Solon’s Troy Wentzien honored at ICCSD dedication ceremony

IOWA CITY– Area students can thank the pioneering work of an Iowa City Community School District employee named H. Troy Wentzien (pronounced went-zeen) who led the way in bringing ICCSD (and Solon) school technology to the front of the class in Iowa and the U.S.
Starting in 1993, Wentzien built ICCSD’s system-wide network, even updating to fiber optic lines, in a process that continues today as nearly all ICCSD schools are lined with fiber optic networks.
At a dedication ceremony Oct. 10 at the ICCSD Education Services Center, colleagues described Wentzien as a generous, energetic and hard-working network administrator with a “MacGyver-like” skill set.
Co-workers shared stories about Wentzien including a legendary trick that involved a remote-control car.
Pulling cable is a time-consuming task cut short by Wentzien who ran some ceiling wires the length of a school building with his kids’ toy. He also helped build the Solon schools’ networking as a volunteer, helping bring the district into the Internet age.
His wife, Kris, works in Solon as the district office secretary.