Abstract :
Anecdotes are an integral part of the historical record. They tell us much that cannot be conveyed in the formal documentation. Through these stories, we come as close as we ever will to re-creating the excitement of the project and to learning some vital things about the most important component of any historical event: the people who made it happen. The FORTRAN gathering was no exception. To the world, FORTRAN is a programming language. To the people who made it happen, it was an event.
