Baylor in Black & White: Early Computers and Students Using Technology, 1950s-1960s

From punch card machines to early computers, Baylor University has strived to keep up with the latest advances in technology to train its students for the world of business and beyond.

The Baylor School of Business and its Casey Computer Lab are shown in these photographs taken by the University's photography department from the 1950s through the 1960s. Some examples include an IBM 1620, that cost nearly $100,000, when purchased new in 1962. This large computer system with its console printer was the first of its kind at the institution and planted the seed for major technological changes into the 21st century.

Other images show IBM punch card machines when they were considered state of the art for use in accounting in the early 1950s. Later examples for accounting shown are the Marchant Calculator being used by students in the late 1960s. Its operational theory was a huge advancement over earlier technology.

Although the technology shown appears large and complex by today's standards, students at Baylor by the end of the 1960s were graduating with hands-on experience with some of the world's most advanced computing machines.