WARSHAW, HOWARD SCOTT: The programmer responsible for the classic Atari 2600 games E.T., Raiders of the Lost Ark, Yar's Revenge and Saboteur (AKA "The A-Team", a game that never made it beyond loaner cartridge form).

WEITHOFER, THOMAS: Author of PILOT 99, the only version of PILOT to ever be produced for the 99/4A. Thomas died on April 5, 1986, after fighting Cystic Fibrosis for most of his life. No doubt there are others who've left us that also made their mark in the TI-99 Community. I apologize for not including them here. Each one is important to the rest of us, and will not be forgotten.

WHITEHEAD, BOB: Former Atari programmer and co-founder of Activision in 1979 along with James Levy, Alan Miller, David Crane and Bob Whitehead. See also Activision.

WHITELAW, CHERYL REGENA: In December 1980 Chandler and Cheryl Regena Whitelaw (aka C REGENA) bought their first home computer, a TI-99/4, two weeks before Christmas. The purchase would spawn the computer career of one of the most prolific, talented and lasting personalities the TI Community would know. Cheryl Regena Whitelaw, math wizard, Civil Engineer by education and budding computer programmer, writing from her home in Cedar City, Utah, would see her many articles on programming and computer use published in 99er Magazine, Compute! and its sister publications that covered the PC and the Commodore line of computers, Enthusiast 99 and in MICROpendium.She would also write half a dozen books during this career. The career would finally come to an end in 1996 when this mother of five could boast of the fact that she was a grandmother, and was returning to the professional world as a full time professor of mathematics at Southern Utah State University.

Besides the accomplishments already listed, Cheryl was also a much sought after guest speaker at User Group meetings and TI Faires, and a very early proponent of using the computer to enhance the early learning experiences of young children.

On the fun side, In 1981, Cheryl, along with Sam Moore, Rick Rothstein (FFF Software) and Greg Crinklaw were the announced as the winners of the 99/4 Home Computer Users Group's first programming contest.

In November 1982, Cheryl became a member of the 99er Hall of Fame by getting to the 43rd screen on Munchman with the score of 178,950.

Also, in a letter to the editor, published in the November 1982 issue of 99er Magazine, on page 21, Cheryl provided a comparison table of times it took the "old XB" versus the "new XB" to complete certain operations. 100 FOR I=1 TO 10000 :: NEXT I -- The old XB took approximately 73 seconds to execute this statement. The new XB took approximately 39 seconds.

After a late 1982 visit to the Houston, TX User Group as a guest speaker, Cheryl followed the visit up with a March 31, 1983 letter to the Houston Users Group in which she announced the end of her affiliation with Gary Kaplan and 99er Magazine, and the start of a new job as the monthly TI-99 columnist for Robert Lock and Compute! Magazine. As a postscript to the letter, Mrs. Whitelaw writes; "I have been trying for about a year now to get Gary Kaplan to quit the 'big mystery' about Regena --but he just won't print my address. He got upset when one of your members told him he knew who Regena is. I told Gary I wouldn't reveal anything until TI-Fest but it wasn't fair to suppress my efforts. Some of the other national computer magazines have required addresses of authors (and I like it that way too). As it was, he didn't announce my identity at TI-Fest. I was actually happy you people knew me, and appreciate your support."

In March 1983 Compute! Magazine published a review by Cheryl of the Scott, Foresman Mathematics Action Game cartridges Frog Jump / Picture Parts, Pyramid Puzzler/Star Maze, and Number Bowling/Space Journey.

Don and Lucy Veith published a profile of Cheryl Whitelaw in the September 1984 issue of the National Ninety Niner newsletter.

Cheryl Whitelaw got a TI-99/4A for Christmas of 1980 (that was when the price was about $650) and entered the exciting world of those computers. She started writing programs and articles for the 99'er MAGAZINE then became the Program Editor for that magazine for the second through sixth issues. She wanted to use an author name that might be easier to remember, so she chose REGENA, which happens to be her real middle name. All her computer work is done under the name REGENA.

Regena heard about the International 99/4 Users Group and called Charles LaFara only to find out there were about five other IUG members in Utah. Now, of course, there are hundreds of TI users in Utah. One of her first programs won the IUG contest to draw a state flag, the Utah flag. She currently is a regular columnist for the IUG publication. ENTHUSIAST '99.

In November of 1981 she was able to get the new TI-99/4A with the improved keyboard. In 1982 she got a TRS-80 Color Computer and has had articles and programs published in various TRS-80 magazines. Later that year home computer marketing trends were changing and a company hired her to write the sales programs for a VIC-20, so she entered the Commodore arena. She also has worked a little with Scott, Foresman and was happy to visit their company and meet the people developing TI educational courseware. A lot of her early programming was in exchange for hardware. She has both the "old-style` and the peripheral box style expansion system.
In the Fall of 1982, her family moved to Cedar City. Utah. so her husband. Chandler Whitelaw. could become the Computer Center Director at Southern Utah State College. She submitted an article to COMPUTE! Magazine but didn't put a phone number because she was living in a motel. COMPUTE!, however, was able to trace her and invited her to visit their offices. She has been writing a monthly column for programming the TI since the January 1983 issue. At that time she also started writing books which are published by COMPUTE! Books.

Regena's first book, PROGRAMMER'S REFERENCE GUIDE TO THE TI-99/4A. is a compilation of her programs with explanations of how they were programmed. There were 40 non trivial programs in the book covering a variety of topics and illustrating the versatility of the TI-99/4A. This book hit the computer best seller lists in August 1983 and continued through January. It is still available from COMPUTE! or in major bookstores.

Next Regena edited COMPUTE!'s FIRST BOOK OF TI GAMES, which contains listings for 29 games for the TI. She translated several of the popular games that had previously been published in COMPUTE! for other computers.

BASIC PROGRAMS FOR SMALL COMPUTERS is another book of programs and includes listings for the TI (over 35programs). While writing this book, Regena acquired a few more home computers and also added a Commodore 64 and an IBM PCir so she could write the BASIC programming columns for COMPUTE!'s Gazette and COMPUTE!’s PC & PCjr magazines.

Regena has written three other books. PROGRAMMER'S REFERENCE GUIDE FOR THE COLOR COMPUTER, COMPUTE!’s COMMODORE 64 TEACHER, and COMPUTE!'s IBM PC TEACHER (over 50 educational programs). She also has presented seminars and workshops about using microcomputers and assists in the school districts in implementing computers.

Regena has five children ranging in age from 4 to 15, and they give her ideas for programs to write. They are also anxious to try out any new games for the computers.

When the price dropped, Regena purchased several more TI computers. She also still uses her original TI-99/4A. Even though she has written for many brands of computers, the TI is still her "first love', and she will probably continue to write TI programs in the future years--it's a great computer!

TI-99 Books:
· Edited, provided the introduction to and wrote notes for “Compute!'s First Book of TI Games” in 1983.
· Wrote the “Programmer's Reference Guide to the TI-99/4A” that was released in February 1983.
· Wrote “BASIC Programs for Small Computers - Things To Do in 4K or Less” in 1984.

Articles/Columns:
99’er Magazine: Cheryl’s first article appeared in the July/August 1981 issue of 99’er and her last in the March 1983 issue. In the ## issues that were published between those dates she provided articles giving insite into everything from fun and games to early education to highly technical topics such as electrical enginnering issues on ‘resistance’.

Compute!: Cheryl was ‘the’ TI-99/4A columnist for Compute! Magazine, with regular articles published from January 1983 until October 1986 when Compute! dropped its support of the TI-99/4A.

Enthusiast ’99: Cheryl wrote a column entitled “A Women’s View”, which appeared in 7 issues of the magazine from May 1983 to May 1984.

In January 1987 Cheryl joined the staff of MICROpendium as the regular BASIC columnist. She provided monthly articles until November 1993 when she said farewell, having decided to try university teaching instead of writing articles for magazineS.

In December of 2004, Cheryl was formally inducted into the TI99er's Hall of Fame.

WHIRLING DRONES: The name of one of several hazards in the Atarisoft game Shamus (RX8518).

WILLIAMS, KEN and ROBERTA: Founders of On-Line Systems, a company started with the intent to produce software for the Apple II. They would later rename the firm Sierra On-Line, and become the first software house to produce a graphical adventure game, among other accomplishments.

WILLIAMS ELECTRONICS: A Chicago, IL company founded in 1929 by Harry Williams, originally named Automatic Amusement Company. Williams produced the Defender game that Atarisift licensed and then ported to the TI-99/4A and other platforms. Williams is also known for creating the first pinball game that used electricity, and that introduced the concept of "tilts" to catch cheaters. Today the name Williams is used to signify the pinball manufacturing division of WMS, the corporate name of a firm which also produces slot machines, lottery terminals and hotels and casinos. Williams purchased Bally/Midway in 1988, and is today the world's leading producer of arcade games and pinball machines.

WILLS, TOM: Past President of the Sheboygan (WI) Area 99ers user Group who also served on the Wisconsin 99er Computer Council for some 5 years before moving to Arizona. Currently President of the SouthWest 99ers User Group, Tom, along with Mike Kimble and Travis Watford, is a co-Author of the Paradigm 99 BBS software used on his group's Cactus Patch BBS and elsewhere. Tom served as Cactus Patch BBS Sysop for several years before creating his own web-site on the Internet. He has been hosting the TI99/4A On-Line User Group on Yahoo since 2000. He is running the 'new' TI-99/4A On-Line Users Group. Tom is also the Webmaster for the TI99'ers Hall of Fame and three time recipient of the Jim Petereson Award for Community Servivce. He may be reached at tom.wills@cox.net. He has also taken over the "care and feeding" of the Original TI99-99/4A Timeline as put together by Bill Gaskill. Following is his updated personal biography as of 2007.:

"I was born in 1944 while my Father was in England preparing for D-Day. I spent my youth in Negaunee, Ishpeming, Stambaugh, and Iron River, Michigan until my Father was transferred by his company, Jewel tea, Inc., to Oshkosh, Wisconsin when I was 7. I grew up in Oshkosh and graduated from Oshkosh High School 1962. While in school, I was active in football, basketball, and track. I lettered in all three (except it was for managing in basketball).

I joined the US Navy and received my Honorable Discharge in March of 1965, just as the Viet Nam war was heating up.

In 1976, on my own, and not on the job, I injured my back so badly so I could not continue on doing my job (driving a fuel truck). Being a single parent of three children and out of work, the Job Service sent me to the Fox Valley Technical College in Appleton, Wisconsin to obtain an Associate Degree in Data Processing (now called Computer Science).

After graduating, I went to work for a bank in Sheboygan, WI. as a Programmer/Analyst. While working at the bank, I met my future Wife . After a six month whirlwind courtship (who said there isn't anything such as love at 1st sight?), I married Carol in May of 1979. My son and I now had to compete with four women for the bathrooms. In 1981, the bank phased out its I.S. function and I was layed off. For the next 10 months I worked for Bolens Manufacturing in Port Washington, WI. When they nearly went bankrupt, I was again out of work due to corporate wide layoffs.

I then went to work as a Programmer Analyst for Sheboygan County. While there, I was promoted to Systems Analyst and put in charge of the Programming Staff. It was during this tenure that a co-worker told me of a gonga deal he could get me on a TI-99/4A home computer. In September of 1983, I got my first TI-99/4A and promptly joined the Sheboygan Area Users Group (later to be known as the Sheboygan Area 99ers User Group). During my stint with the SA99UG, I was Vice President and Sysop (running the Nearer the Lake BBS). In 1988 I was elected President. I was a member of this user group until it folded.

During that same time period, I got together with the local Apple, Commodore, and Atari user groups and formed the Lakeshore Computer Users Coalition. Together we were large enough to hold "swap meets" and other activities.

It was while working as the SA99UG Sysop that I got involved with Paradigm 99 BBS software which is what the BBS was running. I, along with Mike Kimble and Travis Watford, co-authored the Paradigm 99 BBS software. As though I still didn't have enough to do, I was of two SA99UG representatives to the Wisconsin 99er Computer Council.

While a member of the W99CC, I was also fortunate enough to get in on the ground floor (so to speak) in obtaining a Geneve 9640 and HFDCC. In fact, my Geneve serial number was in the low double digits. In 1991, I also got myself a Rave 99 PE box so I could use both my Geneve and TI in the same box.

In December of 1988, due to Doctor's orders, I moved to Tucson, AZ. and promptly got involved with the SouthWest Ninety Niners User Group. In 1990, I was elected Vice President and also took over the the Cactus Patch BBS, which was also using the Paradigm 99 BBS software. In 1997, I was elected President. In 1999 the SW99UG became inactive, except for social gatherings. I've been involved in the four Fest Wests hosted by the SW99UG, including FW98 - Lubbock.

I was employed from December, 1988 until January, 1997 as a Programmer Analyst for Pima County. I then transferred to another department as an I. S. Coordinator doing their technical support.

I am one of those folks who owe their job to the TI-99/4A. It was because of that machine that I got "cozy" with personal computers and started programming them and learned about fixing them. It made it much easier to deal with PC clowns ...I mean clones. Now, after making a living doing PC technical support, both software and hardware, and Novell Netware system administration, I am a Certified I.T. Asset Manager (CITAM) and a Certified Software Manager (CSM). My current job is that of an Information Systems manager, Software Compliance.

I am also on the Board of the International Association of Information Technology Asset Managers, the certifying agency for the CITAM certification. I am Secretary of Software Managers Resource, Inc.*, a non-profit company in Moranga, CA. I am also deeply involved with the Business Technology Consumer Network. Without the TI-99/4A and Geneve 9640, none of this would have been possible."

* Please note that the Software Managers Resource, Inc. has merged with the Business Technology Consumer Network in August of 2008 and will be known as the Institute for Technology Asset Management which will operate with the assistance of Kent State University. My position will be that of Director of ITAM.

WORD PROCESSORS: Following is a list of some of the many word processors, programming editors and text editors created for the TI-99/4A.

WORDWARE PUBLISHING INC.: 1104 Summit Ave. #104 Plano, TX 75074 (214) 423-0090 firm that published the book entitled Learning TI-99/4A Home Computer Assembly Language by Ira McComic.

WORDPRO4 PLUS: An 80-column word processing program written by Steve Punter for the Commodore 8032 computer. Distributed by Professional Software Inc. 51 Fremont St. Needham, MA 02194 (617) 444-5224. (Compute! Oct82, p.1)

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