PDA

View Full Version : A positive attitude pays off



thedrifter
12-18-05, 08:19 AM
A positive attitude pays off
Sunday, December 18, 2005
Alana Baranick
Plain Dealer Reporter
Lakewood

-- As an aero space mechanic in the 1970s, Jim Zelley ran jet engines in lab testing facilities on the midnight shift at what was then the NASA Lewis Research Center.

Before retiring from the space agency in the mid-1990s, Zelley oversaw more than 300 mechanics, electricians and managers, who provided technical support for rocket scientists, researchers and engineers. The 62-year-old Lakewood resident died of complications from malignant melanoma Nov. 26.

"He was a very positive, forward-looking person," said NASA colleague Bill Kundtz.

"If there was something that needed to be done or needed to be changed, he could focus and come up with the methodology to make that happen. The biggest thing I learned from Jim was that if it didn't feel right, don't do it. Think out what you're going to do. Don't shoot from the hip."

Zelley became the test installations division chief in 1990, but he had his sights set on that job for 20 years or more.

The high school dropout earned an equivalency diploma after a four-year stint in the Marines. He became an aerospace-mechanic apprentice at the research center in 1964.

"When he got out of the Marines, he realized he could do anything he wanted," said his brother, Frank Zelley III. "He kept going to school. He always said, Anything is possible, if you want to do it and put your mind to it.' "

Zelley took night classes to obtain a diploma from Parma Senior High School in 1967. The following year, he graduated from the apprentice program at NASA.

"He worked three shifts and began moving up in the organization," said his wife, Barbara. "When he finally started working days, he went to Cleveland State University."

He earned a bachelor's degree in communications in 1988 and a master's degree in applied communications theory and methodology in 1993.

Meanwhile, Zelley gained hands-on experience testing aircraft engines and components in flight-simulation conditions in wind tunnel, icing research and zero-gravity facilities. He also developed management skills and headed the agency's communications branch.

He helped upgrade the pay for some NASA mechanics and electricians, who did the grunt work on space shuttle and other experimental projects, by having them reclassified as technicians.

"Some of these people were working so closely with the engineering people that they actually were doing the engineering," said NASA retiree Ray Viancourt. "Jim felt limiting these people to this type of system wasn't fair."

The Cleveland native, whose birth name was James Bohrer, grew up in a single-parent household. His parents' marriage ended when he was 4. His mother, Julia, provided for her two kids by holding jobs as a nursing assistant at a psychiatric hospital and as a factory worker.

At age 9, "Jim was my parental figure," said his younger sister, Jessica Kuntz. "He dressed me, got me ready for school. We were the original latchkey kids."

His mom married Frank Zelley Jr., a service station owner, when Jim was a student at John Adams High School.

"His teachers said Jim was a quiet kid, well-behaved, but a daydreamer," his sister said. "School wasn't cutting it for him, so he decided he wanted to go into the Marines."

Upon returning to civilian life, Jim adopted his stepfather's surname. His sister and her best friend arranged for Jim to meet the friend's Ameritech co-worker, Barbara Stislow. They were married in 1966.

"Jim was a perfectionist in everything he did, whether it was for a big project at NASA or a small project at home," his wife said.

Zelley taught his employees to become more proficient at the technical aspects of their jobs. He also encouraged them to treat people fairly.

"This guy was open to giving everyone an equal opportunity," said colleague Carl Reitenbach. "If you did your job, he left you alone. He had high expectations. . . . He took care of his folks. . . . His career took off."

To reach this Plain Dealer reporter:

abaranick@plaind.com, 216-999-4828

Ellie