Joe Sawyers celebration - "He Teethed on Wrenches"

Mugged in his graduating year book as “he teethed on wrenches” unjustly describes the kind, gentle, man that could invent just about anything. His knowledge of machines, their workings, his ability to think about what was needed and turn that thought into a working, highly functioning, mechanized model was unchallenged. Each year when the FIRST Robotics Challenge was announced, the team would meet to discuss the how, what, when and where of the challenge. Joe loved these meetings. He would “show, tell and explain” his interpretative drawings of the challenge with the team. After much discussion, drawing, and designing, Joe would rush home to his extensive machine shop and build a wooden/metal prototype and show up at the meeting the next day with a working model. From that design, Joe would share his keen interest and extensive knowledge with students and other mentors to brainstorm the design into a working, award winning 120 pound robot.

In 2004, Joe joined Team 1276, then known at C.A.R.T (Camden Area Robotics Team) and traveled to Manchester for the competition. There he could be seen in the pit ready to help with any difficulty encountered. When asked if he enjoyed the competition, his only comment was that it was a little bit loud with an impish smile and a gleam in his eye. He continued as a valued team mentor in the 2005 and 2006 build seasons. In 2006 the team won the Manchester Regional and continued on to Atlanta. Joe was especially proud of the team in this accomplishment. His first day prototype was the catalyst for the success of the team that year.

In Joe’s life beyond the robotics team, he was a graduate of Camden High School, Maine Maritime Academy and Wentworth Institute in Boston. He served in the U.S. Navy as an engineer on the AR5 Vulcan. He married Marjorie Ames of Camden and had three children. He worked from 1954 until 2002 when he retired as Executive Director at Tibbetts Industries in Camden, Maine where he was instrumental in the development of products. He also enjoyed boating around Camden Harbor on the Spindrift with family and friends.

During his years of employment, Joe’s hobby was designing turbines and powerhouses for hydroelectric dams. In fact, he built the electrical producing Seabright Dam in Camden on weekends and in his spare time. Joe made wood patterns for the turbine blades in his shop, machining special parts and moved tons of quarry stone using a crane. He engineered the turbines to match the rivers capacity to generate power generating three-phase, 480 volt power from 1984 to the present.

In August of 2007, we were very saddened by the passing this brilliant man. His legacy will live on with the team. We have affectionately named our 2008 robot Joe and have registered our team motto for the year as “he teethed on wrenches”. We honor him with this page, our devoted, quite and much respected mechanical mentor, Joseph A. Sawyer.