Over a 40-year career, Dave Funk has seen a lot of change in his field and the College of Engineering.
The computer systems administrator started working for the college as a graduate student in the 1980s at a time when computer networking was still a “laboratory curio” and the idea of wiring an entire building was almost unheard of, he said.
Doug Eltoft, former chief technology officer, recruited Dave Funk to help build a robust computing environment with workstations. From sifting through vendor pitches and evaluating technologies, Funk helped bring the college into a new age.
“We went from zero to a running network in just a matter of a few months,” he said.
Since then, the job has been constantly evolving with the rapid pace of technological change. The appeal? Intellectual freedom, the absence of rigid clock punching, and the chance to solve hard problems for researchers who rely on systems they barely see.
He downplays the symbolism of his 40-year longevity award, which he received last fall, as “just time passing.” Yet his attachment to the college has deepened.
“I’ve always been something of a techno geek, interested in machinery, mechanisms, and puzzle solving,” Funk said. He’s always curious, “Just how does that work?”
Over his 40 years at Iowa, Funk became the architect behind the college’s computer infrastructure, tackling everything from high-end routers to secure Linux systems for advanced research.
“When something isn't working right, something doesn't behave the way we expect it to – the way the documentation says it should – you stop and ask yourself ‘what’s going on’ and try to puzzle it out,” Funk said. “I have very good skills at making logical deductions based upon experience and previous information.”
The college, too, has changed in some ways. He’s been through additions, remodels, new departments, and new needs. Still, what matters most hasn’t changed: the people and their commitment to students, he said.
As for retirement? He’s not quite ready. “This place is comfortable, and going home to an empty house isn’t as much fun.
60 years of biking
Dad handed down an old balloontire, three-speed bike to a young Dave Funk in the early 1960s. He learned to work on it and keep it running himself, sparking a lifelong love of problem-solving and a bike commuting habit that’s lasted more than 60 years. Funk has been biking to work just about every day for the duration of his career.