February 1979 — Vol 1 No 1
Source
Open original PDF • February 1979 • Vol 1 No 1 • 3 pages
Overview
The founding issue of what would become the Washington Apple Pi Journal — a three-page typewritten newsletter from Bernard Urban (signed "Bernard Urban") describing the formation of "a budding Apple Users' Group in the greater Washington, D. C. area." Documents the February 2, 1979 organizing meeting at Computers Etc in Silver Spring, where Urban agreed to serve as temporary moderator. Establishes monthly meeting cadence (last Saturday), confirms the next venue (planned George Washington University, delayed to Bethesda for March 2), and recruits volunteer area leads across iBASIC, APPLESOFT, utilities, files, HIRES, sound, hardware, and more. The seed of an institution that would last more than four decades.
Table of contents
This pre-formal newsletter has no formal articles or TOC; content is structured as:
| Section | Page |
|---|---|
| Founding letter / meeting summary | 1 |
| Volunteer area leads list | 2 |
| Open questions ("Parting thoughts") | 2 |
| Next meeting announcement | 3 |
Articles
Founding letter (pages 1–2)
Author: Bernard Urban Reports on the February 2, 1979 organizing meeting at Computers Etc (Silver Spring), Urban's appointment as temporary moderator for two months, agreed monthly cadence (last Saturday), and venue plan (next at George Washington University, with the March 2 meeting at the Bethesda Branch of the Montgomery County Library due to scheduling). Notes coordination with the Computerland of Rockville Apple Users' Group while "maintain[ing] our separate identity." Emphasizes the group should not forget newcomers and should support training in Integer BASIC and APPLESOFT.
Volunteer area leads (page 2)
Identifies areas of interest and the members who volunteered to act as points of contact:
| Area | Volunteer |
|---|---|
| iBASIC — programming fundamentals | Sandy Greenfarb |
| APPLESOFT — idiosyncracies and differences vs iBASIC | Sandy Greenfarb |
| Utility programs (APPEND, Assembler, Disk-to-Disk) | Bill Barker |
| Tape Files | Jim Kelly |
| Disk Files | Rick Hodder |
| HIRES — shapes, animation | Bill Barker & Andy Barker |
| Sound/Music/Voice | Dick Hodder & Bernard Urban |
| Monitor / Machine language | Rick Hodder & Chris Hodder |
| Techniques — programming, debugging, editing | Dick Hodder |
| Hardware | Bernard Urban |
| Other Languages | Bill Barker |
| Applications: Games / Medical & Statistical / Education-CAI / Business | open |
Parting thoughts (page 2)
Open questions raised: software exchange (cost, copyright); programming and documentation standards; out-of-warranty hardware repair (options floated: Computers Etc, Chesapeake Microcomputer Club); whether a centrally-located Montgomery County Library branch could subscribe to most computer publications; "How about 'Apple ][?'"
Next meeting (page 3)
March 2 at 8 pm, Bethesda Branch of the Montgomery County Library, 7400 Arlington Road.
Club news / events / announcements
This entire issue is club news. Key formative decisions:
- Monthly meeting cadence: last Saturday morning
- Future home: George Washington University with Apples available
- Coordination but separate identity from Computerland of Rockville
- Newcomer-friendly orientation; emphasis on training in iBASIC and APPLESOFT
Notable advertisements
None — this is a typed-and-stapled internal newsletter at this stage.
Key quotes
- "A short note to keep you posted on the past and future activities of a budding Apple Users' Group in the greater Washington, D. C. area." — Bernard Urban (page 1)
- "We agreed that we should not forget the newcomer and that some training on the use of integer BASIC (iBASIC) and APPLESOFT [is needed]" — Bernard Urban (page 1)
- "Is anybody out there ready to volunteer for those not yet covered, other areas or to help those already named?" — Bernard Urban (page 2)
Entities
People: Bernard Urban, Sandy Greenfarb, Bill Barker, Andy Barker, Jim Kelly, Rick Hodder, Dick Hodder, Chris Hodder Topics: Founding of Washington Apple Pi, Integer BASIC, APPLESOFT, Apple II Hardware References: Computers Etc, Computerland of Rockville, George Washington University, Montgomery County Library, Chesapeake Microcomputer Club
Connections to other issues
- The story continues directly in 1979-03 — V01 N02 (constitution drafting, group naming as "Washington's Apple ][")
Open questions
- Are "Bill & Andy Barker" a father/son or sibling pair? Surnames match — likely related.
- Are "Rick Hodder" and "Dick Hodder" the same person? They are listed separately in the volunteer table, so probably different people (with Chris Hodder forming a family contingent — or simply common surname). Both names appear consistently across early issues.