Most Influential Mainframers

At Planet Mainframe, we’ve been celebrating the careers of mainframe influencers—the people that raise the bar, push the envelope, break new ground. Whatever metaphor you want to use, these are the people who aren’t afraid to make things a bit uncomfortable in order to make things better. 

Our quiz today is based on the stories of Planet Mainframe’s 2024 list of Most Influential Mainframers. Their careers have been diverse, with some diving into mainframes as teenagers and others later in life. They are teachers, entrepreneurs, business leaders…but what they all share is a big energy about the joys of a career working with mainframes—and a desire to make the industry even better. 

Click on the links below to read their feature article, or take the quiz and then read the article to fill in the blanks. 

Cheryl Watson

Mark Wilson

PJ Catalano

Dr. Cameron Seay

Laticia Carrow

1. Which of these mainframers (along with colleagues) wrote the book, Introduction to Enterprise Systems?

 
 
 
 
 

2. Which of these mainframers is the inventor of the Condiment Cannon?

 
 
 
 
 

3. Which of these four influential mainframers repairs motorcycles for fun and also uses his motorcycle to volunteer with Blood Bikes (which moves medical resources between medical facilities)?

 
 
 
 
 

4. Which of these mainframers put their “heart and soul” into creating the influential publication Tuning Letter for 33 years?

 
 
 
 
 

5. Which of these mainframers is an IBM Master Inventor, an honorific program for inventors with multiple patents?

 
 
 
 
 

6. What is Cheryl Watson nickname in the mainframe industry?

 
 
 
 

7. Cheryl Watson was responsible for pushing IBM’s Workload Manager into mainframe collection consciousness. What percentage of mainframe users will use a WLM QuickStart policy?

 
 
 
 

8. PJ Catalano runs the IBM Z and LinuxONE test facility in Poughkeepsie, New York. Which of these statements best captures Catalano’s attitude to onsite tours?

 
 
 
 

9. Which of these titles applies to Cameron Seay?

 
 
 
 

10. Seay’s venture into the world of mainframes started after how many years in information technology?

 
 
 
 

11. At what age did Mark Wilson start working with mainframes?

 
 
 
 

12. Mark Wilson established Vertali with four others in 2023. In short order, Vertali grew from a team of five to nearly 40, with revenues approaching…

 
 
 
 

13. What is Laticia Carrow’s nickname?

 
 
 
 

14. How many years has Carrow been working in mainframes?

 
 
 
 

15. On what social media platform can you find Tish’s Tech Talks?

 
 
 
 

Sonja Soderlund is an Oregon-based B2B freelance writer. Whether writing about mainframe computers, educational technology, or sustainable retail, she strives to bring clarity to complex issues. Connect with her at sonjasoderlund.com or LinkedIn.

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