Hewlett Donates Computers, Fax, Printers to Dunster

Dunster House residents will soon be faxing and laser printing on their own house equipment.

Walter B. Hewlett '66, the son of the co-founder of Hewlett-Packard Company and a former Dunster House resident, donated a computer system and a fax machine to the house for its new computer facility, said Barbara Williams, Hewlett Packard's Equipment Gift Coordinator.

The new computer room--to be furnished with two Hewlett Packard Vectra 386/25 computers, one Scan Jet IIC and a Laser Jet II--may open as soon as the end of March, according to John Sindall, assistant to the senior tutor.

And the students say they are excited about the prospect of the additions to the house.

Natalie T. Boutin '94, co-chair of the house committee, said some Dunster residents have already made "big scale plans related to it."

Boutin said the Hewlett-Packard computers would be a big boost to seniors writing theses in the computer science and VES concentrations.

She also said the projected facility has sparked excitement about the possibility of laser printing in the house.

'Quite Helpful'

"With a thesis coming up that's going to be quite helpful," said William R. Adams '93, an Earth and Planetary Science concentrators, who will write his thesis next year.

Hewlett, a member of Hewlett-Packard's Board of Directors, initiated the gift through the company's Employee Product Gift Program, Williams said.

The program allows employees to donate equipment to educational in situations, she said. The employee making the gift pays for one quarter of the donation, and the company covers the rest of the cost.

"It's a good program," Williams said. "We get a lot of good response from our employees."