{"id":5118,"date":"2018-05-18T01:30:24","date_gmt":"2018-05-18T01:30:24","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/ecm.eng.auburn.edu\/wp\/emag\/?p=5118"},"modified":"2018-05-21T20:22:31","modified_gmt":"2018-05-21T20:22:31","slug":"its-never-too-late","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ecm.eng.auburn.edu\/wp\/emag\/?p=5118","title":{"rendered":"It&#8217;s never too late"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><a href=\"http:\/\/ecm.eng.auburn.edu\/wp\/emag\/files\/2018\/05\/Tommy-Gentry-Photos-6.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-5313\" src=\"http:\/\/ecm.eng.auburn.edu\/wp\/emag\/files\/2018\/05\/Tommy-Gentry-Photos-6.jpg\" alt=\"Tommy Gentry\" width=\"1000\" height=\"667\" \/><\/a>Tommy Gentry doesn\u2019t need a degree in mechanical engineering from Auburn University to help him get a job.<\/p>\n<p>At 75, the Phenix City native has had a successful career, running the machine shop started by his father. He\u2019s helped the business grow to employ more than 50 people in Phenix City. It remains family-owned and operated with Gentry\u2019s son-in-law, niece and nephew handling daily operations.<\/p>\n<p>And yet, four years ago, Gentry returned to Auburn with one goal: finally earn a piece of paper that signifies he is an Auburn graduate.<\/p>\n<p>Gentry first enrolled at Auburn in 1960 after graduating high school in Phenix City. He flunked out two years later.<\/p>\n<div class=\"video-container\" style=\"margin-bottom: 15px;\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/jilS6yPgzSs\" width=\"560\" height=\"315\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen=\"allowfullscreen\"><\/iframe><\/div>\n<p>The one bright side to Gentry\u2019s unfortunate situation was that his childhood sweetheart, Dyane, was still waiting for him in Phenix City. Gentry moved home, married the girl next door whom he had grown up with and dated since he was in ninth grade and started working in his father\u2019s machine shop.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt just plagued me all my life that I didn\u2019t get a degree because I flunked out,\u201d Gentry said. \u201cI made several attempts and the last time I attempted to go back was in 1989. I was doing fairly well. Then my dad got sick and died, so I flunked out again. I thought that was it, I wouldn\u2019t try again.<\/p>\n<p>Gentry resigned himself to mastering his craft in his shop. He and Dyane had children and then grandchildren. He was successful at work. But there was still one thing that he knew he still needed to do and only one place to do it.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt was Dyane\u2019s idea for me to come back to Auburn,\u201d Gentry said. \u201cI told her I was thinking about taking some online courses and she said, \u2018Why don\u2019t you see if you can just go back to Auburn?\u2019 So I listened to her, emailed the school and got a response in an hour.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Gentry\u2019s transcript was reviewed by John Raines, an academic advisor in the Samuel Ginn College of Engineering, who suggested that Gentry take a few core classes at Chattahoochee Valley before coming to Auburn to complete his degree. Raines helped him register at Auburn and Gentry became an Auburn student once more in fall 2014.<\/p>\n<p>He is on track to graduate in August.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_5316\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-5316\" style=\"width: 400px\" class=\"wp-caption alignleft\"><a href=\"http:\/\/ecm.eng.auburn.edu\/wp\/emag\/files\/2018\/05\/Tommy-Gentry-Photos-12.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" class=\"wp-image-5316\" src=\"http:\/\/ecm.eng.auburn.edu\/wp\/emag\/files\/2018\/05\/Tommy-Gentry-Photos-12.jpg\" alt=\"Tommy Gentry, Peter Schwartz\" width=\"400\" height=\"344\" \/><\/a><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-5316\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Professor Peter Schwartz (left), 72, doesn&#8217;t run across many students who are older than him, but Gentry has him beat by three years.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p><b><\/b><strong>A NEW BEGINNING<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><b><\/b>Auburn students currently studying mechanical engineering will take what they learn from textbooks and the classroom and apply it to the practical world after graduation. Gentry has done the opposite.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI don\u2019t ever go to class without having read the assignment or without having done the homework,\u201d Gentry said. \u201cBut I find that the textbooks are very difficult to follow.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Gentry\u2019s vision and hearing aren\u2019t as sharp as someone in their 20s, but those much younger classmates have been quick to help him whenever they can. Gentry has formed a close relationship with many of them.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt goes both ways, with him helping me and me helping him,\u201d said classmate Matthew McGinness. \u201cIt\u2019s pretty special. He sends us motivating emails often and his attitude is great. There are a couple of us who have helped him with class notes. Being in his 70s, there are things we take for granted that he fights and overcomes. I would be completely frustrated, but he deals with it and goes to class.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Gentry has reached beyond the classroom to connect with his classmates and build relationships with them.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI have about five people that I\u2019m in a lot of the same classes with and have gotten close to,\u201d Gentry said. \u201cI\u2019ve had some of them over to my house for a barbecue. They help me out a lot with homework and with preparing for exams. I say a lot of funny stuff that doesn\u2019t make sense, but I also give them advice along the way.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Janet Moore, Gentry\u2019s academic advisor, has seen the impact that Gentry\u2019s work ethic has had on other students.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHe has to work 10 times harder than everyone else because he doesn\u2019t remember those things that he learned many, many years ago,\u201d Moore said. \u201cHe had to re-learn a lot. The amount of effort and dedication that takes is pretty significant in my mind. It sets a good example for his classmates.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Even though Gentry is older than most of his professors, he has nothing but respect for them.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThey bend over backward to be nice,\u201d he said. \u201cThe professors have been great. I had lunch with two of them one day. I\u2019m always talking to them about the issues I\u2019m facing that relate to the courses that they\u2019re teaching.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Peter Schwartz, one of Gentry\u2019s professors and friends, enjoys having a contemporary in the classroom.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cTommy is a fantastic student,\u201d Schwartz said. \u201cHe acts like all the other students but he gets my jokes. I\u2019m not afraid to make jokes about cars in the 1960s because he\u2019s probably ridden in them too.\u201d<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_5317\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-5317\" style=\"width: 400px\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\"><a href=\"http:\/\/ecm.eng.auburn.edu\/wp\/emag\/files\/2018\/05\/Tommy-Gentry-Photos-17.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" class=\"wp-image-5317\" src=\"http:\/\/ecm.eng.auburn.edu\/wp\/emag\/files\/2018\/05\/Tommy-Gentry-Photos-17.jpg\" alt=\"Jordan Griffith, Gentry, Chase Jones\" width=\"400\" height=\"267\" \/><\/a><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-5317\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Gentry with his grandchildren, Jordan Griffith and Chase Jones, who are both Auburn University students.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p><strong>ALL IN THE FAMILY\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Since Gentry, a die-hard Auburn fan with football season tickets, returned to Auburn, he has shared the campus with three of his grandchildren. He said he enjoys taking them out to lunch and setting an example for them to never, ever give up. His grandson, Chase Jones, is a senior studying supply chain management.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cMy grandfather inspires me to be a better student because he\u2019s shown me that anyone can complete any coursework,\u201d Jones said. \u201cHe came back, he\u2019s doing well and he\u2019s on track to finish. It was really hard for him to come back. He\u2019s doing well and seeing results, which inspires me to do whatever I set my mind to as well.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Gentry seems to have that same inspirational influence on everyone he meets \u2013 family, classmates, professors and advisors, alike.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHe never gives up,\u201d Moore said. \u201cIf it\u2019s a challenge, he will put in the time that it needs. He values engineering, he values the relationships that he has made and his impact has been unique. You can\u2019t put a label on it because it is pervasive. He doesn\u2019t let an opportunity to say thank you pass him by. You can\u2019t put a price tag on thoughtfulness \u2013 Tommy just brightens our day when he comes into the office.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>McGinness was a non-conventional student himself when he first met Gentry. He was 26 when he decided to come back to school, and quickly developed a close relationship with Gentry.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cTommy knows the Auburn Creed,\u201d McGinness said. \u201cHe\u2019s been an Auburn fan his entire life \u2013 he went to Auburn when it had military cadets. He lives the creed and he\u2019s taught me what it means. We\u2019ve talked about how to be respectful to women and how to interact with teachers. He\u2019s generous with his time. One of the best things about him is he listens.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Gentry\u2019s Auburn experience is coming to a close as he is one semester away from graduation. However, he\u2019s not done inspiring everyone he meets.<\/p>\n<p>Gentry was recently diagnosed with sarcoma in his leg and will be facing radiation treatment. He is ready to apply his lifelong philosophy of never giving up to this next season in his life.<\/p>\n<p>One of his favorite stories is about a football game in 1976. Georgia Tech was playing Notre Dame and was losing 14-10 at halftime. They allowed cameras into Georgia Tech\u2019s locker room to hear what Coach Pepper Rogers had to say to his team. He said, \u201cBoys, it\u2019s alright to win and it\u2019s alright to lose, but it\u2019s never OK to give up.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Tommy Gentry doesn\u2019t need a degree in mechanical engineering from Auburn University to help him get a job. At 75, the Phenix City native has had a successful career, running the machine shop started by his father. He\u2019s helped the business grow to employ more than 50 people in Phenix [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":45,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[4],"tags":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v20.6 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>It&#039;s never too late &raquo; Auburn Engineer<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"http:\/\/ecm.eng.auburn.edu\/wp\/emag\/?p=5118\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"It&#039;s never too late &raquo; Auburn Engineer\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Tommy Gentry doesn\u2019t need a degree in mechanical engineering from Auburn University to help him get a job. 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