As Canadians celebrated the country’s centennial in 1967 they looked to a future of hope and boundless possibilities. But at the University of Waterloo, the future was about to arrive in the newly constructed Math and Computer Building. It was there that an IBM 360 Model 75 was housed — the most powerful computer in Canada and the model NASA used to perform the critical calculations to send astronauts to the moon.
But how did such an advanced computer find a home in a Canadian university itself just a decade old?
That story involves many people, but the Waterloo innovator who deserves the lion’s share of the credit is James Wesley “Wes” Graham (1932–1999), the first director of the University’s computing centre.
Wes Graham, the “Father of computing” at the University of Waterloo, beside the IBM 360 Model 75, the most powerful computer in Canada at the time.
Wes convinced the University of Waterloo that computer science was a critical part of its future, but realizing that would require an advanced machine few educational institutions could afford. At the time, the Government of Ontario was paying 90 percent of the cost of all university buildings, including furniture. Wes found the solution. In the proposal for the new building he suggested the computer be listed as furniture. A proposal for $13 million was submitted, with $5 million budgeted for the Math and Computer Building and $8 million for furniture — an IBM 360 Model 75.
The proposal was a success and Wes Graham helped cement Waterloo as a leader in computer science education and research.
“Wes Graham devoted his career to making computers available to everyone — undergraduates, graduates and faculty alike — and he provided exceptional leadership in software developed for education that gave Waterloo and Canada an international reputation,” said Mark Giesbrecht, Dean of the Faculty of Mathematics. “He was also instrumental in sparking the University of Waterloo’s entrepreneurial culture, by guiding the development of the University’s intellectual property policy and creating a number of spin-off companies, among them Watcom in the early 1980s.”
The J.W. Graham Medal in Computing and Innovation
To recognize his many contributions, the University of Waterloo created the J.W. Graham Medal in Computing and Innovation in 1994, a medal awarded annually to a University of Waterloo graduate who exemplifies his qualities.
In 2020, the medal was awarded to Joanne McKinley (BMath 2000, MMath 2002) for her exceptional contributions and leadership in software development, and her work as an advocate and role model for women in technology.
McKinley co-founded the Google Waterloo office in 2005 as one of the first developers of mobile Gmail. For years, Joanne led the delivery of mobile Gmail across multiple generations of mobile platforms, co-authoring over a dozen software patents. Most recently she assembled a team of 40 software developers to build the next generation of tools for large-group communication in Google Workspace.
Joanne is passionate about championing and developing female leaders in technology. A role model for work-life balance, she has earned multiple promotions while working 32-hour weeks.
If you would like to nominate someone for this award or our other alumni awards, please visit https://uwaterloo.ca/math/stay-connected-alumni-and-friends/faculty-mathematics-alumni-awards.
Joanne will be speaking with Sandra Banks, Vice-President, University Relations at Waterloo about the impact and changes COVID-19 has had on women in the workforce at the upcoming Waterloo Women’s Impact Network (WWIN) webinar: “Creating Your Own Path: Opportunities, Sustainability and Lessons Through COVID-19” on March 24th.
More about Wes Graham
In 2020, Wes Graham received a Lifetime Achievement Award posthumously from CS-Can/Info-Can, the professional society representing computer science and the interests of the discipline across the nation.
The excerpted material that follows was published originally on CS-Can/Info-Can’s website.
From the 1960s until his death in 1999, Wes Graham’s pioneering work and leadership changed the way programming and other computer-related skills were taught at the University of Waterloo, across Canada and internationally. Thousands of copies of the software produced under his direction were used in more than 60 countries, and influenced the teaching of hundreds of thousands of students, as well as encouraged dramatic improvements in software developed for business and government.
Wes recognized that commercial software was not designed for teaching, as a program run took 30 seconds to execute, while an error produced an incomprehensible pile of paper as output. Teaching large groups of students using such software would not work and so Wes led four students and a faculty member in building WATFOR — the Waterloo Fortran Compiler — for the IBM 7040 computer, making Waterloo a leader in teaching undergraduate students about computers.
With the creation of the Faculty of Mathematics at Waterloo, Wes again provided leadership by helping the University secure an IBM 360/75, the largest computer in Canada. Wes also influenced computer studies in Ontario secondary schools by helping create the first curriculum and leading development of hardware and software for secondary school students.
By the late 1970s, many students at the University of Waterloo wanted to become computer science entrepreneurs. Wes sought a solution in which the University and students could benefit jointly. The first opportunity occurred when three of his former students started Watcom, now a division of SAP, to produce educational software. Wes worked with these students, the spin-off company, and the University to establish a model for a mutually beneficial relationship.
His approach has been applied many times since to create other Waterloo spin-off companies. Successful spin-offs include Waterloo Maple (now Maplesoft) and OpenText, both of which employed the model pioneered by Wes Graham.
In 1978, Wes Graham received Waterloo’s Distinguished Teacher Award and, in 1999, he was made an Officer of the Order of Canada.
Beyond Tradition
Beyond Tradition is a documentary about the University of Waterloo and its early days in computer science research and application. It explores the progressive founders, thinkers and students whose steadfast resilience has made Waterloo one of the most innovative universities in the world today.
The video captures key moments in Waterloo’s history — and at ~6:40 it recounts its early days in computer science research and application pioneered by Wes Graham.
