Born: 1922 (Philadelphia)
Died: 2012
Biography:
Frances V. Spence (née Bilas; March 2, 1922 – July 18, 2012) was one of the original programmers for the ENIAC, the first electronic digital computer. She is considered one of the first computer programmers in history. Alongside her colleagues Betty Holberton, Ruth Teitelbaum, Kathleen Antonelli, Marlyn Meltzer, and Jean Bartik, Spence played a crucial role in the development of early computing.
Frances V. Bilas was born in Philadelphia in 1922. She was the second of five sisters, and her parents both worked in the education sector. Her father was an engineer for the Philadelphia Public School System, while her mother worked as a teacher. Bilas attended the South Philadelphia High School for Girls and graduated in 1938. She initially enrolled at Temple University but switched to Chestnut Hill College after being awarded a scholarship. At Chestnut Hill College, she majored in mathematics with a minor in physics and graduated in 1942. It was during her time at college that she met Kathleen Antonelli, who would also go on to become an ENIAC programmer.
In 1947, Frances Bilas married Homer W. Spence, an Army electrical engineer assigned to the ENIAC project. After their marriage, Frances became known as Frances Spence. The couple had three sons named Joseph, Richard, and William. While she continued working on the ENIAC after the war, Frances resigned from her position to focus on raising her family.
The ENIAC project was a classified endeavor led by the US Army with the goal of constructing the first all-electronic digital computer. While the hardware for ENIAC was primarily built by a team of men, the computational development was spearheaded by a group of six programmers known as Computers. Frances Spence, along with her female colleagues, was an integral part of this team.
Despite their significant contributions, the role of Spence and the other female programmers was largely downplayed at the time due to the prevailing stigma that technology was not an area of interest for women. Consequently, photos of the women working on the computer often went uncredited in newspapers. Even when the ENIAC was completed and unveiled to the public on February 15, 1946, the US Army failed to acknowledge the female programmers by name, further perpetuating the notion that women were not involved in computing. This disregard for their contributions added to the misperception of a disconnect between women and technology.
Frances Spence passed away on July 18, 2012, leaving behind a legacy of pioneering work as one of the first computer programmers in history. Her groundbreaking contributions and the achievements of the all-female ENIAC programming team continue to influence the field of computing and challenge gender stereotypes in technological pursuits. Frances Spence played a vital role in shaping the early days of computing and stands as an inspiration to future generations of women in technology.