Dick Gimmi and his Porche star at Solo Racing meets Dick Gimmi doesn't know but one way to approach life: full speed ahead. It's worked for him for 88 years, through triple by- pass surgery and a pacemaker. Why slow down now? He mans the wheel of a high- performance Porsche that has starred with him at many Solo Racing meets over the years.

"My car can go 170 miles an hour," he mentions. "The only suitable place for it to go all- out would be Germany's autobahn. Here, I race it at places like the Carolina Porsche Fest, which was held recently in Asheville N.C."

Gimmi likes to explain the intricacies of Solo Racing. "There's only one car on the track at a time. No possibility of collisions. It's a race against the clock. The track at Asheville has several straightaway portions and several tight turns. There's a sort of gazebo at each turn with a flagman monitoring for safety who'll signal you to pull over if balance and direction are not right."

Always, it was cars and airplanes that fascinated Gimmi. "I bought a Ford Model A for $75 when I was 16," he recalls. "When I was in college, I was able to enroll in the Civilian Pilot Training Program, where I got my pilot's license. Later I went into the Army Air Corps. They had me flying B- 25's, but fighter planes were always my first choice."

This Pennsylvania native looks back on a military career that provided plenty of excitement. Assignments included advisory groups in Madrid, Spain; staff at the Pentagon with Joint Chiefs of Staff; flying under SAC (the Strategic Air Command); combat duty during WWII in Africa and Italy, later in Korea and then Viet Nam.

Gimmi took advantage of college opportunities along the way, obtaining his bachelor's degree and later a master's at the University of Virginia. This qualified him for choice teaching assignments, and he capped his career of military service as dean of guidance counseling at Midlands Tech, followed by counseling at Irmo High School.

So what does a "retired" military officer do after such exotic activities? "I volunteer at the State Museum," he says. "It's a great place to meet people and to help them learn about the state. And I go to the gym almost every day. The auto races are a big item on my calendar."

Dick and his wife Marie have lived in Columbia for 33 years. "She's been the rudder of our family," he says. "Four children, all successful now. The best thing by far in my whole life."