Tyrone Area School District employee Ron Iddings is a true Jack-of-all-trades who can be seen everywhere on the TASD campus from early morning until late at night.
On any given school day, Iddings can be seen directing traffic on Clay Avenue before 7:30 am and after 3 pm, in the evening as a security officer at a school dance or concert, or on the sidelines as a team manager at a practice or game during all three sports seasons.
He is always friendly and positive no matter what role is in or how long his work day has been.
Iddings helps maintain safety during the morning and afternoon commutes, and in the evenings during public events. He keeps the athlete’s equipment in working order during all three sports seasons. He also helps the coaches, Tyrone police officers, and the athletic director with whatever they need.
Of all the hats Iddings wears, being an athletic team manager is his favorite.
“The athletics are my favorite because I get to meet new athletes and make new friends along the way,” said Iddings.
Ron brings a lot to every sport, but football is definitely where he is the most enthusiastic.
Iddings has a lot of knowledge about the game and brings energy to the sidelines.
In the winter, he helps out with basketball, and in the spring he is the baseball team manager.
Last season assistant basketball coach Joe Laukaitis gave Iddings a memorable nickname, Ron Jon Silver.
“It just came to me. I am always thinking of nicknames. It rhymes with Long John Silver. I always think of nicknames for people’s names that rhyme with other things,” said Laukaitis.
Iddings said that his best memory at TAHS was the football team during his first year working for the district. The team started the season with a mediocre record but ended up making it to the District 6 championship game.
The athletes love having Iddings around because he is enthusiastic about Tyrone sports and he’s always supportive of the athletes and coaches.
“He brings a whole new energy to the team that we need. He is not just our equipment guy but a huge fan as well,” said junior Eli Woomer.
Tyrone school police Officer “Bub” Dick has known Iddings since long before either of them worked for the school district.
“I’ve known Ron since back in the paper mill days. I enjoy having coffee in the mornings with him and the other guys. I’ve known Ron for a good 40 years,” said Bub.
Iddings first job at Tyrone was taking care of the football field after a major renovation in 2017.
Although Iddings still works at Tyrone, he has gone through retirement once already.
Iddings retired from Penn State in 2023, where he had multiple jobs, including working at the power plant and running the backing up generators at the University Park campus.
While Iddings has no immediate plans to retire from the school distinct, he already knows what he plans to do with his time when he does.
“Once I retire from working at Tyrone I will return to camping and hanging out with friends,” said Iddings.
