Forrest Parry
Encyclopedia
Forrest Corry Parry was the IBM
engineer who invented the Magnetic stripe card
used for Credit cards and identification badges.
Parry was born in Cedar City, Utah to Edward H. Parry and Marguerite C. Parry. Forrest attended the Branch Agricultural College (BAC) now Southern Utah University, in Cedar City before entering the U.S. Naval Academy at Annapolis, Md, in 1942. He graduated from the Naval Academy in June 1945. When the Korean War
began in 1950, Parry served on the USS Walke
as First Lieutenant and Damage Control Officer. After the Walke was hit by a torpedo or floating mine which killed 26 sailors and wounded 40, Parry was awarded a Bronze Star with Valor.
and married Dorothea Tillia. They raised five children. Parry left Livermore in 1954 to work for Dow Chemical and then at Unette Corporation, a small plastic packaging firm.
In May 1957, Parry began his 30-year career with IBM, mostly in Rochester, Minnesota
. While at IBM, he developed devices and systems for high-speed printers, optical character readers, Universal Product Code
(UPC) checkout systems, and an Advanced Optical Character Reader (AOCR) which reads addresses from mailed letters and reprints it as bar codes for easy resorting at smaller post offices that have simpler and cheaper sorting machines.
In 1960, while at IBM, Parry invented the magnetic stripe card
for use by the U.S. Government. He had the idea of gluing short pieces of magnetic tape to each plastic card, but the glue warped the tape, making it unusable. After returning home, Parry told his wife Dorothea about his problem. She was using a flat iron to iron clothes and tried ironing the magnetic tape to the card. That solved the problem, because the temperature of the iron was just high enough to bond the tape to the card. Magnetic stripes are now used on credit cards, debit cards, gift cards, stored-value card
s, hotel keycards, and security identification badges.
Years after the death of his first wife Dorothea, Parry married La Faun W. Elder in 1983. After Parry retired from IBM in 1987, he and La Faun lived in St. George, Utah
until her death in 1996 and Parry's death in 2005.
IBM
International Business Machines Corporation or IBM is an American multinational technology and consulting corporation headquartered in Armonk, New York, United States. IBM manufactures and sells computer hardware and software, and it offers infrastructure, hosting and consulting services in areas...
engineer who invented the Magnetic stripe card
Magnetic stripe card
A magnetic stripe card is a type of card capable of storing data by modifying the magnetism of tiny iron-based magnetic particles on a band of magnetic material on the card...
used for Credit cards and identification badges.
Parry was born in Cedar City, Utah to Edward H. Parry and Marguerite C. Parry. Forrest attended the Branch Agricultural College (BAC) now Southern Utah University, in Cedar City before entering the U.S. Naval Academy at Annapolis, Md, in 1942. He graduated from the Naval Academy in June 1945. When the Korean War
Korean War
The Korean War was a conventional war between South Korea, supported by the United Nations, and North Korea, supported by the People's Republic of China , with military material aid from the Soviet Union...
began in 1950, Parry served on the USS Walke
USS Walke (DD-723)
USS Walke , an , was the 3rd ship of the United States Navy to be named for Henry A. Walke, a Rear Admiral during the Mexican-American War and the American Civil War. The third Walke was laid down on 7 June 1943 at Bath, Maine, by the Bath Iron Works; launched on 27 October 1943; sponsored by Mrs...
as First Lieutenant and Damage Control Officer. After the Walke was hit by a torpedo or floating mine which killed 26 sailors and wounded 40, Parry was awarded a Bronze Star with Valor.
Career
After leaving the Navy in 1952, Parry went to work at Lawrence Livermore National LaboratoryLawrence Livermore National Laboratory
The Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory , just outside Livermore, California, is a Federally Funded Research and Development Center founded by the University of California in 1952...
and married Dorothea Tillia. They raised five children. Parry left Livermore in 1954 to work for Dow Chemical and then at Unette Corporation, a small plastic packaging firm.
In May 1957, Parry began his 30-year career with IBM, mostly in Rochester, Minnesota
IBM Rochester
IBM Rochester is the facility of International Business Machines in Rochester, Minnesota, not to be confused with the IBM Global Services facility in Rochester, NY. The initial structure was designed by Eero Saarinen, who clad the structure in blue panels of varying hues after being inspired by...
. While at IBM, he developed devices and systems for high-speed printers, optical character readers, Universal Product Code
Universal Product Code
The Universal Product Code is a barcode symbology , that is widely used in North America, and in countries including the UK, Australia, and New Zealand for tracking trade items in stores. Its most common form, the UPC-A, consists of 12 numerical digits, which are uniquely assigned to each trade item...
(UPC) checkout systems, and an Advanced Optical Character Reader (AOCR) which reads addresses from mailed letters and reprints it as bar codes for easy resorting at smaller post offices that have simpler and cheaper sorting machines.
In 1960, while at IBM, Parry invented the magnetic stripe card
Magnetic stripe card
A magnetic stripe card is a type of card capable of storing data by modifying the magnetism of tiny iron-based magnetic particles on a band of magnetic material on the card...
for use by the U.S. Government. He had the idea of gluing short pieces of magnetic tape to each plastic card, but the glue warped the tape, making it unusable. After returning home, Parry told his wife Dorothea about his problem. She was using a flat iron to iron clothes and tried ironing the magnetic tape to the card. That solved the problem, because the temperature of the iron was just high enough to bond the tape to the card. Magnetic stripes are now used on credit cards, debit cards, gift cards, stored-value card
Stored-value card
A stored-value card refers to monetary value on a card not in an externally recorded account and differs from prepaid cards where money is on deposit with the issuer similar to a debit card...
s, hotel keycards, and security identification badges.
Years after the death of his first wife Dorothea, Parry married La Faun W. Elder in 1983. After Parry retired from IBM in 1987, he and La Faun lived in St. George, Utah
St. George, Utah
St. George is a city located in the southwestern part of the U.S. state of Utah, and the county seat of Washington County, Utah. It is the principal city of and is included in the St. George, Utah, Metropolitan Statistical Area. The city is 119 miles northeast of Las Vegas, Nevada, and 303 miles ...
until her death in 1996 and Parry's death in 2005.
Publications of Forrest Parry
- F. C. Parry, IBM Technical Disclosure Bulletin, "Identification Card", Vol. 3, No. 6, November 6, 1960, page 8