Bush spoke on FIRST

Ryan_M · October 31, 2004, 8:19pm

I was looking at some of the website award winners as part of an assignment from the web design mentor of our team, when I came accross a little picture with a caption on team 177’s website:
http://www.swindsor.k12.ct.us/Highschool/activities/clubs/first/history/1992_bush.jpg
President Bush speaking about FIRST

Anyone have any knowledge? What did he say?

–EDIT–
Obviously, this is the former Pres Bush.

Cory · October 31, 2004, 8:38pm

I’m pretty sure Bush Sr. congratulated the National Champions one year.

Jay_H_237 · October 31, 2004, 9:57pm

The current President Bush has also reconized FIRST and some of the volunteers. Here’s a story from USA Today.

They even give a link to FIRST at the bottom of the page.

Billfred · October 31, 2004, 10:03pm

I found the speech he gave that day…

President George Bush...the first:

I want to tell you about something, in conclusion here, pretty unusual that I ran into – I want to say discovered – a few months ago up in New Hampshire. Dean Kamen is here. He is a very special individual. What I’m talking about, the discovery, was of something known as the Maize Craze competition. I’m not sure exactly how to describe it. Kids have to make a kind of a robot to fetch tennis balls out of a box filled with corn. Some of the best ideas sound pretty strange at first, but let me tell you, this is a terrific idea.

I was enormously impressed, Dean, by how this Maize Craze teams high school students with high-powered engineering teams from major universities and corporations, a great example of the private-public partnership that will lead us to excellence in the next century. I had forgotten what a salesman Dean is, but he just came into my office and he said, ``Now, if these corporations can sponsor Olympic athletes, why isn’t it a great idea that they encourage young scientists in the same way?‘’ And he’s absolutely right about that. Maize Craze is part of U.S. FIRST, a national alliance of business, education, and Government working to reverse declining student interest and performance in science and math.

I invited Dean to bring his winners here today, sponsors Xerox and NYPRO, and teams from Wilson Magnet and Clinton High Schools. We’re honoring today a spectrum of achievers that goes then from high school to the pinnacle of research. In turn, we need to nurture every step on the educational ladder, for each depends on the soundness of the preceding one.

The full speech is here.

Greg_Needel · October 31, 2004, 10:14pm

i have two comments about this…

the old president bush is friends with dean. he was the president who signed the non-aggression act with dean’s “country”.
just because the current bush reconized FIRST doesn;t mean you should vote for him

Ryan_Dognaux · October 31, 2004, 10:27pm

Sure it does. C’mon, Bush and Dean and like this ::crosses fingers:: :]

Joe_Ross · October 31, 2004, 10:33pm

I beleive that Clinton also had the national champions at the white house for a few years.

JVN · October 31, 2004, 10:33pm

President Clinton also recognized FIRST.
I imagine, the next president will too (whoever that is).
Remember - Kids learning and playing with robots = good photo op.

Voting for a president because they give a quick speech about FIRST is silly.
Voicing political beliefs on Chief Delphi is equally as silly.

John

Jessica_Boucher · October 31, 2004, 10:48pm

If you check out the 10-year anniversary video, it started with a clip of that speech.

Jack_Jones · October 31, 2004, 10:52pm

FLIP-FLOP!
…

Wayne_C · October 31, 2004, 10:56pm

I knew there was something we forgot to go to…; )

(Bill never invited us).

WC

Matt_Leese · November 1, 2004, 8:42am

I know Clinton invited the National Champions in 1996. I’ve seen the pictures to prove it. Actually, I think Clinton was busy that day and they had to settle with Al Gore.

Matt

Andy_Baker · November 1, 2004, 8:58am

From what I can remember, I think that the White House stopped inviting the winning team to visit after 1997. I think that they would invite the Chairman’s Award winning team along with the winning team.

Andy B.

Joe_Ross · November 1, 2004, 9:09am

http://web.archive.org/web/19970303201127/usfirst.org/news/960716.html

meaubry · November 1, 2004, 12:59pm

The White House visit ended in 96. We didn’t get to go as the Chairman Award winner of 1997.

Eugenia_Gabrielov · November 1, 2004, 4:32pm

This entire discussion frankly confuses me.
I see Robotics as a Haven from politics, discluding the threads, which are just plain entertaining at this point.

However, I see robotics as a place where there’s more to think about, I hope, than what political party one stands for. To be honest, while I am very flattered as a FIRSTer that our organization was honored by past Presidents and hopefully will continue to be honored, I honestly don’t like the idea of it being used as a political tool.

The FIRST organization will be just a photo op to the candidates/presidents until they get a true chance, as President Bush Sr. apparently did, to experience the competition season. Maybe we should work for that instead of arguing which president did it?