Outstanding Volunteer: Geek at Heart

Dwight Lundberg, a retired systems programmer, has been a part of the FIRST Tech Challenge community out in Texas for almost five years. He found his niche volunteering as a scorekeeper and computer manager, going above and beyond the call of duty to help serve FTC events.

 

As his friend Alan Borhorst notes, “Dwight is at the game first thing on Saturday morning and he

helps get everything running smoothly.  He is a careful scorekeeper and always has the score sheets prepared in advance.  He stays the entire day and helps us tear down the field and load it back into the trailers and he also helps us put it back into storage.  These are 18 or more hour days.”

However, this dedication toward FTC and the student participants who join him at these events did not start off without doubts. Dwight recalls how, although he is “a professional technical person,” he had “no experience with robots” and “doubted his contribution would be valuable”. But as everyone finds when they enter the FIRSTfamily, FIRST is more than just robots.

From his own experiences, Dwight points out to any potential volunteer, that “Ok, you know little to nothing about this.  If you can be ego-less to ask for help and direction it can still work.  You were asked to volunteer because the organizer hoped you had something to offer.  They just might be right.”

He goes on to say that “competitions are harried,” but it’s “gratifying to go talk to the team members when there is time.  I have seen some teams and their members grow in competence from year to year.” And being “a part of the support for these kids” is something he enjoys.

As Dwight explains up, “I have been a geek all my life and I enjoy these younger examples.” So from the geek in all our hearts, thank you, Dwight Lundberg, for everything that you do!