TCCUG History

(or where in the world does a Computer User's Group come from anyway?)

While "roots" come in many shapes and sizes, they all have one thing in common, they are the source; the beginning, the foundation, the origin from which something springs. A river, a tree, a building, a people, an organization, all have a common denominator ~~ ROOTS.

TCCUG, INC., had its origin in incorporation on November I989. But, like the river that springs from deep within the earth, its roots run much deeper.

In 1981, two local brothers had a vision of bringing leading edge technology to Ft Pierce. The technology was a computer within reach of the common man, a personal computer, or "PC" as it has come to be known. Like their namesake predecessors at Kitty Hawk, North Carolina, the Wright Brothers {Jeff & Curtis) dedicated themselves to a singular idea and launched an all out campaign to sell the "PC" idea in St Lucie County. Sales were slow at first but a few pioneering spirits joined in their enthusiasm and the Ft Pierce PC connection was made. Computer instruction was an after-the-sale function of Jeff wright. In an attempt to consolidate this effort, Jeff suggested that the purchasers meet once a month so he could bring them up-to-date on what was happening in the industry and they could air their concerns, exchange information and get answers to any problems they might have.

In late 1982, just south in Port St Lucie, a man awaited a gift from his daughter (an IBM employee) like an expectant father. When it arrived, Ben Soskel's life outside of retirement was renewed and he began spreading the word about his new discovery (the IBM PC) to some of his friends. A retired businessman, always the promoter, he managed to interest some in purchasing their own PCs and getting together to discuss their new found interest.

As the year wore on both groups lost members through seasonal moves and ordinary attrition, However, a dedicated nucleus of each remained and met faithfully each month. In early 1983, the remaining members of each group, having discovered each other, met to discuss the possibility of consolidating the groups into one. Kapro (anyone remember that good old 8 bit CPM 64K machine?) was now a 16-bit machine -- like IBM -- and it appeared the industry was headed toward a "standard" with IBM as the pacesetter (as much as non-IBMers hated to admit it and fought against it). With little ceremony, the vote was cast and BITS AND BYTES CPM USER GROUP (of Ft Pierce) and TRI COUNTY COMPUTER USER GROUP (of Spanish Lakes} became ONE !! Since each favored its own name, it was decided to use the latter for the group name and the former for the name of the monthly newsletter, thus keeping both names in focus as a reminder of the "roots" from which it sprang.

About the same time, further south in Stuart, at the instance of Ken Middleton, a movement was underway by five men who sought to join together and share their pursuit of a common interest in -- you guessed it -the "PC". this nucleus chose the name TREASURE COAST PC USERS GROUP and sought to increase its membership and spread computer interest throughout the southern tri-county area. As was inevitable, TCCUG and TCPCUG soon discovered each other and an exchange was begun. In late 1988 a dialog was opened between the officers and directors of both organizations that suggested a merger of the groups. At their annual meeting in 1989, with Gil Ennes at the helm, TCPCUG voted to merge their membership and property with TCCUG under the name of TCCUG. The merger swelled the ranks to over 120+ members and provided the original projection/display equipment for use in monthly meeting demonstrations A joint board of directors was established to operate through the transition period until November 1989 when TCCUG became incorporated under the name it bears today -- TRI COUNTY COMPUTER USER GROUP, INC., a Florida not-for-profit corporation.

Under the leadership of former first officers, Ben Soskel, Bill Shearer, Tom Sturgill, Jack Newman and Betty Shearer, and all those who served with them and after them, TCCUGers have come together to pay homage to the PC in homes, stores, college classrooms, a yacht club, and anywhere else that would have them. While the numbers have increased and with it the advantages of membership, many first "root" members can be found among the current membership. One such member, Don Merten, wrote the first computer curriculum used at Indian River Community College (IRCC). TCCUG members comprised the first computer class at IRCC.

Our journey would not be complete without mention of the singular concept that is the true foundation upon which the first computer user group was built -- "People Helping People". It is from this root that the computer user group has grown and become such a reckoning force in the computer marketplace today. You are the ROOTS, the true beginning, the source, the very foundation of the computer user group. It is your interest, curiosity, and sharing that perpetuates it. You are "People Helping People" -- the concept that gave life to the first computer user group, the concept that made it flourish, the concept that will sustain it. You are its endless supply of ROOTS.

Epilogue:

On April 15, 1997, Tri County Computer User Group, Inc. was awarded a tax-exempt status under Section 5Ol(c)(3)of the Internal Revenue Service Code. This milestone recognizes TCCUG's many public services to the community and ranks it among the prestigious non-profit organizations serving the citizens of our area.