From Larry Wall on the listing of TBBS sysops. Looks like he held out until 2001. 21 years.
Yuma, AZ CACTUS PATCH, The Cactus Patch TBBS (1980-2001) Larry Wall TBBS MultiLine "This BBS originally started out with software written by myself on a TRS-80 Model I at 110-300 baud. The 1st commercial BBS software used was the InfoEx-80 Software, Then we put the Greene Machine online. Finally after looking over the TBBS software and its abilities in 1984 we went to the TBBS software because of its lightening speed. Our TRS-80 Model III at the time started to fail. We then switched to the TBBS-PC software and became a beta test site for the TBBS software. Sometime in
1986 we started testing the MultiLine TBBS software. This labor of love lasted until the great interest of the InterNet struck. People had a hard time supporting the local hobbiest BBS' but they surely had no problem migrating to the InterNet. Finally, after a thunderstorm came through the area, the CPTBBS' computer would not come back up. With no support, after 21yrs, September of 2001 the Cactus Patch TBBS surrendered its telephone lines. There were a great number of super BBS Sysops around the country. In 1988 Phil Becker had the 1st TUG (TBBS User's Group) converge on a motel in the Denver area. It was a power charged meeting of very knowledgable people..." - Larry Wall CPTBBS - Sysop -RET