I looked at this picture several times before I saw the calculator. This was a meeting of the Rice Fund Council in May, 1973 so there are only a couple of things it could possibly be:
I think it’s a HP-35 but I’m not certain. Unfortunately I don’t recognize the gentleman who’s holding it.
Norman is at the head of the table with Malcolm Lovett, Sr. at the right, then I think Jim Teague. I’d be willing to be that the fellow with the long sideburns and glasses to the right of the guy with the calculator is Harry Chavanne. Otherwise, I’m lost.
Bonus:
It is obviously not a TI SR-10, because that had a light face.
http://americanhistory.si.edu/collections/search/object/nmah_334394
The HP-35 and HP-45 have the same key layout but different key colors. The HP-45 appears to have been introduced in mid-1973 with an ad in the July Scientific American. That would make it too late for this May photo.
There were several cosmetic versions of the HP-35. I recommend the first linked photo from The Museum of HP Calculators, which shows six versions, including two different prototypes. Dang, those people are serious.
http://www.hpmuseum.org/hp35.htm
http://www.hpmuseum.org/hp45.htm
Just checked the inflation-adjusted price for the HP-35 around the introduction. $395 in July 1972 is $2300+ today. That is just about exactly the price for the lower-priced 15-inch MacBook Pro.
I got my HP-35 for Christmas from my parents in Dec 1972 at the Rice Book Store for $495. It finally died a number of years later and my company (Dow Chemical) provided a replacement HP-45 which I am still using! The keyboards are similar but not the same. This is definitely an HP-35. I cannot say if it is him, but the gentleman with the calculator reminds me of Bill Akers of Chemical Engineering who was very influential in my development who would be a good candidate for such a cool machine.
It’s the HP-80 financial calculator. See http://www.hpmuseum.org/cgi-sys/cgiwrap/hpmuseum/articles.cgi?read=1263
Yeah, I could believe the HP-80. I like the way the keys match the photo. That calculator was announced 16 January 1973, so this would be a seriously early adopter.
The leftmost key in second row is light-colored. Probably a “gold key” which would indicate that it is an HP-80 business calculator introduced in 1973. http://www.hpmuseum.org/hp80.htm
The same key is dark colored on the HP-35.
Might be Dr William W Akers of Chemical Engineering who was doing a lot of finance and development related work for the administration in the 1970s. The angle is tough but I’d check for minutes of the meeting for attendees. Bill Akers is still alive in his 90s AFAIK.
Mr. Chavanne appears to be wearing a seersucker sport coat. Cool! I like all the light colored suits.
Threshers of the period identify Stanley Moore and E.D. Butcher as members of the Fund Council, if that helps.
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