I want to send a special congratulations to my old mentor Dave Leenhouts. He was my inspiration years and years ago, and to this day, I can still remember meeting him in our cafeteria back in the fall of 1995. Little did I know then, he and the other Hamilton employees would soon have us hooked!
Dave is the rock that 176 stands on. He was there for countless hours. He was the first to show up for the meeting, and he would be the last to leave. He ran our team, and gave us his heart and soul. Whenever we needed him, he was always there for us. If it were a summer parade, or a fall recruting demo, or late at night trying to finish up the robot.
I have many many fond memories, including our first year, when we first started the small comittee that ran the team, it was Dave, and four of us students. We would plan the meetings and the team tasks, we would get input from the subteams, and get everything organized. I remember going to our first Rumble at the Rock in the middle of a Hurricane with the robot strapped in the back of Tom Harris's pick-up truck with a tarp strapped around it. We were late, and ran into the building with Dave & Tom, frantically wiping the robot down and trying to get ready for the competition. I remember the late night, when one of the other mentors, Rob Hoeckle and I created "ball pants", and we made some bet that if we made it so far in nationals, Dave and Rob had to wear the ball pants (*makes note to self to find a good copy of this picture!).
I also remember my last year, when I helped run the team, was the drive team coach, and they held a team awards ceremony early in the summer. Dave put together a slideshow for me, that covered my three years in the program, and gave an amazing speach. I remember going up to hug him at the end of that, realizing that I was graduating as his friend. Dave came to my graduation, and to my graduation party. That was the year we all yelled DAAAAVVVEEEE and he'd yell KIIIMMMBOOO!! (hard to explain, but still funny!)
Beyond my high school years, Dave continues to mentor me as I spawn new FIRST teams. He gave me advice and details for starting 229, he sent me data and information on 176 as I started 1511 this year. I continue to write him to tell him how things are going, and I always hear amazing encouragement back. As my kids show their inspiration, I can only attribute it back to wanting to give others what Dave and the Hamilton mentors gave to me. I can only hope to retain the strength and stamina Dave has shown for this program. He is a truely amazing and dedicated mentor, and its about time he won this award!!
hehe.
And my last memory, is the dorky dance we coined my senior year that we called "Doin the DAVE!" Just put your fingers up in the air, like number one signs and shake your hips while moving your arms up and down!
So, Dave, my mentor, my friend, congratulations! No award can ever truely express how much you have meant to all of us over the years, but I hope it is able to show a little of our appreciation.
To the students that wrote his nomination, thank you for nominating a true inspiration.
If you don't have a butt to fill that seat, you don't need it. When the butt arrives, we'll make room. - DonRotolo [more] 
15-04-2005, 18:25
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