[mhayon]

I have to echo the congratulations. I was going to start a post on this topic, but the fact that one already exists speaks volumes for Don's impact on the FIRST community.

I first met Don in 2005 (well, he was my neighbor first, but first time with respect to FIRST). Someone approached me and told me that this Don's company was interested in working with a high school to join this thing called FIRST. One night that week, I went to Don's company, where I sat in a room of the company's employees. Two volunteers from the state introduced FIRST and the benefits on the community. (Don was in that room, of course).

Fast forward to build season. Probably a dozen employees showed up to our first meeting. The number got whittled down every week. By the end of that week, the number of mentors from that company was down to one-- Don.

The next year, Don's company ended its partnership with the team. These things happen. But remarkably, Don kept mentoring the team, spending hundreds and thousands of hours mentoring a team that his company wasn't involved in, that he didn't have a child on. Rather, just because he enjoyed it.

And even more remarkably, Don returned to work with the team every single year after that. Yes, all 8 years the team has been in existence. And he has never waivered in his contributions to the team. We could probably count on one hand how many days of the build season and/or competitions Don has not been to in those 8 years.

To date, there has not been a 1676 without Don. For everything 1676 is known for, Don has been a major part.

Everyone that is currently working with the team or has ever been with the team, or just are related to the team, are exceedingly proud of Don.

"If I have seen further, it is by standing on the shoulders of giants" - Isaac Newton, 1676