Thank You Bill Miller

[Chris Fultz]

I don't know if Bill reads CD, but I think this is a great place to say thanks.

Bill,

Thank you for all that you have done for FIRST and for the FRC teams. You have had a solid impact on so many of us, and we wish you all the best, where ever your path takes you.

Thank you from Cyber Blue, FRC 234!

[Fletch1373]

Bill, you will truly be missed. In my 9 years in FIRST, 4 of which have been as a volunteer, It has always brightened my mood to see figures such yourself, Dean, and Woodie show up at the events. I wish you the best of luck in your future endeavors.

[Andrew Lawrence]

Thank you Bill! Your contributions to the FRC and FIRST worlds have had a positive impact on all of us. We wish you the best in your future endeavors, and hope that even though you no longer assume the role as FRC director, you keep involved in FIRST. It's always been a pleasure reading your blogs (especially the ones titled: "hint"). May your successor be as good as you were.

-Team 256

[Rosiebotboss]

Bill,

Thank you.

You have been an inspiration to soooooo many people within the FIRST community, including myself. The conversation we had on Thursday night before the "Einstein test weekend" gave me an even deeper insight into who you really are and the dedication, passion and effort you put into FRC. If you're ever in Western MA, look me up. I'll buy you an adult beverage somewhere.

[Fletch1373]

Bill,

Thank you.

You have been an inspiration to soooooo many people within the FIRST community, including myself. The conversation we had on Thursday night before the "Einstein test weekend" gave me an even deeper insight into who you really are and the dedication, passion and effort you put into FRC. If you're ever in Western MA, look me up. I'll buy you an adult beverage somewhere.

I'd love to get in on that. He can have one on me as well.

[dag0620]

Bill,

While I've only been involved in FRC as a student for 3 seasons now, it has truly been a great experience to be participating in a program that you work so hard to pull off. I know that because of your work, this program has already had an impact on my life. It was an honor to get to briefly talk with you at CTR, and even from that one conversation, I saw the passion you had for this. You will be truly missed. I wish you all the best in your future endeavors.

[Mark Holschuh]

Bill - Best wishes to you in your future endeavors. (I still owe you a Fondy Fire shirt for helping drive our robot at the Einstein weekend.)

[ehochstein]

Thank you Bill! I spoke with you once last year at the Duluth Regional when I was inspecting a mini-bot. The question was about pinch points and you approved the mini-bot for competition, to which the team I was helping was ecstatic. Thank you for inspiring us!

[Jon236]

Thank you Bill. You have done so much for FIRST. It is obvious you have listened to us and responded to our needs. In particular, I want to thank you for responding to the problems at the 2010 Israel Regional. I wish you well for the future.

[JudyVandy]

Thank you, Bill, for all you've done for all of FIRST! Best wishes for whatever your future holds.

(The tiara isn't twinkling quite as brightly right now...we'll all miss you!)

[Billfred]

No matter how infuriated we all get at FIRST at times, I've never had a bad experience when talking with Bill Miller. I wish him all the best in whatever he takes on next.

[Andy Grady]

One thing I will say about Bill Miller. I have never had a time where I was talking to him, where he didn't seem genuinely interested in everything I had to say. He was a fantastic communicator and in my opinion did a great job.

[Steven Donow]

Look at FIRST 7 years ago. Look at FIRST now.


Thanks Bill.


*This post is in no way meant to belittle FIRST prior to his first season, but FIRST is a completely different beast now than it was in the past.

[linuxboy]

Thank you Bill,

I've been a student in FRC for only 2 seasons, and this season while volunteering at CTR I had the privilege of getting to talk with him over lunch. Its so amazing that even though it was a competition weekend, he still was able to take the time to talk to me, truly inspiring.

- Oliver

[avanboekel]

Thank you Bill for everything you have done for FIRST. Not sure what we will all do over the summer if we arent all over-analyzing each Bills blog post. Good luck in whatever you do next.

[JohnBoucher]

Bill Miller will be missed by the community. I had the pleasure of having a few conversations with him this past season. He explained where FIRST was on a lot of difficult issues. They were good conversations.

Good Luck Bill.

[Mr MOE]

Bill:

On behalf of MOE 365, thank you for all you have done to propel FIRST into the 21st century and beyond. Your efforts will be recognized for years to come. We appreciate everything you have done for FIRST during your tenure.

All the best in your future endeavors!

John

[Al Skierkiewicz]

Bill,
I can't find the words right now but I hope you know what I am thinking. The Einstein weekend was a great way to get trouble shooters together and discuss ideas. It was one of the most educational weekends I have had in a long time. Thanks for everything, even the things we don't know about yet.

[Peter Matteson]

My comments from the thread linked below were written the last time I talked to him and before the incident that ended our season. I have a lot of respect for Bill and appreciated that he took the time to listen to members of our team pick apart the games explaining what we thought worked or didn't and why.

He was as interested in what was needed to keep us excited in mentoring and minimize burn out as he was with keeping the kids interested.

http://www.chiefdelphi.com/forums/showthread.php?t=105318&highlight=bill+miller

Edit: Oh and Bill had his secretary send a thank you message to those of us that commented in the thread, so I would say you can safely assume he and his people read CD.

Also, Bill I hope you are retiring on your own terms and not because of health/family/other unfortunate reasons.

[rachelholladay]

We will miss you Mr. Miller! Team 1912 greatly enjoyed when you came to visit Bayou Regional in 2011. I am not ashamed that a ran up to you early Thursday morning only to burst out "You've changed my life!"
We have had the pleasure of meeting Mr. Merrick through Beta Testing and I am sure his pre-kickoff blogs will continue to give me chills...

[lemiant]

Dear Bill, I didn't know you at all 'til I met you at the Einstein weekend. I loved talking with you, you clearly have a passion and vision for FIRST. You were the consummate professional throughout the whole process, and meeting you was one of the highlights of the weekend. You will be missed,

- Alex

[Karthik]

Bill,

Team 1114 thanks you for everything you've done for the FIRST community and for our team. You've always been willing to listen to our concerns and suggestions, and even taking the time to proactively seek us out when we've experienced issues. This will not be forgotten. On a personal note, I've enjoyed all our conversations at the various events we've attended together. Good luck and much success to you in the future.

[Jimmy Nichols]

Good Luck Bill! You will certainly be missed. Although most of my interactions were through your Blog. Having met at the Queen City Regional, I will regret having not gotten to know you better.

[KelliV]

Every one of the few times I have spoken with Bill have been nothing short of fantastic. His work to increase the amount and quality of team communication has forever changed FIRST as we know it. Thank you for everything Bill.

[Robyn Needel]

Dear Bill,

We have had the extreme pleasure to meet and talk with you at several regionals and Championships, and at the National Mall a couple of years ago when our Baltimore Team 768, the TechnoWarriors, came to help represent FIRST at the inaugural USA Science and Engineering Festival. You clearly love helping young people realize their goals, and inspire them, as well as all of us mentors. Thank you for all your hard work as Emperor of FIRST. We wish you the best in whatever endeavors and adventures you pursue in the future.

Robyn and Fred Needel

[JosephC]

Thank you Bill for everything you have done for FIRST. I wish you luck in whatever you move onto in the future.

-Joseph Team 68

[GaryVoshol]

I got to have several conversations with Bill at the MSC this year. He was often behind the score table near the spare referee seat, and I also spoke to him at a meal. You could really tell that he was committed to making FRC the best that it could be. Thanks for your service, Bill, and best wishes.

[IndySam]

This past QC regional Bill spent at least 30 minutes talking and asking question of my students in the pits. They were thrilled with his genuine interest in our team and their opinions.

Thanks a lot for all you've done Bill!

[Richard Wallace]

Bill,

The first time we met at FTA training, when you had just taken on the role of FRC Director, it was clear immediately that you are passionate about the mission of FIRST, and an experienced leader of engineers -- aka, herder of cats.

I enjoyed being one of your cats. We will miss you.

Good luck and godspeed in whatever comes next.

[Carol]

Ditto for everything said above. Good luck in your future endeavors, Bill, and we will miss you.

[Nemo]

Here's thanks to Bill for making it possible for our 2010 driver to compete (some accessibility considerations were required). He was very reasonable to work with when we approached him about that. Best luck in whatever comes next.

[Gregor]

Thank you for everything you've done for FIRST and I wish you luck on your future endeavours.

[Walter Deitzler]

Thank you Bill,
Between listening to your FRC live talks at world championships and reading your Bill's Blog posts, I have spent a lot of time reading or listening to you. This was not time wasted, but time well-spent. I may be only in my second year of FIRST, but I know that you have helped make FIRST the way it is today. You have made a large impact on my life, and I would like to thank you for it.

Thank you again!

[Pauline Tasci]

thank you Bill for such amazing seasons. I wil miss your awkward talks

[Pedman585]

Good Luck Bill from Team 585 the Cyberpenguins!

[ratdude747]

BIll, Thank you for all you have done. Even in the worst of times you still found a way to pull through.

[Meredith Novak]

My first conversation with Mr. Miller occurred at 2011 Alamo. I had applied for one of the GDC positions and he sought me out to talk about it. Obviously I did not join the GDC, but I have never felt so honored to not be selected. Bill is one of the scariest-from-a-distance, but kind and attentive in reality people I have ever encountered. (Like Mr. Novak actually)

I was very saddened to hear of his departure from FIRST. As one of the participants in the Einstein test, I was totally in awe of the professional and honest manner he handled the teams in a difficult situation. Frank Merrick, who is acting FRC director, is a wonderful person and I know we are in good hands; but our community will suffer for the loss of Bill Miller.

Blessings to you, my friend, and thank you for all you did for us.

[waialua359]

Wow, had no idea!

Thank You Bill Miller, and for all that you have done to improve FIRST with the many changes in recent years.

I had the chance to sit and chat with him one-on-one during lunch, and present alongside him in Hawaii during week 6 at one of our math NCTM meetings. I learned a lot about his past work experiences prior to FIRST and many of the tasks he's worked on during his time in FIRST.

Aloha and Best Wishes,
Glenn