Special Collections and University Archives, Virginia Tech
Special Collections and University Archives, University Libraries (0434) 560 Drillfield Drive Newman Library, Virginia Tech Blacksburg, Virginia 24061 Business Number: 540-231-6308 specref@vt.edu URL: http://spec.lib.vt.edu
John M. Jackson, Archivist
Repository
Special Collections and University Archives, Virginia Tech
Identification
Ms.1973.005
Title
John A. N. Lee Papers 1973-1990
Quantity
30 Cubic Feet, 20 boxes
Creator
Lee, John A. N.
Location
Please note: Most of this collection is located in off-site storage and requires 2-3 days for retrieval. Contact Special Collections for
further information.
Language
The materials in the collection are in English.
Abstract
The collection contains correspondence, computer programs, publications, and meeting notes all relating to Lee's work for
the National Bureau of Standards to develop a standard for the BASIC programming language. Included in the papers are a survey
of twenty-seven descriptions of BASIC and a collection of published works relating to the language up to 1973. Also contains
records (1977-1990) from the editorial staff of the Annals of the History of Computing .
The copyright status of this collection is unknown. Copyright restrictions may apply. Contact Special Collections and University
Archives for assistance in determining the use of these materials. Reproduction or digitization of materials for personal
or research use can be requested using our reproduction/digitization form: http://bit.ly/scuareproduction . Reproduction or digitization of materials for publication or exhibit use can be requested using our publication/exhibition
form: http://bit.ly/scuapublication . Please contact Special Collections and University Archives (specref@vt.edu or 540-231-6308) if you need assistance with
forms or to submit a completed form.
Conditions Governing Access
The collection is open to research.
Preferred Citation
Researchers wishing to cite this collection should include the following information: [identification of item], [box], [folder],
John A. N. Lee Papers, 1973-1990, Ms1973-005, Special Collections and University Archives, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, Va.
Source of Acquisition
The John A. N. Lee Papers were donated to Special Collections in 1973 and 1982; the Annals of the History of Computing editorial files were donated in 1992.
Processing Information
The John A. N. Lee Papers are unprocessed. The guide is a preliminary inventory, created in 2005.
John A. N. Lee, a professor of computer science at Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, was born in Coventry,
England. After earning his doctoral degree at the University of Nottingham, Lee worked as a civil engineer with Freeman, Fox
& Partners, where he served on teams which designed the Medway Bridge near London, the Firth of Forth Road Bridge, and Australia's
Sydney Opera House. In 1959, Lee joined the faculty of Queens University (Kingston, Ontario), where he initiated computer
classes and a computer center. Lee moved in 1964 to the University of Massachusetts, Amherst, where he established a computer
science program and served as its first department head. During this time, he authored The Anatomy of a Compiler (1967) and Computer Semantics (1971). In 1973, the National Bureau of Standards contracted with Lee to form a "nucleus standard for the BASIC programming
language."
Lee joined the faculty of Virginia Tech in 1974. Here, he assisted in the development of a graduate program and extended the
undergraduate program. He served as chairman of the undergraduate program for many years and developed several new courses.
The recipient of several distinguished awards, Lee has made significant contributions to the development of computer language
standards, the history of computing, and professional development. His interest in history led Lee to organize the 1982 25th
anniversary commemoration of FORTRAN programming. Among his many other activities, he served as editor and editor-in-chief
of the Annals of the History of Computing from 1987 to 1995.
This collection contains the papers of John A. N. Lee, civil engineer, professor of computer science, author and editor. The
collection is essentially comprised of two sets of materials:
Boxes 1-3 contain materials relating to Lee's involvement with the National Bureau of Standards in establishing standardization
of the BASIC computer programming language. The files include the project contract, correspondence, surveys, meetings reports,
printed materials, and the final report resulting from Lee's work. (Also included in Box 1 is some background material for
a 1973 lecture by Grace Hopper.)
Boxes 4-20 contain the editorial files of the Annals of the History of Computing , from 1977 to 1990. The files contain such material as correspondence, drafts, rejected manuscripts, background material
and office records.
![[logo]](https://static.lib.vt.edu/images/logo/lockup-color-347x75.png){kind=logo}