Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!rpi!zaphod.mps.ohio-state.edu!mips!apple!portal!cup.portal.com!Chris_F_Chiesa
From: Chris_F_Chiesa@cup.portal.com
Newsgroups: comp.sys.atari.8bit
Subject: Re: Old Atari Trivia
Message-ID: <42871@cup.portal.com>
Date: 1 Jun 91 22:03:43 GMT
References: <2970002@hpsmo100.rose.hp.com>
Organization: The Portal System (TM)
Lines: 23

Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute sponsored or co-sponsored a scholarship
back in 1981 which gave COMPLETE Atari 800 systems with 48K memory, an
850 interface, two 810 drives, the 830 (?) 300-baud acoustic modem, some
cartridges (BASIC, Star Raiders, Telelink I, Assembler/Editor), a bunch
of manuals including a release of the Technical Reference Notes so early
that the Table of Contents didn't have Page Numbers in it, a Beta release
of "Atari Pascal" on four 5.25" diskettes, and I forget what all else.
One of the professors who administered the program had an 815 disk drive
in his office; for all I know it might still be there gathering dust.
The catch was that the students had to actually GRADUATE from RPI in order
to KEEP the system; if they flunked or dropped out they had to give it
back!  My girlfriend-at-that-time survived RPI and still has that Atari
system (and yes, it DID cost about $1100 at that time).  Oh, yeah, the
system also included an Epson printer and a TV (not monitor; you could
watch color TV when you weren't computing)!  My SAT scores were probably
good enough that if I hadn't waited til the last day of admissions to 
APPLY to RPI, I might have gotten one of these scholarships, and if I
had, the thought of KEEPING it might have kept met at RPI for four years
(as it was, I left after 2.5 years).  My life would have been VERY dif-
ferent and I wouldn't be here telling you this right now!

  Chris Chiesa
   Chris_F_Chiesa@cup.portal.com