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As Thurman Exum grew up on a farm in Seven Springs in eastern North Carolina, his brother would take the family car out for some rough spins. Inevitably, things would break. "The only way we got a chance to ride again was to fix what we broke," Exum recalls. He found himself fixing cars at the tender age of nine.
With such an early start, Exum took cars more seriously than the typical teenager who tinkers in shop class. "I said, 'There's got to be more to this than just fixing these things when they're broke.' That's when I started an affair with the automobile. I wanted to learn more about these machines and why they break and how they work," as he puts it.
Exum, 51, began his mission by getting a B.S. in automotive engineering from North Carolina A&T State University in Greensboro, North Carolina. Since then, he's embarked on a career that's taken him full-circle through the automotive world -- from drag racer to college professor.
His first job came at the Buick division of General Motors in McLean, Virginia, where he developed technical curriculum and instructed GM personnel on emissions, fuel economy, and performance. During his tenure there, auto manufacturers were dealing with emission standards mandated by the Clean Air Act of 1970. This required them to build cleaner-burning engines and install pollution reduction equipment such as the once-dreaded catalytic converters. "While some people were learning how to disable those systems, I was learning to understand them," he recalls. "Before I knew it, I became an expert on auto emissions. I grew with that industry and embraced it at the infant stage."
In 1981, Exum went to Metro Auto Emissions in Capitol Heights, Maryland, where he developed and implemented training in EPA-sanctioned car inspection and maintenance programs. He later returned to Greensboro to get his master's degree at NC A&T, and they talked him into staying and teaching courses in automotive electronics and power technology. In this capacity, he brought a practical perspective to academia. "I believe all instructors at some point should get involved with industry," he says. "You need to have some sense about what's going on in the real world."
In a unique twist, Exum started his drag racing career while at NC A&T. He collaborated with a professor to build engines in a lab but didn't want to test his creations on the highway because that was too dangerous. "I wondered, 'Where can I found out if what we're doing mechanically in the lab actually works.' And that's when I discovered a drag strip," he recalls. He started at a local dragway in Greensboro. "You start racing, and then you start taking things to the mechanical limit. And you start breaking things," he explains. His professor would insist that before he repaired something, he understand why it failed. Eventually, he learned to build cars that he raced, which he did for 12 years.
Then in 1992, Exum gravitated back to industry by starting Hi Tech Emissions in Greensboro, a state inspection, oil change, and lubrication facility that also tests cars for exhaust emissions. Several North Carolina counties have instituted federal mandates for testing emissions as part of a phase-in process. But why would a highly-trained engineer run a quick lube shop? According to Exum, when a late model computer-controlled cars fails an emissions test, it's normally because the oil is contaminated with gasoline, and the correction is to change the oil. "The lube part is there to fulfill emission requirements. Instead of sending the customer back to change their oil, we added facilities for that."
Until recently, Exum also worked for the Spicer Axle Division of Dana Corporation in Greensboro, which manufactures OEM power train components for autos and light trucks, a job that had him developing, implementing, and improving machining processes.
But he quit that and is phasing out of Hi Tech Emissions because teaching has again called. He's now a professor at NC A&T in the school of technology, teaching automotive courses on manufacturing, quality, and power technology. "I'm very concerned about the education of our youth," he says in explaining the move.
Meanwhile, Exum stays active in drag racing, although in a different way. In 1993, he relates, his wife Wanda expressed an interest in driving. "I didn't listen to her for about a year. Finally, she kept insisting that she wanted to drive it. I had a new car built for her and sent her to Roy Hill Drag Racing School." He builds engines for her and serves as crew chief, often staying up till the wee hours preparing cars at drag racing events.
Exum says he gets a thrill out of watching Wanda race. "Wanda's one of the few minority drag racers, and being a female, it's enjoyable seeing her progress in driving. In fact, she probably can drive better than I can now." With Shell Oil Company as their sponsor, they race in International Hot Rod Association events from North Carolina to Canada. "She wins rounds. We haven't won a national event yet, but we're headed there."
As Exum says, "We have fun at this. We use this as relaxation. When we go racing, I can forget about everything." This comes as no surprise, as he has fun at anything to do with cars. It's all part of his continuing love affair with the automobile, whatever phase it may be in.
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