Ramona Borders Oral History (Part 1)

Women in Computing and Information Technology Oral History Project, 2017-18, 35/3/96

Born and raised in Decatur, Illinois, Ramona (Russell) Pogue Borders received her bachelor of science degree in marketing and management from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign in 1948. Following graduation, Borders worked in the Bureau of Economics and Business Research as a statistician. From 1952 through 1984, she worked as one of the first operators for ILLIAC I (located in 165A Engineering Research Laboratory). She was promoted to computer supervisor and when the Digital Computer Laboratory (DCL) opened in 1958. Borders became the administrative aide in 1968, and when the Computing Services Office (CSO) formed in separation from the Department of Computer Science in 1970, she became one of the first employees of CSO. She retired from the University of Illinois in 1984. In this interview, Borders describes her childhood and education, as well as her experiences as a woman working in this unique computing environment. 

For Part 2 of this interview, click here.

This interview is part of the ACM-grant funded project "From Margin to Center: Reframing the History of Women in Computing and Information Technology through Oral Histories."