The abandoned origins of tech writing
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Susan, you will have to tell us more about the Sausage Maker’s Union. lc
My first thought was this Underwood is the typewriter I used in the Sausage Makers Union office on 16th & Mission, above California Savings Bank. But that was just too long ago.
kathy,
fond memory .. if you need to retrieve one ..
https://berkeleytypewriter.com/
thirsty, i retrieved it after snapping .. pondering restoration.
my first typing began on an underwood!!
ahh, memories ..
I typed law briefs for Boalt Hall students using the very model Underwood shown above. Brings a tear. But then, working for UC Berkeley’s Admissions, I encountered the “memory” IBM II typewriter with mag cards (does anyone remember?) Now armed with “memory”, office secretaries were ensured better salaries (so saith WordStar, WordPower, and Word software manuals). It never happened (Kelly Girl Temps as an aside…” because men never acquired word processing skills; they hired women with wp from a vast number of similarly skilled applicants, keeping $ hourly low. So, the Berkeley Office of Admissions saw an major surge in the volume of correspondence generated weekly, working the poor girls in Wordprocessing two shifts per day.
What a shame it was left in such disrepair and disarray. On the other hand, why would a machine in good working order be left out on the street? Happens sometimes, but not often. This particular abandonment kinda stings a bit: little chunk of mechanical writing and printing history left to its fate.