Minnesota Educational Computing Corporation (MECC) collection
Collection — Box: 1-9
Identifier: 2016.mecc
The Minnesota Educational Computing Corporation (MECC) collection is a compilation of six separate donations from Don Rawitsch (co-creator of The Oregon Trail), Laura Gilbert (former Human Resources Manager at MECC), Susan Schilling (former VP of Development at MECC), Mike Palmquist (former software designer and producer at MECC), Dale LaFrenz (co-founder of MECC), and R. Philip Bouchard (lead designer of The Oregon Trail and Number Munchers). The MECC collection includes materials related to the development of The Oregon Trail and other MECC educational computer programs, as well as various news articles, journals, photographs, floppy disks, VHS tapes, and more related to MECC throughout the late 20th century. Additional scope and content notes can be found within the Contents List section of this finding aid.
The Minnesota Educational Computing Corporation (MECC) collection has been arranged into six series, four of which have been further divided into subseries. The materials are housed in nine archival document boxes.
The Minnesota Educational Computing Corporation (MECC) collection has been arranged into six series, four of which have been further divided into subseries. The materials are housed in nine archival document boxes.
Dates
- Majority of material found within 1973 - 1998
- 1967 - 2015
Creator
- Rawitsch, Don (Person)
Conditions Governing Access
At this time, audiovisual and digital files in this collection are limited to on-site researchers only. It is possible that certain formats may be inaccessible or restricted.
Please see The Strong's Digital Games Files Access Policy here .
Please see The Strong's Digital Games Files Access Policy
Conditions Governing Use
This collection is open for research use by staff of The Strong and by users of its library and archives. Though the donors have not transferred intellectual property rights (including, but not limited to any copyright, trademark, and associated rights therein) to The Strong, they have given permission for The Strong to make copies in all media for museum, educational, and research purposes.
Extent
6.5 Linear Feet (9 boxes)
Abstract
The Minnesota Educational Computing Corporation (MECC) collection is a compilation of materials on the development of The Oregon Trail and other MECC educational computer programs, as well as various related news articles, journals, photographs, floppy disks, VHS tapes, and more. The bulk of the materials are dated between 1973 and 1998.
Historical Note
During the 1960s, a group of teachers at the University of Minnesota’s College of Education (including Dale LaFrenz) incorporated computers into classroom learning via teleprinters and mainframe computer time-sharing. Minneapolis/St. Paul-area school districts and the College of Education established Total Information for Educational Systems (TIES) to provide service, training, and software for computers, making Minnesota a leader in computer education by 1968. Following the success of TIES, the Minnesota state legislature established the Minnesota Educational Computing Consortium (MECC) in 1973. (Later, the company’s name changed to Minnesota Educational Computing Corporation.)
MECC originally coordinated and provided computer services to elementary and high schools in the state of Minnesota, and later, developed popular educational software for use in schools worldwide. In 1985, MECC became a public corporation, wholly owned by the State of Minnesota. The state spun off the company as a private corporation in 1991. MECC became a publicly traded company three years later, and it was acquired by SoftKey International (later The Learning Company) in 1996. MECC continued developing software but was shuttered in 1999.
MECC is best known for the successful computer program The Oregon Trail, originally developed in 1971 by three student teachers (including Don Rawitsch). Players of the game learned about the realities of 19th-century pioneer life while leading a group of settlers in covered wagons from Missouri to Oregon. The Oregon Trail remained extremely popular from the mid-1980s through the mid-2000s, releasing 15 different versions and spawning many imitations. (As the longest-published, most-successful educational game of all time, The Oregon Trail was inducted into the World Video Game Hall of Fame in 2016.) MECC also released other popular educational software games, such as Number Munchers, Word Munchers, Math Munchers Deluxe, The Secret Island of Dr. Quandary, Spellevator, and more.
MECC originally coordinated and provided computer services to elementary and high schools in the state of Minnesota, and later, developed popular educational software for use in schools worldwide. In 1985, MECC became a public corporation, wholly owned by the State of Minnesota. The state spun off the company as a private corporation in 1991. MECC became a publicly traded company three years later, and it was acquired by SoftKey International (later The Learning Company) in 1996. MECC continued developing software but was shuttered in 1999.
MECC is best known for the successful computer program The Oregon Trail, originally developed in 1971 by three student teachers (including Don Rawitsch). Players of the game learned about the realities of 19th-century pioneer life while leading a group of settlers in covered wagons from Missouri to Oregon. The Oregon Trail remained extremely popular from the mid-1980s through the mid-2000s, releasing 15 different versions and spawning many imitations. (As the longest-published, most-successful educational game of all time, The Oregon Trail was inducted into the World Video Game Hall of Fame in 2016.) MECC also released other popular educational software games, such as Number Munchers, Word Munchers, Math Munchers Deluxe, The Secret Island of Dr. Quandary, Spellevator, and more.
System of Arrangement
Series I: Don Rawitsch, 1977-2015
Subseries A: MECC internal materials
Subseries B: MECC-related printed materials
Subseries C: The Oregon Trail musical script
Series II: Laura Gilbert, 1982-1994
Series III: Susan Schilling materials, 1992-2007
Subseries A: MECC internal materials
Subseries B: MECC-related printed materials
Subseries C: Cassettes and tapes
Series IV: R. Philip Bouchard, 1968-1992
Series V: Dale LaFrenz, 1967-1997
Subseries A: MECC internal materials
Subseries B: MECC product inserts and advertisements
Subseries C: MECC-related printed materials
Subseries D: Dale LaFrenz materials
Subseries E: Photographs
Series VI: Mike Palmquist, 1982-1998
Subseries A: MECC market research
Subseries B: MECC-related printed materials
Subseries C: MECC program disks, manuals, and resources
Subseries D: Oregon Trail-related books
Subseries E: The Oregon Trail visual materials
Custodial History
The Minnesota Educational Computing Corporation (MECC) collection was assembled by The Strong using donations received from Don Rawitsch, Laura Gilbert, Susan Schilling, R. Philip Bouchard, Dale LaFrenz, and Mike Palmquist in 2016. The materials were accessioned by The Strong under Object IDs 116.1232, 116.1234, 116.1302, 116.1591, 116.1595, and 116.1669, respectively. These donors also contributed various MECC software and ephemera.
Revision Note
Finding aid edited in May 2019 to incorporate Object ID 117.5438.
Processed by
Robert Ramos, September 2016; Julia Novakovic, May 2019
- Computer games
- Computer games -- Design
- Computer games -- Handbooks, manuals, etc.
- Computer games -- Periodicals
- Computer games -- Software
- Computer games industry
- Focus Groups
- Minnesota Educational Computing Corporation
- Oregon Trail (Game)
- Video games and children
- Video games and society
- Video games in education
- Women in Games
- World Video Game Hall of Fame inductee
Creator
- Rawitsch, Don (Person)
- Gilbert, Laura (Person)
- Schilling, Susan (Person)
- Palmquist, Mike (Person)
- LaFrenz, Dale (Person)
- Bouchard, R. Philip (Person)
- Title
- Finding Aid to the Minnesota Educational Computing Corporation (MECC) Collection, 1967-2015
- Status
- completed
- Author
- Robert Ramos and Julia Novakovic
- Date
- 15 May 2019
- Description rules
- dacs
Repository Details
Part of the Brian Sutton-Smith Library and Archives of Play at The Strong Repository
Contact:
The Strong
One Manhattan Square
Rochester NY 14607 USA
585.263.2700
585.423.1886 (Fax)
library@museumofplay.org
The Strong
One Manhattan Square
Rochester NY 14607 USA
585.263.2700
585.423.1886 (Fax)
library@museumofplay.org