Steve Elms

Steve Elms' first motorcycle ride was a 10-foot burst of glory on a pal's scooter. He crashed. But at age 10, he'd met his life's passions -- motorcycles and engines, two loves that nearly killed him but steered Elms to TCC as Automotive Department chair at South Campus. 

In the 1970s, a successful automotive career led Elms to Houston and eventual burnout as the highly stressed service manager at the country's largest Porsche dealership. "I entered a mid-life crisis," he recalled. His marriage failed. He quit his job then plunged into self-destructive behavior that ended several years later in volunteer service for Alcoholics Anonymous and a suicide prevention hotline. 

Social work attracted Elms. He set out to obtain a degree in that field, earning an Associate of Arts in '94 from TCC. At South Campus, he made the dean's and president's lists. He took a job with a large automaker, helping dealerships solve problems, while completing a Bachelor of Social Work degree at The University of Texas at Arlington. 

In 2000, he joined TCC's Continuing Education faculty and began teaching the small engine program in 2002. Elms was named Automotive Department chair in 2008. 

His love for motorcycles and dirt track racing has never waned. Today, he's an accomplished racer. A serious crash in an Oklahoma race last September left him with a fractured vertebra, but Elms wasn't totaled. 

"I have every intention of continuing my motorcycle competition," he said. "My neurosurgeon has cleared me to ride again. We just can't agree on when."

- By David House