The Institute of Management Sciences: A prehistory and commentary on the occasion of TIMS' 40th anniversary

The author presents a personal account of the early history of the (US) Institute for Management Sciences. He writes: TIMS was founded December 1, 1953 at a meeting held at Columbia University in the City of New York. I wrote this report in commemoration of TIMS' 40th anniversary and to answer such questions as, What were the origins of TIMS? What led up to the founding of TIMS? What were its original purposes? Who were its originators? What were their motivations? Have its founding purposes been fulfilled? Is there any valuable hindsight to be gained?