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David C. Evans papers, 1958-1987

Overview of the Collection

Creator
Evans, David C. (David Cannon), 1924-
Title
David C. Evans papers
Dates
1958-1987 (inclusive)
Quantity
73 linear feet
Collection Number
MS 0625
Summary
The David C. Evans papers (1958-1987) contain correspondence, annual reports, financial documents, brochures, meeting minutes, and reports primarily concerning the operations of Evans and Sutherland Computer Corporation; articles on computer science; correspondence, speeches, and clippings concerning David Evans' activities as a professor at the University of Utah and as a community leader.
Repository
University of Utah Libraries, Special Collections
Special Collections, J. Willard Marriott Library
University of Utah
295 South 1500 East
Salt Lake City, UT
84112-0860

Telephone: 8015818863
special@library.utah.edu
Access Restrictions

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.

One original letter has been removed and placed in Reserve. A photocopied version is available in the collection for access purposes. Access to the original must be given by the Manuscripts Curator and by appointment. An archivist must remain with the item if being used.

Languages
English
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Historical Note

David Cannon Evans was born 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 was named the University's first Director of Computer Science in 1965, becoming the main force in the founding of the Computer Science Department. 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 (United States Department of Defense) aimed at improving computer-aided problem solving capabilities.

Along with Ivan Sutherland, Evans founded Evans & Sutherland Computer Corporation 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 Engineering, 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 was involved with the Boy Scouts of America throughout his life.

Evans & Sutherland Computer Corporation was founded by David Evans and 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 a privately held company 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 Department of Defense, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, Boeing, General Dynamics, General Electric, International Business Machines, and Northrup.

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Content Description

Although this collection is named for David C. Evans, the donor of the papers, it is more accurate to say that the collection contains papers important to the history of the Evans & Sutherland Computer Corporation, of which David Evans was a founder and CEO. While part of the collection does represent some of Evans' individual achievements outside of the company, it is his role in company activities that provides the cohesive element to this collection. The documents, most notably the internal and external correspondence, provide a reflection of Evans' impact on the success of Evans & Sutherland.

Another important aspect of this collection is the multitude of documents which cover a wide range of topics within the computer science field, especially the business side. Annual reports, financial documents, product brochures, correspondence, and other documents provide data on a plethora of individual companies. The market reports found with the material on investment firms give vital financial information. In addition, material describing computer science activities at various universities, especially the University of Utah, can be found in the collection. The academic papers in Section VIII document some of the scientific developments in computer science. Along with other documents throughout the collection, these papers also assist in understanding individual achievements, most notably in the development of computer graphics.

The collection is divided into nine sections. The first section, David Evans Personal, contains items connected to Evans as an individual, both in and out of the company. Correspondence, speeches, and news clippings show Evans as father, colleague, and community leader. Correspondence, speeches, and other documents show Evans as educator, recording part of Evans' years at the University of Utah.

Section II, Evans & Sutherland Board of Directors, contains documents found in Evans' files which were produced as a result of the activities of the company's board of directors. Along with correspondence, included are meeting agendas and minutes, resolutions, financial summaries, and information on some of the board members who served at various times.

The third section, Company Operations, is concerned with documents stemming from administrative activities within Evans & Sutherland. Sections IV and V focus on specific areas of Evans & Sutherland business activity. Section IV, Engineering and Products, contains correspondence, reports, brochures, and other items documenting Evans & Sutherland products and research and development efforts. (These materials do not give a complete representation of Evans & Sutherland products, however.) Section V, Affiliated Companies and Customers, contains items associated with companies which maintained some form of business relationship with Evans & Sutherland. This relationship may have been as an Evans & Sutherland customer, vendor, or collaborator.

Section VI, Professional Organizations and Conferences, contains items relating to organizations and conferences in which Evans either participated or received information on possible participation. Section VII, Computer and Electronics Companies, contains materials concerning various companies involved in the computer and electronics industries for which no apparent business relationship with Evans & Sutherland was discerned. Section VIII, Professional papers, contains the large amount of academic and other papers written about computer technology found in the collection. Other papers published by a specific company are found in the appropriate section under the company name.

Section IX, Miscellaneous, contains items which do not have a discernible relationship with David Evans' personal life or business affairs, nor have any connection with the business affairs of Evans & Sutherland. This includes items on a variety of companies and universities which may have been the subject of proposed or actual business relationships with Evans or Evans & Sutherland, as well as items retained due to some connection with computer science, education, or industry which remained otherwise unidentifiable.

Throughout the register, correspondence refers to both company memoranda, external correspondence, and, in some instances, telephone call reports. Correspondence and any attached materials have remained together. Oversize materials were removed to the final box in the collection, and their original locations are noted there, as well as in the original location.

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Use of the Collection

Restrictions on 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.

Preferred Citation

Collection Name, Collection Number, Box Number, Folder Number. Special Collections, J. Willard Marriott Library, The University of Utah.

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Administrative Information

Arrangement

Organized in nine series: I. Personal; II. Evans and Sutherland Board of Directors; III. Company Operations; IV. Engineering and Products; V. Affiliated Companies and Customers; VI. Professional Organizations and Conferences; VII. Computer and Electronic Companies; VIII. Professional Papers; IX. Miscellaneous.

Acquisition Information

Gift of David C. Evans in 1991.

Processing Note

Processed by Mark Jensen in 1996.

Separated Materials

Photographs and audio-visual materials were placed in the Multimedia Division of Special Collections (P0452 and A0341).

Related Materials

Forms part of the Utah Science, Engineering, and Medical Archives.

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Detailed Description of the Collection

Finding aid created by Mark Jensen.
1996 (last modified: 2018)

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