Dear Green Machine Team members, alumni, and friends: over the weekend we lost, to complications following a surgical procedure, the co-founder of the FIRST program, Dr. Woodie Flowers. The news hit the FIRST community very hard and everyone is mourning in their own way. All are trying to process what the world will be like with out the person who embodies Gracious Professionalism. Woodie had a unique blend of wisdom and insight that illuminated issues and generated new ideas to address those issues. The structure of FIRST competitions and Gracious Professionalism were (and are) profound changes that he brought to competitive activities. He was passionate about giving students a head start and inspiring them to pursue their dreams. At competitions, he always asked students to sign his shirt because they were his heroes. He fooled everyone by giving students a life-changing experience and calling it a robotics competition.
Dr. William Murphy, the founder of the Woodie Flowers Award, chartered the winners to carry on Woodie’s legacy, and we will try our best to do so.
Sincerely,
Mark Lawrence, WFFA 2009, WFA 2015
Laurie Shimizu, WFFA 2017
Alyson Purdy, WFFA 2019
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