Mr. Don Macpherson

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  jon-z.xanga.com/554507653/33-names-of-things-you-never- - [Cached Version]
  Published on: 12/9/2006    Last Visited: 10/16/2009  

  Bell Labs' engineer Don Macpherson created the word in the 1960s by combining octo-, as in eight, with the name of one of his favourite athletes, 1912 Olympic decathlon champion Jim Thorpe.

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  www.funnyblast.com/modules.php?op=modload&name=News&fil - [Cached Version]
  Published on: 5/18/2006    Last Visited: 3/21/2008  

  Don MacPherson, a Bell Labs engineer, coined the word from octo- (for the eight points) and Thorpe (Mr. MacPherson was active in an organization lobbying for the return of Jim Thorpe's Olympic medals.His medals were taken away after it was revealed that he was not strictly an amateur, having been paid for playing baseball when he was a youth.

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  www.smallpressexchange.com/option,com_myblog/Itemid,350 - [Cached Version]
  Last Visited: 7/29/2007  

  Bell Labs' engineer Don Macpherson created the word in the 960s by combining octo-, as in eight, with the name of one of his favourite athletes, 9 Olympic decathlon champion Jim Thorpe.

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  blog.reindel.com/2006/12/01/sierra-trading-post-free-sh - [Cached Version]
  Published on: 12/1/2006    Last Visited: 5/22/2007  

  Explanation: According to Wiktionary.org: Origin uncertain; reportedly a jocular coinage by Bell Labs supervisor Don Macpherson in the early 1960s, from octo- (with reference to the eight points) + -thorpe (after 1912 Olympic medalist Jim Thorpe, in whom Macpherson had some interest).

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  Anthony Garone : Posts relating to: miscellaneous - [Cached Version]
  Published on: 12/5/2004    Last Visited: 10/5/2006  

  A Bell Labs supervisor DON MACPHERSON went to the Mayo Clinic just before cut-over to train the doctors and staff on how to use the new features on this state of the art switching system.During one of his lectures he felt the need to come up with a word to describe the # symbol.Don also liked to add humour to his work.His thought process which took place while at the Mayo Clinic doing lectures was as follows:
  
  There are eight points on the symbol so 'OCTO' should be part of the name.We need a few more letters or another syllable to make a noun, so what should that be? (Don MacPherson at this point in his life was active in a group that was trying to get JIM THORPE's Olympic medals returned from Sweden) The phrase THORPE would be unique, and people would not suspect he was making the word up if he called it an 'OCTOTHORPE'.
  
  So Don Macpherson began using the term Octothorpe to describe the # symbol in his lectures.When he returned to Bell Labs in Holmdel NJ, he told us what he had done, and began using the term Octothorpe in memos and letters.The term was picked up by other Bell Labs people and used mostly for the fun of it.Some of the documents which used the term Octothorpe found their way to Bell Operating Companies and other public places.Over the years, Don and I have enjoyed seeing the term Octothorpe appear in documents from many different sources.
  
  Don MacPherson retired about eight years ago, and I will be retiring in about six weeks.

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  Coudal Partners - [Cached Version]
  Published on: 3/13/2006    Last Visited: 4/8/2007  

  Bell Labs' engineer Don Macpherson created the word in the 1960s by combining octo-, as in eight, with the name of one of his favorite athletes, 1912 Olympic decathlon champion Jim Thorpe.

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  Dave Orchard's Blog: Story of #, sometimes called... - [Cached Version]
  Published on: 8/3/2004    Last Visited: 7/28/2006  

  Ralph Carlson claimed Octothorpe was created in 1961 by Bell Labs supervisor Don MacPherson.

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  Fun_People Archive - 4 Jan - Octothorpe - [Cached Version]
  Published on: 1/4/1996    Last Visited: 4/3/2001  

  A Bell Labs supervisor DON MACPHERSON went to the Mayo Clinic just before cut over to train the doctors and staff on how to use the new features on this state of the art switching system.During one of his lectures he felt the need to come up with a word to describe the # symbol.Don also liked to add humor to his work.His thought process which took place while at the Mayo Clinic doing lectures was as follows :.
  
  - There are eight points on the symbol so OCTO should be part of the name.
  
  - We need a few more letters or another syllable to make a noun , so what should that be? ( Don MacPherson at this point in his life was active in a group that was trying to get JIM THORPE's Olympic medals returned from Sweden ) The phrase THORPE would be unique , and people would not suspect he was making the word up if he called it an OCTOTHORPE".
  
  So Don Macpherson began using the term Octothorpe to describe the # symbol in his lectures.When he returned to Bell Labs in Holmdel NJ , he told us what he had done , and began using the term Octothorpe in memos and letters.The term was picked up by other Bell Labs people and used mostly for the fun of it.Some of the documents which used the term Octothorpe found their way to Bell Operating Companies and other public places.Over the years , Don and I have enjoyed seeing the term Octothorpe appear in documents from many different sources.
  
  Don MacPherson retired about eight years ago , and I will be retiring in about six weeks.

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  Octothorpe - [Cached Version]
  Published on: 2/13/2007    Last Visited: 4/2/2008  

  A Bell Labs supervisor DON MACPHERSON went to the Mayo Clinic just before cut-over to train the doctors and staff on how to use the new features on this state of the art switching system.During one of his lectures he felt the need to come up with a word to describe the # symbol.Don also liked to add humour to his work.His thought process which took place while at the Mayo Clinic doing lectures was as follows:
  
  · There are eight points on the symbol so ‘OCTO' should be part of the name.
  
  · We need a few more letters or another syllable to make a noun, so what should that be? (Don MacPherson at this point in his life was active in a group that was trying to get JIM THORPE's Olympic medals returned from Sweden) The phrase THORPE would be unique, and people would not suspect he was making the word up if he called it an ‘OCTOTHORPE'.
  
  So Don Macpherson began using the term Octothorpe to describe the # symbol in his lectures.When he returned to Bell Labs in Holmdel NJ, he told us what he had done, and began using the term Octothorpe in memos and letters.The term was picked up by other Bell Labs people and used mostly for the fun of it.Some of the documents which used the term Octothorpe found their way to Bell Operating Companies and other public places.Over the years, Don and I have enjoyed seeing the term Octothorpe appear in documents from many different sources.
  
  Don MacPherson retired about eight years ago, and I will be retiring in about six weeks.

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  Photogabble » 33 Names of Things You Never Knew had... - [Cached Version]
  Published on: 1/1/2006    Last Visited: 4/1/2008  

  Bell Labs' engineer Don Macpherson created the word in the 1960s by combining octo-, as in eight, with the name of one of his favourite athletes, 1912 Olympic decathlon champion Jim Thorpe.

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