Judy Witwicky

Judy Witwicky is Sparkplug's sister-in-law, and when Sparkplug and his son, Spike, joined the Autobots, Judy and her husband Ron took on the responsibility of looking after Buster.

Background
Ron and Sparkplug have an unparalleled respect for one another as brothers, although their vastly different paths in life have hindered the formation of a close brotherly bond. As Sparkplug set out to start a family (cut tragically short by the death of his wife in a car crash in 1981), Ron took more of a freespirited path. Possessing much of his brother's mechanic skills, Ron chose to apply those skills to whatever suited his passions, be it repairing motorcycles in the late '60s, to working and leading tech crews for rock concerts as well as jazz and blues festivals. He met his wife, Judy, at the Newport Jazz Festival.

As age progressed, Ron and Judy settled down in Portland and Ron took a job as a high-school English teacher, a position that has won him numerous state and two national teaching awards.

MUX Pre-History
In the early '80s, Ron and Judy routinely volunteered to look after Buster during Sparkplug's extended contracts on offshore oil rigs and mining excursions in Burma. However, when Spike and his father were rescued by the Autobots, the short-term solution quickly turned into a long-term arrangement. During this time, Ron had conflicting views about the situation. He knew that the opportunity that presented itself to Sparkplug and Spike was something that was nearly impossible to pass up - a chance that few people of their economic and social background are offered. Still, Ron's idealistic nature led him to take the stance that no matter how great the opportunity was, Sparkplug still chose the wants of one son over the needs of another son. As a result, Ron has always harbored a slight, unspoken resentment toward his other nephew.

Living in a two-bedroom house, Ron and Judy put off starting a family until Buster neared graduation from his high school. A self-described "hippie disciplinarian," Ron allowed Buster to freely explore whatever passion suited him (be it comic books, heavy metal or science fiction), but at the same time demanding Buster contribute to their household moreso than any of Buster's peers. Ron encouraged Buster to take part in outdoor activities, but when Buster expressed little to no interest, Ron encouraged him to explore other avenues - just anything that did not involve a TV set. If Buster showed no interest in helping repair the roof, he was expected to fix dinner for the entire family or wash the hardwood floors - alone.

Ron possessed a keen awareness of Buster's sensitive nature, realizing Buster had lost a mother and in a short time later, saw his father taking on a far more distant role. As a result, Ron made an intense effort to act as Buster's advocate, be it confronting the parents of a bully at school to challenging a teacher who gave Buster an unfair grade. This was usually done without Buster's knowledge. Though Sparkplug thought of this approach as coddling, Ron viewed it as providing Buster with a much-needed self-esteem boost, like a boxing trainer who repeatedly lays heavy praise on his boxer to boost his confidence in the ring. Ron used this comparison when came up with the nickname for his nephew: "Champ." Some of his surrogate parenting skills were on the unorthodox side - though he often was lighthearted with his nephew, he almost never joked with Buster for fear that his joshing may be perceived by Buster as cruel teasing.

While the living arrangement caused stress for Ron and Judy (tight living quarters forced the family to move Buster in the attic to give him more privacy, dealing with all the years of a teenager's adolescent angst from age 13 to 19), both quickly grew to have a deep affection for Buster, treating him like a fully-integrated memeber of the family and not an extended houseguest. As a result, Ron and Buster's closeness continues well into their adult years as the two correspond on an almost daily basis.

Involvement
Judy primarily serves as a background character for the MUX, existing in many-a-flashbacks that involved Sparkplug's decision to protect his son Buster until he was old enough to join the Autobots.