Hats Off To Moe!
When you walk into the TJ2 build room, there’s an aura that radiates from every wall, shelf, and comer. Whether it’s the pins scattered across the room or the pictures of bright, smiling faces, one rises above the rest. It’s a name that those of us here at TJ know, but has spread to national fame in FIRST. If you saw his smiling face upon entering the build room, you knew it was going to be a good day. Whether he was making wise-cracks or educating rookies about how to use power tools, this man built the foundation of TJ with his bare hands. When we went to competitions, you knew that he would be down in the pits with the drive team and simultaneously goofing off by flinging wristbands up into the crowd. The tie-dye legend was unmistakable in his jeans and suspenders and made each and every match special for both our allies and our competitors. When we learned that he was “officially” retiring down in Florida, our team members felt a torrent ofmixed emotions. On one hand, we couldn’t be happier that our beloved coach and mentor finally had some well-deserved relaxation time. On the other hand, every single person knew that TJ2 Robotics just wasn’t going to be the same after his departure. This year, when our rookies walked around the workspace, they would point to photographs and ask who the beaming man with the snowy hair and mustache was. Our simple reply was, “He is a man who defined TJ and shaped the spirit of FIRST forever. He is the mentor that shaped TJ into what it is today. That man is Moe. “Hats off to you, Moe, for your years of dedicated service and for your continued support of TJ2 Robotics. Oh yeah!