We are honored to announce that the family of Dennis M. Scolamiero has chosen to designate Team HYPER (Helping Youth Pursue Engineering & Robotics) – FRC#69 and the HYPER Alumni Association (HAA) as the beneficiaries of a memorial fund in his name. Fitting with Dennis’ lifelong pursuit of engineering, learning, and mentoring young minds, these funds will go to help the HAA’s mission to support the HYPER Robotics program from both QHS and NQHS with parts, materials, tools, and its students with scholarships. We are continuously Investing in HYPER »

A QHS graduate of 1952 who grew up at 53/55 Scammell Street, Dennis was a young Ham radio aficionado, inventor and teen entrepreneur who saved up money to pay for his dream of studying science as a first generation college student. He graduated Northeastern University in 1957 with a BS in Electrical Engineering. His career began at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology Instrumentation Lab working on inertial guidance navigation systems with Doc Draper. He was selected to work on Draper’s Apollo Project team which developed on board computers to land Astronauts on the moon with Apollo 11. He also worked on the guidance system for the U.S. Navy’s Deep Submergence Rescue Vehicle DSRV and trained sailors on two Navy mother ships. Dennis was always mentoring young engineers and he organized Draper’s Armed Forces Communication and Electronics Association (AFCEA) internship program. Dennis was a brilliant, cheerful, quirky, gracious, “hyper” guy who loved teaching young people. Unfortunately suffering decades of dementia he retired far too early and he never learned about this robotics program before he passed. He will be cheering on the teams and “providing guidance” from his current intergalactic residence.

Both Team HYPER and our Alumni know Dennis the Menace would have fit right into the odd family we consider ourselves as we spend long hours working together, mentors and students side by side, to build a robot for our yearly competitions.

Dennis mentored any young engineer who would take the time to get to know him. With a mission so identical to our own, the HYPER Alumni are happy we can help carry it on for him as we strive to inspire the next generation of engineers, machinists, programmers, and more at Team HYPER Robotics and FIRST (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology).

Please direct your heartfelt condolences, fond memories, and messages of support to the Scolamiero family directly or through the tribute wall of the obituary.