Bill Beatty

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Bill Beatty was recognized as the Woodie Flowers Award winner at the 2001 Championships in Orlando.  2001 was a special year for Team Hammond (FRC team 71), as they created a dominant robot and won the Championships.  Bill was back in the pit, packing up, when Dr. Murphy announced him as the winner that year.

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Team Hammond was won the FIRST Championships more than any other team.  They were World Champions in 1997, 2001, 2002, and 2004.  Their success starts with “Mr. Bill”, who is the lead technical mentor.  Bill Beatty is the owner and president of Beatty Machine, a company founded by his grandfather, out of Hammond, Indiana.  These companies provide equipment and services to the steel industry, providing machinery and equipment to customers all around the world.

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Mr. Bill is an active presenter and mentor to many teams.  He is well known for his “put aside” method of design selection, along with his “golden rule” leadership techniques.  Bill’s favorite advice is to teach about the importance of robot drive trains. Being a 4-time World Champion, Bill is listened to by many FIRSTers.  He even has an alias on ChiefDelphi, but we don’t want to give that away here.

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Bill started in FIRST in 1996, and is still active as a mentor and team leader today.  You will often find him in the stands, scouting out the teams to beat or to partner with for the finals.  Team Hammond is a close-knit family, with the students and mentors working very close together in order to achieve success.  This success starts with Mr. Bill, and is admired by many teams.