Tragic loss to FIRST
 

Yesterday morning I was delivered news the no one wants to hear. A close friend and FRC mentor had suddenly passed away.

Mays Overton was a dear friend, mentor and co-founder of team 2851, Crevolution. His charismatic and inspiring personality was a gift to all who knew him.

Mays was passionate about many things including running. Yesterday morning while taking a jog with friend and team mentor Kent Goodier, Mays suddenly went into cardiac arrest. Kent, one of Mays' closest friends, performed CPR until EMS arrived. Several attempts to resuscitate him were made by EMS and continued on for over an hour at the hospital. He was only 27 years old.

Once in a while a light shines so bright that it can't possibly burn long. Mays was such a light. He was the kind of person it was impossible to dislike. For those of you who knew him, his eclectic personality and dynamic facial hair made him easy to spot at any event. This enthusiasm and charisma allowed him to reach students at their own level and made him one of the most effective mentors in all of FRC.

I am going to miss the times we had during build season. The laughs, the sharing of ideas and strategies, margaritas on Wednesday and wings on Thursday after team meetings.

My thoughts and sympathies go out to all who knew him, especially his family and fellow team members. This is a tough time for all of us who knew him. I can only imagine how tough this is for his family.

Below is a link to a video I put together with the help of his closest friends to help honor his memory. If you take the time to watch it you will see why we all adored him.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G4FeO...ature=youtu.be

Re: Tragic loss to FIRST
 

Mike, I'm sorry for your loss, Crevolution's and FIRST. Did he have family? Is there a donation fund set up?

Re: Tragic loss to FIRST
 

I am sorry for your loss. It sounds like FIRST took a serious blow with this one. You, Crevolution, and Mays are all in Team 1701's prayers.

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Tom,

Mays was survived by his mother father and two sisters. At this time there is no donation fund set up.

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Mike,

So sorry for your, Crevolution, and Mays' family and friends loss.

I just saw him at Waterford a couple of days ago. Makes you realize our time is so precious, and put's into perspective what's really important and not important.

Sorry,
Adam

Re: Tragic loss to FIRST
 

Mays will be dearly missed. Mays was more then jus a mentor. He was friend to all. He would be therefor you no matter what time of day. He would lighten up the tough times during build season. If stuff didn't work out. He would work with us until things get right. You will be tragically missed. RIP mays. The rest of the season is for you

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Thank you everyone for your kind words. Special thanks to you Mike, I know you are taking this just as hard if not harder than everyone on Crevo.

I met Mays in October of 2008 at Stevenson High School in Sterling Heights, Michigan. At first I thought he was kind of weird because of that blue trench coat he wore all of the time. He was one of the few mentors we had who helped create 2851. I was a student at the time and got to know him very well over those 2 years as a student. After I graduated, I wanted to stay working with the team as a Mentor. That is when Mays stopped being my teacher, and starting being my friend. And he did one hell of a job there. We had a lot of fun together nerding it out every day. Making jokes around the other mentors including programming references that nobody else could understand. Every tournament, relaying to him who we were up against, who we were with, which auton had to be run. Everything worked like clockwork. It's really hard to think how we will go on without him, but we have to. It's what he would have wanted.

Just wanted to share a little of my story with him. These 5 years have been very rewarding, and it would not have been the same without him. Rest in peace Mays.
#MaysOvertonIsMyHero

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Our thoughts and prayers are with you, so sad.

- Team 103

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Thanks Mike for posting this. Mays was one of the best people I have ever known. Mays put the Inspiration into FIRST. He loved robots and engineering. He loved the students and they loved him back. His impact on our team and our alumni is profound. The saddest part is all of the future FIRST members who will only get to know Mays through the stories and images that live on. Unfortunately that will be horribly pale in comparison to the reality that was Mays Overton. He was a great mentor, a great person, and a great friend.

Bryan Battaglia
Head Mentor 2851

Re: Tragic loss to FIRST
 

THIS!

Re: Tragic loss to FIRST
 

Tragic to hear, our thoughts and prayers are with you, Crevolution, and Mays' family.

- FRC2826 Wave Robotics

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This is absolutely tragic. My prayers and condolences go out to his family and friends.

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Mays was the first mentor I really clicked with when I joined Crevolution as a High School senior in 2010. He encouraged me to try out as our team's drive coach and spent countless hours helping me prepare for our competitions. He is the reason I continued with robotics after I attended my first Kick-Off and was a key factor in my decision to pursue an engineering degree. He was one of the most dedicated mentors FIRST has ever had, spending more hours at the build site than at his day job each week. If you have ever attended a competition that 2851 was at you would know him, either from hearing his enthusiastic cheers from 3 stands away, how he danced in the aisle way ever time the Chicken Dance was played, or by seeing him race through the pits to help his team that was in desperate need of a quick-fix. He was such a fun spirit and a wonderful advocate for the STEM fields and he will be missed terribly. We love you Mays..

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Losing a mentor is tragic for any team, and having come from a similar situation just a few weeks ago, I unfortunately know the feeling all too well.

My condolences to everyone at Crevolution, may he watch over you in all your future endeavors.

-Paul Mangels
FRC Team 271

Re: Tragic loss to FIRST
 

I am so sorry for your loss and FIRST's loss of a very charismatic man. It is never easy to lose somebody that we are so close to. Please give the team and his family, team 1322's condolences. They will all be in our thoughts and prayers.

Re: Tragic loss to FIRST
 

Very tragic. Worked with him briefly last year timing basketball shots in elims at Waterford, easy and great to work with.

My condolences to friends and family.

Jay

Re: Tragic loss to FIRST
 

Having gone through the loss of a cherished Mentor on Rosie back in 2008, we, Rosie Robotics, hope and pray for your team. Please know you are not alone and gain strength from Mays and cherish his wackiness moving forward.

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Team 195 The Cyber Knights sends our sympathies to the team and family.

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Please know that Team 1625 has you, Crevolution, and the Mays' family in our thoughts and prayers!

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The prayers and thoughts of MOE 365 are with the Mays family and affected teams during this tough time.

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I'm passing along my thoughts and prayers from myself, and from the whole Kamen family. It sounds like FIRST has suffered a huge loss here. I'm sorry I never met him, but Mays just sounds like an amazing person, mentor, and friend.

Thinking about you, Mike, and about Crevolution.

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Very sorry to hear of the loss of this young man. Though I did not know him, your video is a great tribute to him. Easy to see that he loved live and what he was doing with it.

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Perhaps it is true that a light can be so bright that it can only burn for a brief time, casting its light in such a way that everyone is inspired to shine a little brighter, too.

This makes me very sad. When working with students and mentors, it is always my hope to watch them grow - forever. Mays will continue to grow in ways like the beautiful video that you put together for him, Mike. He will continue to burn brightly in the hearts of many.

My heart goes out to Mays' family, his FIRST family, and all of the students that he mentored, whether he knew it or not.

Jane

Re: Tragic loss to FIRST
 

Such sad news. :(

I'm so sorry for your loss.

Team 157's thoughts and prayers are with you all.

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All the good ones are taken early. Sorry for your losses from all of us on Truck Town Thunder.

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Thank Heaven for Plan B+.

Such a shooting Star, Such a loss. Peace.

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FRC Team 1501 send it's most heartfelt condolences to the Overton family, team and friends.
R.I.P. Mays. You will be missed.

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Team 51 - Wings of Fire wish to express their condolences to the family and the team. Shocking for sure - as just last weekend.........

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My sincere condolences for this tragic loss. May they find fair winds and following seas and may those they left behind find peace and goodness in their continuing journey.

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Thank you to everyone.

I cannot express enough how much your support means to me and the members of Crevolution. It has been a very difficult time for everyone who knew him, but the support coming in from the CD and FRC community has been overwhelming and deeply appreciated.

Thank you all.

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Those of us in FIRST are blessed to meet many amazing individuals and it sounds like Mays was one of them. My condolences to you all.

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Code Red (FRC 2771) passes along our condolences and prayers to Crevolution on the loss of a great Mentor. We are thinking about your team, the Overton family, and all of the friends and students that Mays had worked with as he gave his time and talents. We pray that God will watch over you and bring you peace and joy as you grieve and remember Mays.

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May peace be with all who knew Mays, especially his family. My heart goes out to you all.

Sincerely,
Andy Baker

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I am deeply sorry for your loss. Any loss of life is a tragedy, but when it is someone who was deeply engaged in FIRST.

Rest in Peace, Mays.

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May his memory be eternal.

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My condolences go out to Mays' family, friends, Team Crevolution and the entire FIRST community that knew him. Mays was a wonderful spirit and had a true bond with the students he mentored. Thank you Mike for letting us all know and for the beautiful video.

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Keeping all friends and family of Mays in my prayers during this tough time.

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I had the privilege of knowing Mays both through work and FIRST. The energy he brought with him in everything he did was just amazing. If I was having a bad day at work, I would swing by and just ask him how things were going. He always had some adventure he had either just been through or was planning for the next weekend. He was one of those friends that his mere presence made your day better.

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From team 2813, we deeply regret this loss. May our prayers be with you.

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Mays was a great mentor and I wish I would have joined the team freshman year so I could have known him for longer. He has impacted my decision on what field I am going into. I wish that he didn't have to go so soon and I had the opportunity to just hang out with him as friends not just students and mentors. The team will get through the pain and we will continue going In Memory of Mays T. Overton. here is a quote one of our alumni found from mays.

"Life only happens once. You can wallow in the bad times, or you can move on and find the adventure around the next corner. Smile, and it will get you further than you may think."

- Mays T Overton

He will never be forgotten.

-Mike Mills
Lead design Team 2851 Crevolution

Re: Tragic loss to FIRST
 

The members of Team 980 offer our most sincere condolences for your loss.

Clearly, Mays has made a lasting impression on his team members.

Honor his memory by carrying on as you would if he was there.

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My condolences to the family, friends, and team mates of Mays.

I am one of the coordinators of the BAE Systems FIRST program and I can testify that our program would not be where it is without the enthusiasm and the support of people like Mays. He was a force that will truly be missed.

My advice to those that would like to honor his memory – find that piece within yourself that makes you passionate about life and share it with anyone that will listen. That’s exactly what he did.

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Please pass along our sincere condolences, to his family, friends and team from Team 111.

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Condolences from Team 3484, he sounds like a person who truly lived for what FIRST stands for.

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A great tribute to Mays ...

Congratulations Crevolution at the Detroit District.

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Thank you Gary. It was a very emotional time. But it was also our biggest motivator.

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Every Friday, before our big meets on Saturday, my old wrestling coach would tell us a story or words of wisdom.

Everyone knows the great question about the "the chicken or the egg". But he told us about the "Egg and the Carrot". He said: "There are two types of folks. Eggs and Carrots. You see, the egg and carrot start out the opposite. Eggs start out fragile where as carrots are pretty tough. But when put into hot water, the carrot becomes softer and softer until it turns to mush. The egg, on the other hand gets tougher and stronger."
Crevo this weekend showed they are some good eggs on that team. While I am very sad he is gone, I am truly impressed what he left behind.