About the Museum

The Paul Gray Personal Computing Museum

At the beginning of the age of personal computing, when large mainframes used by governments and corporations were giving way to computers for personal use, Paul Gray arrived at Claremont Graduate University in 1983 to establish the Center for Information Systems and Technology. Having first taught at Stanford and USC, Professor Gray had been particularly fascinated with the impact that personal computing was having on people’s lives. So, while founding CISAT here at CGU, Professor Gray also began amassing a collection of personal computers with an eye toward tracking both the changes in computer technology and the impact on people these transformations were having.

After an 18-year career at CGU, teaching hundreds of students, Gray retired in 2001 and founded the Paul Gray Personal Computer Museum. As part of his legacy, Gray donated his collection to CGU with the hope that friends, colleagues, and students would build upon his work in the museum. From miniaturization to portability and to the fostering of individual creativity and connectivity with others, Gray’s collection provides ample evidence of what most fascinated him about computers: their impact on people. Today, the museum traces the innovative history of personal computing over the last 50 years always with Paul Gray’s original purpose in mind: for you to see and contemplate how computers affect your life.