News release

Compaq Blends Technology and History to Make Ellis Island Immigration Data Available Globally

The Statue of Liberty - Ellis Island Foundation and Compaq Computer Corporation (NYSE: CPQ), the leader in high-performance technical computing, today announced that Compaq is sponsoring the development of a first-of-its-kind Web site geared to help individuals learn more about their ancestors who immigrated to the United States through Ellis Island. This Web site, which will go live April 17, 2001, will complement the eagerly-awaited family history research facility to be located at Ellis Island: The American Family Immigration History Center™.

Visitors to both the new Web site and the Immigration History Center will be able to easily access information about their immigrant ancestors through a state-of-the-art, interactive database. This database, built on the Oracle engine, will include information on more than 22 million people who entered the United States through Ellis Island from 1892 to 1924, the peak years of Ellis Island immigration. Visitors will be able to access 11 fields of information, such as the name of the ship; the names and ages of the passengers; the town or village and the country they were leaving; their destination in the U.S.; and more. Those visiting the Center at Ellis Island can access the database through one of 41 kiosks, running on Compaq Deskpro workstations.

Anytime, Anywhere Availability

Compaq Computer Corporation is the official hardware sponsor of the Foundation's American Family Immigration History Center™, providing the project's servers and storage capabilities. Compaq's AlphaServer systems running Tru64 UNIX provide the back-end computing muscle while the ProLiant servers power the front-end Web server interface, providing visitors worldwide with advanced computer and multimedia technology for investigating immigration history, family documentation and genealogical exploration. The AlphaServer system is uniquely designed to handle heavily-trafficked or fast-growing Web sites, while also greatly improving the performance of the Web site so that users receive Web pages and data more quickly and reliably.

Compaq's StorageWorks solution ensures the availability of more than 22 million immigrant records, including over 3.5 million scanned manifest pages as well as pictures and historic information on over 800 passenger ships that carried immigrants to America.

"Being a sponsor gives Compaq the opportunity to combine history with innovative technology to bring families together from around the globe and help them better understand their past," said Peter Blackmore, executive vice president of Compaq's Worldwide Sales and Service. "The AlphaServer running Tru64 UNIX is the perfect platform for this kind of high-performance, graphic intensive Web site. We are proud to be able to work with our partners such as Oracle and Hostcentric in helping families identify their heritage through innovative technology."

In October 1998 the Foundation, working in cooperation with the National Park Service, unveiled the plans for the Immigration History Center, which represents a huge milestone for family history enthusiasts and the estimated 40 percent of today's U.S. population whose ancestors came through Ellis Island. About 17 months ago, the Foundation announced the expansion of the $22.5 million project to also provide global access through the Internet. In addition to searching data, visitors will be able to obtain a reproduction of the original ship's manifest and a photo of the ship of passage. Individuals will also have the opportunity to create a Family History Scrapbook at Ellis Island by opening a family file and scanning in family photos, documents and records to store for posterity at the island.

"It is through innovative technology from Compaq that the Foundation is able to bridge the past with the present and help millions of people in the search of their families' roots in America," said Mr. Stephen A. Briganti, president and CEO, Statue of Liberty - Ellis Island Foundation.

The Immigration History Center, which is being designed by Edwin Schlossberg Incorporated (ESI), opens April 17, 2001. For further information on the American Family Immigration History Center™ or the Web site, contact:

The Statue of Liberty - Ellis Island Foundation, Inc.
P.O. Box ELLIS
New York, New York 10163
212-883-1986
e-mail: pr@ellisisland.org
Web site: www.ellisislandrecords.org

The Statue of Liberty - Ellis Island Foundation, Inc., is a non-profit organization founded in 1982 to raise funds for and oversee the historic restorations of the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island, working in a partnership with the National Park Service, U.S. Department of the Interior. In addition, the Foundation has created an endowment to maintain the monuments and created the Ellis Island Immigration Museum and The American Immigrant Wall of Honor™.