composer but was used for typing instead of type setting. Functions such as justification were electronically automated. I recall selling one of these machines to the Polish National Union in Chicago. Question to anyone who might know: Has this machine been tested for the Killian memos?
Martin Manuel <martinmanuel@ctc.net>
Concord, NC USA - Wednesday, September 15, 2004 at 10:20:12 (EDT)

I really enjoyed your site. I owned a selectric composer back in 1977, it was our second generation typesetting machine for a family run trophy shop. The idea of anyone using this thing for producing memos is preposterous. Reading your comments sure brougt back some memories though, thanks. HD
Hugh Davis <fishhd44@comcast.net>
Shell Point, FL USA - Wednesday, September 15, 2004 at 03:59:09 (EDT)

I found your site after reading that the forged documents were made on the Composer. I'm retired military and knew that a NG unit would not have expensive machines, however to find that the Composer was a typesetter really made me laugh. Thinks for having this site, great information. One of my jobs in the service was repairing teletypes, so I have a little knowledge of electro mechanical machines. Your site brought back old memories. Thanks again..
J.Shipman <jjoship@cox.net>
SierraVista, Az USA - Wednesday, September 15, 2004 at 01:43:43 (EDT)

I found your site after reading that the forged documents were made on the Composer. Thinks for the information. I'm retired military and knew that A NG unit would not have expensive machines. However to find the the Composer was a typesetter really made me laugh. One of my jobs in the service was repairing teletypes, so I have a little knowledge of electro mechanical machines. Your site brought back old memories. Thanks again..
J.Shipman <jjoship@cox.net>
SierraVista, Az USA - Wednesday, September 15, 2004 at 01:30:28 (EDT)

I have just been reading your fascinating site on the IBM Composer. I worked for IBM for 27 years in large systems. The standard selectric unit was used as the console input/output device on the System 360 mainframes so I had the opportunity, or shall we say the displeasure, of working on these units from time to time, so I am well familier with the workings of the selectric mechanism. My duties took me into many customer accounts and I never once encounterd the Composer unit. My wife was also a secretary at IBM and used the Selectric and Executive on a daily basis and she also never saw a Composer unit. Being high-dollar and designed to meet a specific need in a somewhat specific market, commercial printing, they were few and far between, and the odds of one being availabe to a small Texas Air National Guard unit would be slim to none with the emphisis on none. Thanks for your informative site and regards, Bill Harris Colorado Springs, CO.
Bill Harris
USA - Tuesday, September 14, 2004 at 02:31:35 (EDT)

Thanks for this very interesting site I accidently found while doing a search. I am a 28 year IBM employee who was a Customer Engineer (CE) for a number of years in the Office Products Division in the and early 80's. I had the opportunity to do field service on IBM Typewriters, Memory Typewriters, Mag Cards and of course the occasional MT/SC (and later the dreaded e-Tron. I did not have a lot of these in my territory, so I never got to be an expert on them. This machine was a highly complex mechanical device that impresses me to this day in it's sophistication. You had to be a real mechanic to understand the workings of this machine. Thanks, and I look forward to checking back at ibmcomposer.org in the future.
Nelson Nappi
USA - Tuesday, September 14, 2004 at 02:31:03 (EDT)

I spent a couple of years as an IBM service tech in the 70's. I was told that I had the distinction of being trained in more systems faster than anyone else in IBM history. I worked on the early typewriters, the executive, Selectrics, Composers, the mag card and the early networked ink jet systems. It's nice that someone is preserving some of this history. I left, as did a lot of the IBM sales force, for the Qyx. This was a joint venture with the designer of the Zilog Z-80 microprocessor and Exxon. They had a technologically advanced product. Eventually, the personal computer overcame all of these efforts. The Qyx actually had the capability of becoming the standard for desktop computing, but the founder didn't have the vision - I know because I brought up the concept to him personally. Anyway, nice to see someone interested in these early mechanical monsters. One simple fact, at the time, the Selectric typewriters had more moving parts in 1/2 cubic foot as there were in automobiles.
Allen Sampson
USA - Tuesday, September 14, 2004 at 02:30:11 (EDT)

Just a note to thank you for your most interesting website on the Composer. I was an office manager back in the seventies and I remember the Composer well, though I didn't work one. We used one in our hospital system for generating in-house publications. I was always intrigued by how it worked but never took the time to learn it. Actually, I used the two different models of Memory Typewriter for my work, and certainly it didn't look as pretty as the Composer work! I also ran Mag Card machines back then--what frustrating machines they were! You could input a whole page of medicoscientific text complete with stop codes, etc., and then the stupid thing would refuse to record at the end. Now as I enter my fifties, that career and that technology are far removed from what I do. However, your site brought back some really neat memories. I look forward to visiting in the future.
Richard Keistler
USA - Tuesday, September 14, 2004 at 02:29:42 (EDT)

If this site is still up, I wanted to let you know that I am trained on the original Selectric Composer and worked on them for around 10 years before going into various staff positions within IBM. I used to own one personally, but sold it many years ago. Too bad, as it was in pristine condition. Are there people still wanting these units repaired ? I am not trained on the mag card unit.
Robert Appleman
USA - Tuesday, September 14, 2004 at 02:29:25 (EDT)

Just a terrific, wonderful, well designed site that focuses on a machine I spent WAY too many late nights fighting with. One question: I notice the references to "fonts"--but no link. Are you planning (I hope you're planning) to add some type samples? I'd really like a good look at Composer type again...maybe even a scan that's way-large to see the look of the type splatting on that clay-coated paper. Oh, and did you ever do this odd design refinement--use a 10 pitch font on the 12 pitch setting so you'd get a compressed, overlapping look? Yeah, I did, and regularly, too.
JC Burns
USA - Tuesday, September 14, 2004 at 02:28:01 (EDT)

I stumbled upon your site. It has special meaning to me as I spent 10 years with IBM fixing Composers, Comp. systems and MT/ST s. These machine were truly the pinnacle of mechanical masterpieces. Thanks for the memories.
Jim SAntoro
USA - Tuesday, September 14, 2004 at 02:27:23 (EDT)

I was an IBM CE and worked on that line of equipment. They sure did beautiful work but the SC and MT/SC were bears to troubleshoot. Thanks for the site! nice work!
Paul Bohn
USA - Tuesday, September 14, 2004 at 02:25:48 (EDT)

I actually use to fix these products. I was a CE in Beverly Hills and Century City covering Composer and MTST products from 1967 thru 1971. Wow what a trip back in time..
Jeff Martinelli
USA - Tuesday, September 14, 2004 at 02:24:34 (EDT)

I was a regional manager in Office Products Division when the Composer was announced, and throughout its product life, including its kissin' cousin, the Magnetic Tape Selectric Composer. The composer was a good product. However, one year we were getting them back off rental faster than we could sell them. Therefore we had "negative quotas" assigned to branches and sales people. In other words you netted your sales against your losses, and were paid to come up with a "negative sales pattern". That never happened on any other product during my 32 years with IBM.
Joe Manion
USA - Tuesday, September 14, 2004 at 02:23:20 (EDT)

I was just delighted when I saw your website. Never figured there was anyone keeping the composer alive! I operated the MT/SC system beginning in 1971 when I worked as a typesetter for a trade publication in Massachusetts. Then I worked for a publishing company still working on MT/SC equipment and eventually opened up my own typesetting/graphic design company where I continued happily using my composers. I also bought several "stand-alone" composers along the way. (In addition to lots of justified and ragged right uses, my business excelled in doing business forms -- which were typeset in position when the clay-coated stock was aligned perfectly after having used the rapidograph pens to draw in lines.) Thanks for the reminding me of so many great memories. I'm now off to find the closet where I have a portfolio case buried containing some of my samples of business forms on clay-coated stock. Just could never bear throwing them away. :-) Not only do I have dozens of fonts (some never have had the IBM seal removed from the rim of the cube-like original case and others are still unopened in their blue cardboardish boxes), but only threw away the 5 or 6 replacement one-time use "ribbons" a few months ago. (ugh) Is there a market for the fonts or are they merely collector's items or curiousities? Do you know someone that might be interested in purchasing my fonts? (Obviously I can easily give you an inventory of which fonts I have.) I'd like to sell them all to one individual, making packing them up and shipping simpler for me. Thanks again. Your site is wonderful.
Marge Charron <execcd@excite.com>
USA - Tuesday, September 14, 2004 at 02:22:15 (EDT)

The site is amazing! My father dies last year, he was in publishing and so we grew up in the 1960s/70s with these machines. Anyhow, I now have 2 machines, a selectric composer and another IBM golfball model (I think it's just a plain selectric) plus a box of spare golfball fonts, manuals, ribbons and other stuff. So I did what anyone does and look on the internet to see what to do with it. Basically it's on offer to a good home, it's still a fantastic bit of kit but I haven't the room for it. Any suggestions? Thanks for your help.
Andy Wakeford
USA - Tuesday, September 14, 2004 at 02:21:18 (EDT)

What a wonderful site. I've used the IBM Selectrice Composer (briefly), but used the IBM MT/SC and MT/ST for several years at a midwestern manufacturer in the late 70s and early 80s. When I moved to the northeast, I had the opportunity to use the IBM Electronic Composer at a small print shop. What memories. I've always loved using IBM equipment. My most favorite office equipment was IBM's Memory Typewriter. Every once and while I'll go on eBay in search for a used Memory Typewriter. No luck yet, but I know someday I'll find one to cherish as you cherish your Composer. Thank you for taking the time to shre your love of the Composer with the world.
Tomas
USA - Tuesday, September 14, 2004 at 02:20:48 (EDT)

I love old IBM Typewriters, especially Selectric II & III, and the electronic models. I have two correcting Selectric III's that are in perfect working condition, with a few minor chips and dings, other than that I couldn't ask for a better typewriter. Your site is very interesting, up to today I had no idea of what the Composer was, I had seen pictures of, it but really didn't know what the machine was all about. Very interesting to say the least.
James Kalin
USA - Tuesday, September 14, 2004 at 02:20:08 (EDT)

Thank you for your great contribution of the office equipment world. I am retired after 45 years in the office machine usiness. Mostly as a factory rep. Since 1989 we have been reproducing old manuals including office machine manuals. We have 100's of old office machine manuals including several IBM manuals at: http://users.lewiston.com/ejorgens/ soon to be officemachinemanuals.com.
Ernie Jorgenson
Lewiston, ID USA - Tuesday, September 14, 2004 at 02:18:56 (EDT)

I was a product planning manager with IBM in Lexington Kentucky in the '70's. The Selectric Composer was intentionally designed to replace the Model C "Executive" Proportional Spacing typewriter which was widely used by attorneys in those days to have type set quality documents. If this machine had been announced as a replacement for the "Executive" it would have set record sales levels as the ability to "Justify" copy was very simple. The "Executive " typewriter was used marginally in printing plants as a "Cold Typesetting " device. The IBM company was becoming increasingly bureaucratic at the time. The quality of typing from the Composer was so good that some idiot decided that IBM should get into the "Cold Typesetting" Business. The sales force new nothing about this market and new competitive technology and poor marketing turned this whole effort into a disaster. The mechanical technology is ingenious and I always lament the fact that this could have been the most successful typewriter announcement in history
Tom Turner
USA - Tuesday, September 14, 2004 at 02:15:45 (EDT)

Thanks for visiting IBMComposer.org!!
Gerry Kaplan <gkaplan@ibmcomposer.org>
- Tuesday, September 14, 2004 at 01:37:34 (EDT)

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