Abstract The firm of R.C. Allen was begun by Ralph C. Allen (1884-1967) in 1932 in Grand Rapids, Michigan to produce low cost adding machines. During World War II, the firm learned about integrating electronics into their systems. At the time of Allen’s retirement in 1963 the company enjoyed international sales and had some 500 employees. During the 1980s the firm was sold to out-of-state interests and eventually production was moved to California. Including documents from 1948 to 1962,...