Jim Beattie, founder of Baltimore based ATI Performance Products, Inc. surprised us all as he got a little antsy last Friday and caught a red light – and he hated red lights! But Jim kept right on speeding down the track to join that ever-growing no-holds-barred drag race in the sky leaving us no email or text recourse to blast him about the red light. Not fair, Mr. Beattie.
A mechanical genius, with a love of cars from an early age, there was nothing with wheels that Jim couldn't make go faster. Whether it was the stripped- down, ex-drug runner Aerostar he bought at auction (he didn't need all the fancy bells and whistles, he just needed speed) or the golf cart he tuned up to race around his farm causing his passengers to scramble looking for a seatbelt (there wasn’t any), Jim liked to go fast. His driving record was a testament to that fact and he was no stranger to driving rehabilitation school. One night when a friend's mother died and the weather kept mere mortals on the ground, Jim loaded the body up in his plane with the newly departed’s head at the controls and her feet sticking across the back aisle and got her where she needed to be for her funeral festivities. He lost his pilot’s license for a few months because he was flying IFR (by instruments) without the proper credentials, but for Jim a friend in need trumped everything. Then there is the time he flew four goats home from Vermont. I can't even describe that comedy... We had a smelly plane for a month.
Jim could also move well without wheels and he is remembered as being a dancing fool as a kid. Coupled with the hot cars (always hot cars) and fancy footwork and three other delinquent brothers, the Beattie boys kept Indiana, PA on its toes with Jim as the ring leader. The fun stopped when Jim joined the Navy the day after he graduated high school.
Jim lived life on his own terms. He managed to say exactly what was on his mind at any given moment and surprisingly nobody shot him. He tolerated most of us but he truly adored his grandchildren. He would do anything for them including sitting in Chick-Fil-A more nights than I care to remember and climbing up in the kids’ playground equipment to rescue a newly mobile one year old. I think he liked it because he and JCB3 sat up in the cockpit and pretended to shoot down grandma (me) for the next ten minutes.
Jim was also quite fond of his evening Manhattan – usually one unless I wasn't looking; outsmarting the squirrels who would raid his bird feeders; khakis with hidden elastic on the side; pasta, pasta and more pasta; spending time in our Florida house and documenting the life and times of the various Sandhill Cranes nesting in the pond in the backyard.
Jim was married to his wife for 39 years. They each took turns driving the other crazy but there was a deep abiding love which glued the relationship together. Jim pretty much hated the current political system and if he has any pull where he is, all I can say is look out. All in all, Jim lived life to the fullest enjoying every minute of it. He gambled shamelessly but often won. He loved the Ravens and the O’s. It seems they should have hired him as their coach since he knew exactly what they did wrong, what they did right and what they should have done or not done. NASCAR was always a highlight for Jim. The man holds 11 patents in his name (and several in the works). One of them is for a harmonic balancer which is literally on every NASCAR competitor’s engine. Bet you didn’t know that a little shop in Baltimore helps to keep high winding V8’s alive for 500 miles! Jim also built and campaigned the ATI Black Magic fuel funny car, one of the iconic racers of the day. It was the first funny car to ever win a national event the first season out. Its paint scheme has been copied to this day and 35 years later we still get fan mail.
I remember one day 35 years ago watching two drag cars (brave guys who decided to give the new ATI product a try) go down the race track with an ATI decal on them. Jim was just breaking in to the torque converter world. He looked at me and said “In five years you will see our decals covering this place”. And he was right. Today ATI decals can be seen on race cars all over the world.
He is survived by his heart-broken wife, brothers, children, grandchildren, a great grandchild, an adoring and hard working staff at ATI and a whole lot of friends. Funny and heart warming stories are flooding in. Jim wanted no pomp and circumstance. He knew there would be people flying in from all over the country (he had quite a cheering section) but since most of them are racers, he didn't want them to give up a weekend of racing. So you guys go out there and win a race in Jim’s honor. In lieu of flowers find somebody whom you love, throw your arms around them and tell them that you love them. Do it right now. Time is fleeting. You never know when the last hour will be upon you. Jim's came unexpectedly and much too soon. We miss him so much.
Please consider making a donation to one of Jim's favorite charities:
We know that Jim would be honored to have a Track Chair or two or ten donated on his behalf. If you are unfamiliar with this project, Track Chairs are donated to wounded vets who use them to become mobile again. They can be outfitted to accommodate all manner of disability and can give a wounded vet a measure of mobility and control again. Jim was a great supporter of the Wounded Warrior projects. If you would like to honor Jim with a donation toward a chair, you can do so by going to this link: http://www.independencefund.org/give/jim-beattie-be-a-hero-for-a-hero-memorial
All donations are fully tax deductible (we are told). |
