Leslie Gentry –Making Every Mile Count

By Sherie Norris

Leslie Gentry came from a family whose members worked hard, cared for their fellow man and could be counted on in times of need. Some things never change, as he proves every day. Photo by Sherrie Norris

A simple message on his office wall speaks volumes of the man he is - “Never Give Up.”

That could easily be the personal motto of Watauga native Leslie Gentry if the golden rule wasn’t even more important in the way he lives his life. Gentry, the oldest of six children born to Jacob and Emma Gentry, learned early in life to work hard and be the best he could be at whatever he did. With nearly 35 years under his belt as a faithful employee of Mack Brown Inc., Gentry is a man known around town for service with a smile – whether at the reputable dealership, in his church or community.

Raised on a farm, he was taught that “hard work hurts nobody.” In addition to milking the cows, putting up hay, splitting and carrying in the wood, and toiling the fields, when he was “big enough to push a broom,” he was helping his father, the custodian at Parkway Elementary School, clean the hallways long after the last bell had rung. As the firstborn, he had many responsibilities around the homeplace, never having much time for extra-curricular activities. A student of Appalachian High School for two years before graduating from Watauga High in the class of 1967, Gentry also was a bus driver.

“We didn’t know much about snow days back then,” he said. “We just got chains on them old buses and went on to school. Bad weather didn’t mean much in those days. Of course, there weren’t as many people and as much traffic to contend with, either. It was a lot different then.”

“Spring break” as he knew it, was being excused to spend a few days behind a horse and plow come planting season. After graduation, Gentry left the mountain, entered Catawba Valley Technical Institute to study auto mechanics, a dream interrupted only by service to his country. Feeling the need to join up, Gentry entered the U.S. Air Force on December 1, 1968 for a four-year stint, with training in Texas, on to Illinois and then to Seymour Johnson Air Force Base in Goldsboro, where he spent two and a half years in the 68th Field Maintenance Squadron as a jet engine technician working on B52s and KC 135s. He seriously contemplated making a career of the military, or at least returning to school to study aircraft maintenance.

In the meantime, he planned to marry his sweetheart, Loretta Miller, and the couple set a September 1971 date. A week before the big day, he asked if there was any chance of him being shipped overseas anytime soon. “I was told there was no problem,” he said. “The day we got married, I got my orders.”

Two months later, Gentry was shipped out with the 432nd FMS to the Udorn Royal Thai Air Force Base in Thailand for 12 months during the Vietnam War, his efforts focused upon the F-4 aircraft fighters heavily utilized in the conflict. His new bride, left behind, continued to live with her parents, bidding farewell to her groom soon after Thanksgiving with 12-inches of snow on the ground with snow continuing to pile up as he left their Deep Gap home. When he returned stateside a year later, the airlines “were laying off,” so earlier thoughts of a future in aircraft were put to rest.

Discharged in late November 1972, Gentry returned home and settled in soon thereafter as parts manager with Brown Buick, Pontiac and GMC. Since 1983, Gentry has been the warranty administrator, working with the service department with Mack Brown Inc. and also handling rentals. Having seen a lot of changes in the automobile industry through the years, Gentry clearly remembers when a new Chevrolet cost “around $3,000.” In fact, his father-in-law purchased a new four-wheel drive pick-up for $3500 “quite a few years back.”

Gentry said working for the Brown family has been a good fit, adding, “I’ve really enjoyed my job here. They are good people who have taken good care of me through the years.”

Only two other employees share such a lengthy tenure as Gentry with the dealership, which says a lot for everyone involved. Kent Brown, owner/general manager of his family business, said, “Leslie has been a faithful employee for many years, even when I was a small kid. He’s always early, usually the first one here to open up the shop. He’s just a great employee, always doing what he can to help others.”

Gentry’s office is lined with numerous commendations that he’s received through the years for outstanding service and achievements within the dealership and industry as a whole. And, for Gentry, helping others does not end on the job. As an active member of Deep Gap Ruritan, having served as president and currently vice-president, Gentry and his wife join others in a concentrated effort to raise money to help the community as a whole – whether reaching out to those down on their financial luck with assistance to pay utility bills, medical needs, etc., helping fund scholarships for deserving students, or simply helping picking up trash along the roadsides to keep the neighborhood clean – he’s always there, doing his part.

As charter members of Trinity Baptist Church, the Gentrys have served at Laurel Springs Baptist for the last several years, where again, they are an asset in numeorus ways, Leslie an usher, and both helping to plan and move into the recently constructed church in Deep Gap.

Keeping the family tradition alive, Gentry continues to farm, having raised beef cattle through the years, though now he calls himself “a hay farmer.” He loves the outdoors and gardening, and along with Loretta, continues a small lawn care service in the neighborhood.

The father of two daughters, grandfather of four little ones, Gentry’s pride in his family is immeasurable. The smile on his face as he looks at the pictures on his desk tells the tale. He talked about his family, but not on the state of the country, war or politics. Rather, again, his smile spoke louder than words, “I’m going to stay out of that.”

Leslie Gentry came from a family whose members worked hard, cared for their fellow man and could be counted on in times of need. Some things never change, as he proves every day.