“We talked just three days ago.” Francesca Del Duca is incredulous and saddened. “Together with other teachers, we were preparing the new RomeCup. It was a fun and productive work session right before the summer break. We were on the Teams Platform, just like old friends.”
At FMD, everyone knows who Francesco Lerteri was and every one of us has a special, personal memory of this man who has sadly passed away.
We would like to remember Francesco with an interview from a few years ago in which he spoke about the satisfaction of taking a team of young children to the RomeCup for the first time [see news: ”RomeCup for Kids”].
I keep writing a couple of lines and then erasing them … It’s not easy to collect my thoughts right now. I’m looking for photographs, memories as I speak to and interact with colleagues on the phone and on Teams. Nobody at FMD can believe the news that this hot summer day has brought us just before vacation in this strange 2020. We just spoke to you during a meeting a few days ago to plan the upcoming RomeCup, an event for which you were a true cornerstone. Mirta referred to you as our “ref.” You were RomeCup, together with your camera, smile, hamburger-shaped robots, ref jersey, blog, 2 am rankings and your unique kindness and helpfulness. Over the past 10 years of RomeCup, I have grown professionally with you and Paolo. You will always be our reference point, here in Rome, for robotics, school and students. Your passion, friendliness, commitment, and joy were unique and notwithstanding the tiring work at the event you always managed to make us smile. Many colleagues at FMD always competed to follow the Explorer competitions at the event. The RomeCup will no longer be the same without you.
However, notwithstanding the sadness, I am happy to have met you and known you. You will forever be our “ref.” We will miss you, Francesco.
I keep writing a couple of lines and then erasing them … It’s not easy to collect my thoughts right now. I’m looking for photographs, memories as I speak to and interact with colleagues on the phone and on Teams. Nobody at FMD can believe the news that this hot summer day has brought us just before vacation in this strange 2020. We just spoke to you during a meeting a few days ago to plan the upcoming RomeCup, an event for which you were a true cornerstone. Mirta referred to you as our “ref.” You were RomeCup, together with your camera, smile, hamburger-shaped robots, ref jersey, blog, 2 am rankings and your unique kindness and helpfulness. Over the past 10 years of RomeCup, I have grown professionally with you and Paolo. You will always be our reference point, here in Rome, for robotics, school and students. Your passion, friendliness, commitment, and joy were unique and notwithstanding the tiring work at the event you always managed to make us smile. Many colleagues at FMD always competed to follow the Explorer competitions at the event. The RomeCup will no longer be the same without you.
However, notwithstanding the sadness, I am happy to have met you and known you. You will forever be our “ref.” We will miss you, Francesco.
