Opening of AS/6 Computer - Downsview, 23 September 1980

The photo below was published in the September / October 1980 edition of Zephyr

please scroll down for more photos of this event


l to r:  Clarence C Boughner, retired head of Central Services; ADM Jim Bruce; and Bruce Byce, Chief of the Computer Centre.

Fast access to archives now available at Downsview (summary of Zephyr article)

The Downsview Computer Centre officially opened its new AS/6 computer facility on Tuesday September 23, 1980.

The Magnetic Tape System 7420 will enable researchers to access any part of the AES meteorological archives within 10 minutes. This is a far cry from earlier days when the archives occupied the better part of a large building in Toronto, and when accessing information was a long, tedious and laborious task.

Through an intricate telecommunications system, users will be able to access the archives from anywhere in the world, provided they have a telephone. Larger weather centres, already equipped with a terminal, can obtain information within minutes; additional terminals are available and relatively inexpensive.

Read the complete article in Zephyr

In 2023 a roll of 35 mm. black and white negatives of this event was discovered and the collage below represents the best of them.
left to right in all identifications

Photo 1

Jim Bruce (cutting the ribbon)
 Photo 2

Jim Bruce
Photo 3

?		 Photo 4

Morley Thomas
Photo 5

Bruce Byce 		Photo 6

  Bruce Byce, Jim Bruce, Clarence Boughner.
Photo 7

The AS/6 Hardware
 Photo 8

AS/6 control centre
Photo  9

telephone connections for users
 Photo 10

Bruce Byce in computer centre
Photo 11

 l to r:  Jim Bruce, ?, Bruce Byce
 Photo 12

André Robert (maybe) & ?
Photo 13

Clarence Boughner, Bruce Byce, Jim Bruce, Morley Thomas 		Photo 14

l to r:  ?, Bruce Byce, Paresh Chibba, Mel McGill (in background), Jim Bruce, ?, Howard Bordman, ? (contractor).
Photo 15

Jim Bruce (back), Bruce Byce, Clarence Boughner, Larry Campbell (maybe), Morley Thomas (side), ? (Zephyr reporter).
 Photo 16

l to r:  ?, ? (left, standing), Howard Bordman (side, sitting ), Ann Fedurco, Don Smith (both centre, standing), right background: ?, Bruce Byce.

Outlier Photo

Lorraine Kiely, seen in the first negative, emerging from the Personnel Offices, taken probably to test the camera and flash by photographer husband Bill Kiely.
 Photo 17
Don Smith, ?, ?, Kirk Dawson  (maybe), ?, Bruce Byce, André Robert (side, maybe), Jim Bruce (back), ? (partly hidden), Morley Thomas, ? (side).

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