[JudyVandy]

In response to the title of this thread, Is Engineering truly Glamorous"???, and referring back to some of the prior thoughts in this thread...

Any time we can help kids to admire the work and the person who has made a true positive difference in our world, I believe that FIRST has achieved Dean's objective of making heroes of todays engineers and technicians. This has happened with more young people than I can count! And those are only the ones of whom I am aware.

Whenever you have a young person who, in one way or another, looks at a mentor, and says, in one way or another, "I want to be like....when I grow up," we have 'glamorized' that person and his/her career. And glamour isn't necessarily a bad thing! It can be truly inspirational!

When I stood listening to a young man who talked agonizingly about not being able to put in enough time on his water purification project and his concern about how many people were losing their lives on a daily, even hourly basis because of the lack of drinkable water, I heard the words of a young man who was truly inspired and dedicated.

There are, I am certain, many more young men and women who have been similarly inspired by the 'glamour' of engineering, of making a difference in their world.

(Now, to read the article, put my thoughts in better order, and fire off an e-mail to 'that man'!