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"There can't be
many mechanics like him. I wish I had five more guys just like him,"
says Albany Lincoln-Mercury service manager Henry Wright, who has
worked with Odom since 1979.
Chaffin says
no one seems to have difficulty communicating with Odom. "He just
has a way about him. He makes himself very understandable. He speaks
a little, writes notes, and has other ways of communicating.
Everyone just loves him. He's an inspiration. He's happy all the
time."
Unable to
hear troublesome engine noises, Odom pinpoints problems by feeling
engine vibrations. "He used to put a small piece of piece of metal
on the engine as it ran and watch how it vibrated. Then he would
determine what needed adjustment. He'd keep making changes until the
piece stayed still," says Eddie, remembering many of the days he
spent at the dealership with his dad as a boy.
"There were
customers who would only let Odom work on their cars," says Wright.
"He's still the best tune-up man in town."
Today, Odom
mostly does oil changes and pre-delivery inspections, while putting
in a shorter work day. "He often jokes on Friday that he's retiring,
but shows up for work on Monday," says Eddie Odom. "He just loves
being at the dealership. He looks over the shoulders of the new
mechanics and helps them out. In turn, the younger guys watch out
for him. He has a strong sense of belonging."
"When I'm not
working, sometimes I feel I have too much time on my hands. Being a
mechanic gives me a sense of accomplishment; it's my passion and my
pride," says Frick Odom. He has found other ways to continue
contributing at work and appeared in the dealership's recent holiday
Toys for Tots commercial, using sign language at the end.
Odom and his
wife, Nell, whom he met while in school, were married in 1953. They
have three children, four grandchildren and two great-grandchildren.
He has no
immediate plans to retire.
LOVEfords is grateful to
Dave Marchand for supplying this article about Frick Odom.
Dave Marchand
Mustang/Thunderbird Club Center
PO
Box 2909 Farmington Hills, MI 48333
Phone: 1-800-576-PONY/1-800-TBIRD10
E-mail:
mustangcenter@minacs.com |
