George H.W. Bush: “February 12, 1992 Let me just say first, thanks to Dean Kamen, the brains behind this effort. There were a lot of…”

“February 12, 1992 Let me just say first, thanks to Dean Kamen, the brains behind this effort. There were a lot of support brains working with it, too. And a little education right here and I've done a little homework on all the work, the marvelous work that's been done here. And I wish I could be at the inaugural of the FIRST Encounters contest. By creating this imaginative new partnership between industry and education you all are taking a first step, a big step forward in meeting our goal of making America the number one in science education. Math and science, that's the key to the future, to our being competitive. And I want to thank the various officials that are with us: Dr. Schmitt, the president of RPI; Jerry Fisher, Baxter Health Care; Ray Price, the president of the Economic Club of New York; Richard Osborne, the president of U.S. FIRST, and Donald Reed, the chairman. In the 21st century we're going to face a technology race the likes of which we've never seen. But competition makes us strong. And American workers in my view can outthink, outproduce, outcompete anybody, anywhere. And competition made us number one, and competition is going to keep us there. And it compels us to do our best. And it stimulates the desire to win. How America does at the technology race finish line depends on how we prepare the next generation for the starting line.…”