Degree(s): Accounting, MBA
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Undergraduate Institution: City College of New York
Graduate Institution: New York University
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Photo Credit: LA Times
Mr. John Stanley Ford was the first Black software engineer in the country. Hired by IBM, Mr. Ford’s 37-year career included work on technology such as the IBM 407, an electronic accounting machine that was the predecessor of the company’s first commercial business computer.
Fun Fact: Mr. Ford’s experience at IBM was chronicled by his son Clyde in his book, Think Black, which discussed the racism he encountered as the first Black software engineer.
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