Reynold B. Johnson

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Reynold Johnson (1906-1998) was an American inventor and computer pioneer. A long-time employee of IBM, Johnson is said to be the "father" of the disk drive. Other inventions include automatic test scoring equipment and the videocassette tape.

A native of Minnesota, Johnson was a graduate of the University of Minnesota (BS in Educational Administration, 1929).

In the early 1930s, Johnson, then a science teacher, invented an electronic test scoring machine that sensed pencil marks on a standardized form. IBM bought the rights to Reynold's invention and hired him as an engineer. The test scoring machine was sold as the IBM 805 Test Scoring Machine beginning in 1937.

One of Reynold's early assignment was to develop technology that allowed cards marked with pencil marks to be converted into punched cards. That allowed punched card data to be recorded by people using only a pencil. That "mark sense" technology was widely used by businesses in the 40s, 50s, and 60s. For example, the Bell System used mark sense technology to record long distance calls and utility companies used it to record meter readings. The Federal Government used it under the name "electrographic" technology.

In 1952, IBM sent Johnson to San Jose, California, to set up and manage its West Coast Laboratory. In 1956, a research team lead by Johnson developed disk data storage technology. Although the first disk drive was crude by modern standards, it launched a multibillion dollar industry. Johnson later thought up the idea of the tape cassette.

Johnson retired from IBM in 1971. He obtained more than 90 patents. After his retirement, he developed the technology used in the Fisher Price "Talk to Me Books." The Talk to Me Books won a Toy of the Year award. He received the National Medal of Technology from President Ronald Reagan in 1986.