I was on a business trip early in 1996, traveling with a very senior leader of the company I worked for, as a technical advisor during some discussions about a new opportunity. The customer was a guy named Dean Kamen who owned a company in New Hampshire, and developed medical products. As the meeting was ending, with agreement that the two companies would cooperate on a project in which I would design and prototype some brushless motors for a thing called Fred, Dean turned to my boss’s boss’s boss and said, “Everyone who does business with me has to support FIRST.” Without missing a beat, the executive pointed in my direction and told Dean, “Richard will take care of that, too.” I found myself left behind in Manchester when the rest of my colleagues flew home that night, so I could attend Kickoff the following morning. I came home to St. Louis late Saturday night carrying a kit of parts and a manual as extra checked baggage. Been hooked ever since.