Honoring My 95-Year-Old Parents: Early Computer Pioneers

FIRST UPDATE: My father Albert Zimbler died on March 19, 2020, at the age of 95 less than three weeks before my parents’ 74th wedding anniversary. Here is my blog post following his death.

SECOND UPDATE: My mother Ruth Fishman Zimbler died on May 15, 2020, at the age of 95 two months after my father died. May both their memories be a blessing.

Edited original article:

My parents Albert and Ruth Zimbler both turned 95 in November 2019 (birthdays three days apart and married 73 years). To honor this milestone, we in the family donated in their name to Film2Future for purchases of software and hardware for Los Angeles underserved high school students participating in the nonprofit program.

Film2Future’s mission statement:

We are on a mission to change the face of Hollywood by giving underserved LA-based teenagers access to professional-level filmmaking programs and employment opportunities.

Al and Ruth were very early pioneers in utilizing computers in business and here is that story:

Albert was a CPA in the small town of Elgin, Illinois who did weekly payroll “by hand” for a client who owned several Swedish smorgasbord restaurants. At that time Ruth’s maternal first cousin Nathan Lieberman invented the ABLE paper-punched computer accounting program to do payrolls.

Ruth advocated a switch to using a computer for doing payrolls, and in 1969 Albert bought (with a bank loan) a second-hand Royal computer — large as a dining room credenza — along with accompanying components. The computer then sat unused in a smorgasbord restaurant in Arlington Heights, Illinois.

In early 1970 my husband Mitch and I, newly married, were awaiting orders for Mitch to go on active duty with the U.S Army after being in R.O.T.C. at Michigan State University. Mitch had taken one computer course at college that consisted of card-punched input.

Mitch left his job as a copywriter for a Chicago advertising agency, had the computer moved to my father’s accounting office in Elgin, and accompanied by me drove down to Evansville, Indiana to learn from Cousin Nathan how to use the ABLE accounting program.

Mitch then set up the program and ran it until he (and I) reported to Ft. Knox, Kentucky in May 1970 for Mitch to attend Armor Officers Basic (a fictionalized version of these nine weeks can be read in my Amazon Breakthrough Novel Award semifinalist MRS. LIEUTENANT).

My younger brother Jay, home that summer from the University of Michigan, took over. Afterwards Ruth — trained as an R.N. at Mount Sinai Hospital in Chicago during WWII — became head of the computer operation and ran it until the business was sold.

This is why it is so fitting that we contribute to Film2Future in Albert and Ruth’s honor to help provide software and hardware to underserved high school students.

Nathan Lieberman’s ABLE computer program significantly improved my father’s CPA practice — and it is hoped that the software and hardware gifted to Film2Future.com students help significantly improve their lives.

If this true story inspired you, consider donating to Film2Future to provide opportunities for Los Angeles underserved high school students.