30 | January 24, 2019 | Alpharetta-Roswell Herald | NorthFulton.com
COMMUNITY
Computer museum offers glimpse of future possibilities By JULIA GROCHOWSKI julia@appenmediagroup.com ROSWELL, Ga. — Roswell will become the home to one of the largest collections of computers and artifacts from the digital revolution this year. The Computer Museum of America is expected to open July 20 at the Roswell Town Center on the corner of Holcomb Bridge Road and Alpharetta Street. While it will contain many of the familiar trappings found in a conventional museum, the plans call for several unique features more in tune with the likes of the Fernbank Museum of Natural History. And this is no coincidence. Founder Lonnie Mimms said he was inspired by his trips to Fernbank as a child to make the Computer Museum of America into a gathering and learning space to inspire people of all ages. “Lonnie wants to create a space where anyone, from any background, of any age, any whatever, can come here and be immersed in the creative process,” said museum Chief Advocacy Officer Todd Peneguy. “They can stand on the shoulders of the digital giants, hear their stories, understand how they tick… And maybe some of them will be inspired to be the next generation of innovators.” The museum will eventually house several technology exhibits as well as classrooms, a gathering space, a research library and a coffee shop. It will also host training seminars and classes
for people of all ages to learn technological skills. All of the technology was collected and donated to the museum by Lonnie throughout his life. “It’s more than just a technology museum, it’s an innovation center,” said Vice President Karin Mimms. “People think, ‘oh, it’s just computers.’ But it goes into so many other areas, because computers have touched every industry known to man.” Exhibits will include the moon landing, a timeline of modern computing, IBM and Apple technology, the first arcade games, a Byte magazine archive and Cray supercomputers. Many of the theme-based exhibits will rotate about every 18 months. At any given time, visitors will only see about 1 percent of the total collection, Karin said. One of the crown jewels of the museum is its Cray supercomputer collection, named after the father of supercomputers Seymour Clay. It is arguably the largest collection of these supercomputers, which have been used in military defense, computer animation and weather forecasting. “That technology is 20 years old, but it’s still used and still relevant today,” Peneguy said. “It was 20 years ahead of its time.” The museum’s goal, to preserve the past and inspire the next generation, is encapsulated by its tag line: Innovation past forward. “Meaning, preserve the past and
In Memoriam
William Madison “Bill” Harris
William M. “Bill” Harris of Johns Creek passed away on January 14 at age 86. He was born in Farmville, VA, to the late William Madison and Ann Thackston Harris. He was a 1953 graduate of the College of William & Mary. Shortly after completing his studies at William & Mary, Bill served as an officer in the U.S. Navy. After transitioning to civilian life, Bill served for many years as Director of Human Resources at a number of financial institutions in VA, NC, and GA and then as an HR consultant in private practice. Bill served in leadership roles in many church, civic, and social organizations throughout his life. Among these were his service as Elder in the Presbyterian Church (USA); as Commodore of the Fishing Bay Yacht Club; as Commander of the VFW Dunwoody Post; as Past President of the St. Andrews Society of Atlanta; as a member of the Burns Club of Atlanta.
He is survived by his wife of 61 years, Nonnie Harris of Johns Creek; sons Clay Harris (Karen) of Virginia Beach, VA and Randy Harris (Carol Ann) of Winston Salem, NC; daughter Beth Harris of Milton; and six grandchildren. He is also survived by his sister, Beverley Harris Davis (Causey) of Richmond, VA; many brothers- and sistersin-law; and eight nieces and nephews. He was predeceased by his daughter Holly Harris Anderson. A memorial service will be held on Saturday, January 19th, at 11 AM, with a reception following, at Alpharetta Presbyterian Church, 180 Academy Street, Alpharetta, GA 30009. In lieu of flowers, the family asks that donations be made to Alpharetta Presbyterian Church.
JULIA GROCHOWSKI/Herald
From left, Computer Museum of America Chief Advocacy Officer Todd Peneguy, Vice President Karin Mimms and Founder Lonnie Mimms stand near a Cray-1A supercomputer from Germany. inspire the next generation by passing it forward,” Peneguy said. “As we continue to build out, we will have that juxtaposition of past tech, current tech and future tech.” Some of the more modern technology the museum will incorporate will include virtual reality as well as technology that never made it onto the market for one reason or another or is still a prototype. For example, Lonnie was one of the first to obtain a Magic Leap, the first wireless augmented reality technology, because he was an early funder, Karin said.
Phase I will open up the first floor of the museum with a grand opening that coincides with the 50th anniversary of the moon landing. The grand opening will include a special guest speaker closely tied to America’s space race, but the name of the speaker will not be revealed until closer to the opening date. From there, the museum will continue to eventually expand into Phase II on the second floor. To learn more about the museum and its opening celebration, visit computermuseumofamerica.org.
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