AEDC’s Mitch Turrentine volunteers with local PEN Foundation

  • Published
  • By Philip Lorenz III
  • AEDC/PA
ARNOLD AIR FORCE BASE, Tenn. --  Mitch Turrentine, an ATA Flight Systems Plant Operations engineer, is someone who has known what he wants out of life from an early age.

Turrentine first came to AEDC as a co-op student when he began pursuing his college education at Motlow State Community College. He soon transferred, first to Tennessee Technology University for one year and then completed his bachelor's degree at Tennessee State University.

"I've always felt like I wanted to be a mechanical engineer and the co-op program allowed me to kind of do a little work in various areas," he said. "I enjoyed working in the plant and maintenance area and that was it."

Turrentine said his professional interests became established when he was in grade school.

"Throughout grade school, I've always enjoyed math and science," he said."Probably math was my favorite course throughout grade school and then [at] South Middle School.

"I had some excellent science teachers, so math and science has kind of always been my thing."

From the beginning, AEDC impressed Turrentine, who was hired as a test engineer at the Mark I Space Chamber in 1990.

"[AEDC] was kind of amazing, no doubt it's a unique place," he said. "Its mind boggling actually - the massive size of the equipment and unique stuff out here. The large wind tunnels and Mark I which goes three or four stories below ground - that's what caught my attention, there's nothing small here."

Along with his passion for science and math, Turrentine has also had a long-standing interest in giving back to the community.

Volunteerism has been close to Turrentine's heart for a long time, according to those who know him best.

Four years ago, Dr. Tom Smith, the director of Graduate Medical Education at the Southern Tennessee Medical Center in Winchester, encouraged Turrentine to join a local non-profit organization called the Partner in the Education Network (PEN) Foundation.

"I was Mitch's family physician, delivering two of his daughters, during this time and got him on the board," Smith said. "Mitch has always been friendly, level-headed and hard worker. He used to be a volunteer at the Sewanee Volunteer Fire Department."

Turrentine said despite the PEN Foundation's small size, the goals are not.

"The biggest thing that we have been doing is placing tutors in schools," he said. "We try to keep them in there year round. We'll also try to get tutors in there to help struggling students prior to TCAP (Tennessee Comprehensive Assessment Program) to prepare them for that. All this is done through donations."

Smith, describing the non-profit's mission, said, "The PEN Foundation operates under the charter of the Franklin County Foundation For Educational Excellence first chartered in October of 1996.

"I came on the board in 2003 and was president from 2005-2009. This foundation was an outgrowth of the leadership class through the chamber of commerce. The establishment of the PEN Foundation qualified us for the governor's three-star award."

Smith said people like Turrentine are the life blood of the PEN Foundation.

"Volunteers are vital to the foundation since there are no employees," Smith said. "In the past we have sent more than 50 teachers off for professional developmental course work for which we received numerous thank-you's."

Turrentine, who is primarily responsible for operations in the von Kàrmàn Gas Dynamics (VKF) Facility's 'V' plant at AEDC, is still impressed with the size of the facilities at Arnold.

Whether it is his profession or voluntary commitments, Turrentine takes his role seriously. He keeps busy ensuring the plant remains ready to support upcoming testing.
"Our primary equipment of course is the VKF compressor plant," he said. "We have 10 stages of compression here and we produce air at 4,000 psi. Everything here is large."

Marilyn Graves, ATA project engineer for the V-plant control systems upgrade, described her coworker as someone who is patient and thinks things through.

"Mitch is honest, hard-working, and professional and exemplifies someone with a good work ethic," she said. "He never shuns work, but on the contrary, takes on work that others may find too challenging.

"Mitch is very knowledgeable of the VKF plant and it is to him that we request information from and learn from. He freely shares his knowledge and experience, making everyone the better for it. He respects the opinions of others, but can stand firm when he knows he is right. Mitch can make a decision."

Smith emphasized that Turrentine's involvement with the PEN Foundation also reflects the engineer's focus on his own family.

"Mitch's daughters have all gone through our public schools and he understands the need to enhance public education," Smith said.

Turrentine is pleased that his youngest daughter, who is 13, is already showing an interest in science.

"Last year she won the first place overall at South's science fair and this year she placed second in physics," he said.

Turrentine was hoping to return to school to complete a master's degree, but work, volunteering at the PEN Foundation and family are his priorities.

"Once they [his daughters] came along I just didn't have time to complete that masters," he said.

Turrentine said his commitment to education and promoting it in the community is one decision everyone can relate to, whether they have children or not, especially during today's uncertain economic climate.