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Plymouth High School Robotics Competition

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Skill Pit
Skill Pit

Because of my position on the Marshall County Community Foundation (MCCF) Grants Committee, I was fortunate enough to see the beginnings of the Robotics Club at Plymouth High School. I knew Principal Jim Condon as a fellow Marshall County Economic Development Corporation (MCEDC) Board Member. He introduced me to Josh Kuhn and Kennedy Schneider, two Plymouth High School students who, without the knowledge of the school, entered and won the State Vex Robotics Competition. (I found this article discussing the original team in the South Bend Tribune.  I’ve embedded a link to them winning the State Championship below.) The School then helped them move on to the World competition in California. The school then applied for a grant from MCCF to start a formal robotics club the following year. I vetted the school’s grant application for a robotics program and was pleased to champion it with the MCCF Grants Committee.  MCCF awarded them a significant grant to begin the program.

Competition Pit
Competition Pit

Coming full circle, Principal Condon told me last Friday that three years after that start-up, Plymouth High School’s Robotics Club would be hosting a northern Indiana competition on Saturday and would be fielding six teams. The event ran from 9 until 4. Due to other commitments I could only go for the afternoon. Becky and I got there about 1:30 and as it turned out, that was about right as we were in time for the to see the team selection process and the beginning of the elimination rounds.

Principal Condon was kind enough to take a few minutes to sit with us and update me on the status of the program as well as tell us a little about what we were seeing.  The teams were ranked and then through a school yard pick, divided up into teams of three.  The teams then competed head to head for two out of three wins in competition matches to advance to  the finals.

I don’t think I could do justice to a description of the competition here. Suffice it to say it was a combination of driving skill, defense, ball collection and ball shooting skill as they collected balls around the arena and attempted to get them into the goal net. The robots shot the balls using impellers, catapults and paddles. The students were given specifications and a parts list they could use last summer and then they spent months developing CAD models of their robots. They are required to provide a detailed manual describing the design process and the construction process which is part of the judging process. At competitions they are judged on not only their competence in the arena, but on style and presentation.

I’m probably unjustified in being proud of the very small part I played in helping with this. But seeing the enthusiasm of the kids and the obvious pride they have in their efforts was heartwarming.  I’ll have no problem going back to MCCF and telling them that the grant money invested in the program was well spent.

 

 

State of the Union – Two Empty Seats

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I wrote about my distaste for the State of the Union address last year at this time in a post here.  This year is shaping up to be no less the embarrassing spectacle.  Listening to the Sunday morning news shows yesterday, I heard that President Obama is planning to leave two seats empty, to which I say, “Good Start!”  Maybe if they were all empty this sham would be recognized for what it is and it would be the last one we had to endure.

The quote to the right is from an article by Kevin D. Williamson, written for the National Review, titled Great Caesar’s Ghost.  If you’re interested in reading it, I’ve linked it here.  It’s a couple of years old, but still worthwhile.

Kathy Pearson

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The Easterday Construction family lost another member last week.  Kathy Pearson succumbed to her cancer after a three year, protracted battle.  She kept her spirits up until the end.  She came to the visitation for my grandfather on December 7th, only a couple of weeks ago, and promised we would get together for lunch again soon.  Sadly that didn’t happen.

Kathy Pearson's Obituary
Kathy Pearson Obituary

Kathy was a fixture at Easterday Construction Co., Inc. for 38 years.  KP to those of us in the office.  When she retired at the end of 2014, she left a void that was impossible to fill.  I gave some of her history with the company here in a previous post.  That barely scratched the surface of the contributions she made.

History is a huge part of what was lost with her passing.  Kathy remembered past projects nearly as well as I did in my tenure, but she also could tell me the history of projects before my time.  She remembered past employees, subcontractors and suppliers, filling in gaps in things I had forgotten or never knew.  She remembered phone numbers almost unerringly and served as a virtual rolodex when I would ask for a number or name that wouldn’t come to me.  Long before it was “Ask Google” it was “Ask Kathy”.  

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Bill Murphy Eulogy

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William Murphy Obituary PictureThank you to everyone that came to the visitation and or funeral on Monday.  At 101, most of grandpa’s old friends have gone before him, but it was nice to see some of the new ones that he had made.  It was nice to see the staff and aides from the nursing home and to know he’ll be missed there.  I think for the most part he was one of the easier residents there.  There were also a lot of children of old friends and others that remember knowing my grandfather as they grew up.  Their effort in coming to attend was appreciated.

Also thanks to the Navy and the VFW for their contributions to the grave side service.  The Navy’s flag ceremony was very moving and a wonderful tribute to my grandfather’s service to his country.

My mother asked me to say a few words at the funeral.  It ended up being a bit impromptu and extemporaneous since it wasn’t decided until the last minute, but I have included the draft here for anyone interested.  I went ahead and added what I could remember I added on the fly as well:

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I’m doing this using notes from my phone… which my grandfather would find fascinating.  He was always asking about it and I would show him the things it could do.  At one point he said, “But it’s a phone, right?  I never see you talk on it!”  At one point we had him using the computer for email.  He would call when he had a problem.  You can just imagine how difficult it was to explain something over the phone to someone who didn’t know what a mouse was, a cursor was… scroll bars, etc.

My grandfather was a very special person. I’m blessed to have had him in my life this long. No one, including him, expected him to live to 101 so that has been a very special gift.

I am the oldest of three grandchildren. I believe he saw us all uniquely, and treated each of us as special. When Becky and I got together, she was treated as another grandchild. I believe the same was true of my sibling’s spouses. When great grandchildren came, they were also made welcome and loved unconditionally. I don’t think we could ask for better.

Part of the reason that Becky and I moved back to Indiana was to be closer to family. My grandparents never disappointed me in their joy of seeing me. When they were home, I would stop there at lunch. They made it clear that I was welcome that day, the next and the next… But they also made it clear they understood that I was making time for them and that they appreciated it. That never changed.

Bill & WIlma Murphy Back in the Day!
Bill & WIlma Murphy
Back in the Day!

My grandfather taught me to fish and to shoot. He taught me to row a boat.  And more importantly he taught me how to appreciate things. He got me up in the middle of the night to watch the first moon landing because it was an important event that I should witness. He taught me to appreciate a fresh baked doughnut as a reward for doing a good deed for an aging relative. He taught me to be frugal, but also to spend money on those who are important to me. And finally he taught me the value of relationships. I don’t think my grandfather ever knew a stranger. When he met someone they almost always left as his friend. For those of you fortunate enough to have met him, you know why.

My grandfather also taught me how to enjoy a good joke. For those of you who noticed Pluto on the casket, he was part of a running joke I had with my grandparents… that ran from when I was in high school.  When I would visit, I would get that dog out of the toy bin and place him somewhere in the house.  Since he was poseable, a lot of the time they would find him in a plant with his leg hiked!  When I went off to college, my grandparents came to visit.  A couple of days later, I noticed the Pluto had made it down to my place!  From there he racked up a lot of mileage.  When we lived in Georgia, he would appear when they passed through on the way to Florida.  Then we would take him back when we visited them in Florida or Indiana.  My grandmother referred to him as “That Durn’d Dog!”  I thought it only fitting that Pluto make this last trip with Grandpa.  I guess I get the last laugh… which he would appreciate.