US Business Executive. As the visionary head of I.B.M., he played a key role during the company’s transition into the personal computer era. Born John Roberts Opel, he was raised in Jefferson City, Missouri, the son of a hardware store proprietor, he attended Westminster College where he majored in English, and following service with the US Military, (with whom he was stationed in the South Pacific), he attained his master’s degree in Business Administrations from the University of Chicago. He could have chose to follow his father into the family business, but instead ventured on his own and landed a job with I.B.M., as a salesman in the Ozark Mountains region of Missouri. Opel proved a valuable asset to the company and was rewarded with a position as an executive assistant to chief executive Thomas J. Watson, Jr. Opel quickly elevated up the company ladder and in 1964 oversaw the introduction of their revolutionary System 360 Mainframe Computer. In 1974, he became company president and from 1981 until 1985, served as CEO. During his tenure at that capacity, the company launched the groundbreaking I.B.M. PC. They took on the field of telecommunications and improved their manufacturing process in order to compete with international entities, notably Japan. This achievement earned Opel the cover of Time Magazine in 1983. After moving on from CEO, he remained as chairman from 1986 until 1993. (bio by: C.S.)