Campus Card Timeline

1975 - 1979

A Chronological Summary of Key Campus Card Industry Events, Pioneers, Vendors and Institutions Over The Past 50 Years

Compiled by

Robert C. Huber, CMC, CPCM

Robert Huber Associates

Vendor Independent

Campus Card Business Consultants

1975

The CBORD Group Inc. (Ithaca, NY) is founded by John Alexander to develop and market campus food service systems (i.e., food production management control system, meal plan access system).

Robert Hager becomes president of IDenticard Systems Inc. (Lancaster, PA), founded in 1970 and a provider of card production and card access security systems.

1976

Robert Urland becomes president of R.D. Products (Rochester, NY), a provider of card production and card access systems for colleges and universities.

1977

R.D. Products (Rochester, NY) introduces the “Logging Card Reader” (LCR) – designed to store card transactions (“Off-line”) using a self-contained tape storage system.

R.D. Products (Rochester, NY) introduces the “VALI-DINE/Series 4” system new “Food Points” application software – installed at the University of Wisconsin – Stout (Menominie, WI), University of Kentucky (Lexington, KY), and SUNY Oneonta (Oneonta, NY).

1978

IDenticard Systems Inc. (Lancaster, PA), a provider of card production and card access security systems, installs its first A.M.E.C.S. at West Chester State Teachers College (West Chester, PA).

The A.M.E.C.S. system (Automated Meal Control System) utilized magnetic stripe card technology (i.e., low coercivity), and included both “Meal Plan” and electronic “Door Access” application software.

1979

General Meters Corporation (Calabassas, CA) is founded by attorney Leon Gottlieb to develop and provide vending control systems (“Off/line”) for copy machines.

The CBORD Group Inc. (Ithaca, NY) develops and installs its first “ACCESS” card control system (“On/line”) at Cornell University (Ithaca, NY) using magnetic stripe technology (i.e., low coercivity), “Meal Plan” software, and a Burroughs mini-computer as the host.