Evelyn Berezin

Evelyn Berezin (April 12, 1925 – December 8, 2018) was an American computer designer of the first computer-driven word processor.

She also worked on computer-controlled systems for airline reservations.

Berezin was born in the east Bronx in 1925 to Jewish immigrants from the Russian Empire, and attended Christopher Columbus High School.

Her father was a furrier and her mother was a seamstress.

They lived in an apartment that allowed for Berezin to watch as subway trains soared by endlessly.

She started university at the age of sixteen at Hunter College in January 1941, studying Economics instead of the Physics she preferred because it was preferred as a subject for women at that time.

After WWII started, new opportunities made the study of physics possible with a scholarship at New York University, plus free classes at both Hunter and Brooklyn Polytech during the war years.

At the same time, she worked full-time during the day as an assistant in the Rheology Department of the Research Division of the International Printing Company (IPI).

Going to university at night, she received her B.S.

in physics in 1946.

Berezin began graduate work at New York University, holding a fellowship from the United States Atomic Energy Commission.

In 1951 she accepted a job with the Electronic Computer Corporation and began there as head of the Logic Design Department.

When she was hired at Electronic Computer Corporation, she had little experience with Computer design and only got into the field after having difficulty finding work in the Physics industry.

Berezin was the only person doing the logic design for computers being developed by ECC.

In 1957 ECC was purchased by Underwood Corporation (originally known as the Underwood Typewriter Company).

Here, she designed a number of computers that were very general in structure but individual in specific application.

Among them was a system for the US Army for range calculations, a system for controlling the distribution of magazines, and what is now considered the first office computer.

The Underwood Typewriter Company was not able to continue the development beyond 1957, and Berezin went to a company called Teleregister, formerly a division of Western Union.

Using vacuum tube computers and electromechanical switching, Teleregister had built one of the first airline reservation systems, the "Reservisor".

Using newly available transistor technology, Berezin developed a computerized reservation system for United Airlines which was one of the largest computer systems at that time, controlling 60 cities in a communication system that provided 1 second response time.

While working for Teleregister, Berezin also developed the first computerized banking system.

This system was soon adopted by many businesses due to its extremely effective capabilities and very reliable nature.

This technology was groundbreaking since it allowed for faster processing times and fewer shutdowns due to the system isolating and resolving the problems individually.

In 1960, Berezin had a job offer from the New York Stock Exchange retracted strictly because she was a woman, despite being one of few qualified for the job.

The position was then revoked from Berezin by the board of directors.

In 1968, Berezin had the idea for a word processor to simplify the work of secretaries, and in 1969 she founded Redactron Corporation, which became a public company and delivered thousands of systems to customers throughout its international marketing organization.

The company's main product was called the "Data Secretary" and it was the size of a small refrigerator, had no screen, and the keyboard and printer was an IBM Selectric typewriter.

The company began super small with only 9 employees and a $750,000 dollar investment.

The company was able to develop the very first computer word processor.

This technology is the core of almost all computer software today.

This innovation can be found as the core of many software programs such as Microsoft Word, Google Docs, and many other software programs.

Berezin saw the potential of word processing, as it allowed for people to type out their writing and edit it through copying, pasting, deleting, and printing their material.

In the 1970s, although the market continued strong the economy suffered a serious inflation, increasing interest rates to a level (16%) which was untenable for a business like Redactron which operated in a world in which equipment was rented.

By 1972, Redactron had reached levels of Total Revenue of nearly $16.2 Million.

The company was sold to the Burroughs Corporation in 1976, and integrated into its office equipment division.

Berezin stayed on until 1979.

In 1980, Berezin served as President of Greenhouse Management Company, General Partner of a venture capital group dedicated to early stage high technology companies.

Berezin stayed with Greenhouse until 1987.

Throughout her career she received honorary doctorates from Adelphi University and Eastern Michigan University.

Berezin also served on the Boards of CIGNA, Standard Microsystems, Koppers, and Datapoint.