Jerry Nelson says he will miss the people the most
By Juliann Morris
June 27, 2023–During his 47-year career at Jefferson County Public Schools (JCPS), Jerry Nelson has amassed a collection of remarkable stories – like the time in the 1990s he spent not one, not two, but three nights in a row camped out at the VanHoose Education Center rebuilding the district’s mainframe computer.
Nelson, who worked in the Information Technology (IT) division at the time, had recently become the mainframe system administrator. He got a call late one Friday night that part of the system – which pushed critical applications to the district’s website and schools – was on fire.
“They said, ‘Jerry, we have a problem, two of the disk drives are on fire, and the firemen are here, and they’ve got to put it out,” Nelson said. “I stayed the whole weekend and rebuilt the system back from scratch. It was up and running by Monday morning.”
Nelson’s commitment to the district at that moment was no fluke. He’s changed job titles and departments over the years, but his willingness to go above and beyond has never waivered.
“Jerry is the definition of dedication and always willing to share his knowledge with anyone who asks,” said Jessica Kirby, finance support technician. “He has taught me more than I ever thought I could learn – something that will follow me the rest of my career, kind of like that one teacher everyone will always talk about as they grow older. Jerry is that person to me.”
A MUNIS MASTERMIND
Nelson spent the first 33 years of his career in the district’s IT division, much of that working with the mainframe security team. When the district moved from mainframe to server technology, he became a web developer. Eventually, the state mandated that school districts use Munis accounting software, and Nelson helped build the security protocols for that system, which is still in use today. He retired from JCPS for the first time in 2009.
Munis security eventually moved from IT to the accounting division, Nelson said. After he retired, the district wanted to overhaul the way people received access to Munis from an individual-based permission system to a role-based system. So they called Nelson. He came back to develop the new security system and has stayed on ever since in a part-time capacity.
Hannah Lehman, JCPS accounting supervisor, said Nelson has been a pivotal part of the district’s IT and Munis history and leaves a lasting legacy.
“He is the kindest soul and truly works to find a solution for all involved, even if it’s something he’s never come across before,” Lehman said. “Whether it’s updating permissions, running a query, or waiting for a solution on a long MUNIS support call, Jerry remains calm, cool, and collected. We have been so blessed having him on our team.”
Nelson’s time at JCPS has been filled with fantastic people and fantastically challenging problems to solve that kept him on his toes, he said.
He’s been blown away at the talent and commitment to make sure schools and students have what they need to succeed.
“There were times I really had to dig to figure out what the problem was,” Nelson said. “But that’s what I loved. I got to work with different people, different departments like Accounting, Payroll, Grants and Awards, and Budget, and they were all so supportive of me…I’m going to miss the people a lot.”
“MAKE HAY WHILE THE SUN SHINES”
Nelson has a long list of hobbies he’s ready to devote more time to once he officially retires this week. He plays a host of instruments, target shoots with a good friend, restores cars, and hikes.
He’ll continue to show his 2002 magenta Corvette and a 2014 Ford Fusion that has been totally modified – complete with “Lambo” scissor doors – at car shows.
He’s hiked parts of the Appalachian Trail and Grand Canyon and plans to find some new treks to tackle as he blazes a new path in retirement.
“I’m going to be 70 in January,” Nelson said. “Like the old saying goes, you've got to ‘make hay while the sun shines.’ So I figured, well, I need to go do the things I want to do now while I still can.”