Near Breksville in Cuyahoga County, Ohio — The American Midwest (Great Lakes)
The Ahola Corporation
Photographed By J. J. Prats, June 22, 2019
1. The Ahola Corporation Marker
The Aloha Corporation is the world’s longest continuously operating family-focused payroll service provider. It was founded in 1967 by computer programmer Chet Ahola, known at the time as a “computer” (not a machine, but a person who computes) and his data analyst wife, Rheta, a “debugger" (the person who removed the moths that were attracted to the heat of the mainframe computers). Initially Keypunch Services and later The Ahola Corporation, the company represented the first exposure to the power of the computer to its many small and mid-sized business clients.
The company’s family enterprise focus influenced by renowned Harvard-educated expert Dr. Leon A. Danco, founder of the Center For Family Business in Cleveland, Ohio. Under continuous management by Chet, Rheta, and their four children, The Ahola Corporation has provided technology-driven solutions, primarily in payroll services, specializing in meeting the unique needs of family businesses.
Erected 2012 by The Aloha Corporation and The Ohio Historical Society. (Marker Number 108-18.)
Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in this topic list: Industry & Commerce. In addition, it is included in the Ohio Historical Society / The Ohio History Connection series list. A significant historical year for this entry is 1967.
Location.
this page online
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within 4 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies. Brecksville Township’s First Settler (approx. 2.7 miles away); Sikh Gurdwara (approx. 2.9 miles away); Jaite - More Than a Company Town (approx. 3.1 miles away); Ride the Rails (approx. 3.4 miles away); Welcome to Cuyahoga Valley National Park (approx. 3.4 miles away); The Lure of the Countryside (approx. 3.4 miles away); A Travel Guide for the Valley (approx. 3.4 miles away); Ohio & Erie Canalway (approx. 3.4 miles away).
Also see . . .
1. Computer (occupation). Wikipedia entry:
Excerpt:
The term “computer,” in use from the early 17th century (the first known written reference dates from 1613), meant "one who computes": a person performing mathematical calculations, before electronic computers became commercially available. Alan Turing wrote, “The human computer is supposed to be following fixed rules; he has no authority to deviate from them in any detail.” Teams of people were frequently used to undertake long and often tedious calculations; the work was divided so that(Submitted on July 27, 2019.)this could be done in parallel. Frequently, the same calculations were performed independently by separate teams to check the correctness of the results.Photographed By J. J. Prats, June 22, 20192. The Ahola Corporation Marker, side two
2. Grace Hopper. Wikipedia entry:
Excerpt:
While she was working on a Mark II Computer at Harvard University in 1947, her associates discovered a moth that was stuck in a relay; the moth impeded the operation of the relay. While neither Hopper nor her crew mentioned the phrase “debugging” in their logs, the case was held as an instance of literal “debugging.” For many years, the term bug had been in use in engineering.(Submitted on July 27, 2019.)
Photographed By J. J. Prats, June 22, 2019
3. The Ahola Corporation Marker
Courtesy of the Naval Surface Warfare Center, Dahlgren, VA.
4. The First “Computer Bug”
Moth found trapped between points at Relay # 70, Panel F, of the Mark II Aiken Relay Calculator while it was being tested at Harvard University, 9 September 1947. The operators affixed the moth to the computer log, with the entry: "First actual case of bug being found". (The term "debugging" already existed; thus, finding an actual bug was an amusing occurrence.) In 1988, the log, with the moth still taped by the entry, was in the Naval Surface Warfare Center Computer Museum at Dahlgren, Virginia.
Credits. This page was last revised on June 23, 2022. It was originally submitted on July 27, 2019, by J. J. Prats of Powell, Ohio. This page has been viewed 253 times since then and 28 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4. submitted on July 27, 2019, by J. J. Prats of Powell, Ohio.
