A husband, father, and U.S. Army veteran, Ron Bass has always believed in giving credit where credit is due.
“There’s a lot of unsung heroes here at DPS, whether law enforcement or civilian,” Bass said. “There have been so many people who have worked with me that I owe a debt of gratitude to. And that’s what resonates with me — the character of the people here. In the face of any challenge, they shine.”
Bass’ career path has been anything but conventional. Following his high school graduation, Bass joined the U.S. Army in hopes of funding his college tuition. During his military service, he was stationed at Kunia Field Station, a three-story underground intelligence facility located beneath a pineapple field in Oahu, Hawaii.
“The station was built during World War II,” Bass explained. “You would walk down a tunnel that was about a quarter mile long, and we’d get signals from the satellites and translate them using Morse code. It was a good experience for me.”
After four years in the Army, Bass focused on his education, eventually earning a master’s degree in information science from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
“We had a computer lab and were just getting introduced to computers,” Bass recalled of his college years. “I was interested in it and found that I had a knack for it.”
Bass’ first taste of state government came in 1991, when he applied for a position as a computer technician at the Commission on Higher Education. He would later go on to work at the Vocational Rehabilitation Department, where he further honed his computer skills as a network administrator.
In 1998, Bass heard of an opening in the Office of Information Technology at the Department of Public Safety and seized the opportunity.
“I had about five years of experience with computers and thought, ‘Well, I’ll apply and see what happens!’” he said. “The rest is history. The job has its share of challenges, but that’s part of what makes it interesting.”
Bass credits his coworkers for fostering a positive, engaging work environment despite any struggles they may face.
“Whenever there’s a challenge — a weather event, a big deployment, an outage — all the divisions come together,” he said. “This job can come with a lot of pressure; but like they say, pressure makes diamonds.”
While he loves his position in OIT, Bass’ true pride and joy is his wife and two children, Tyler and Abby.
In 2020, at the height of the pandemic, Bass’ son Tyler was drafted into the NFL as a kicker for the Buffalo Bills.
“It was a surreal moment,” he said. “We were watching the drafts on TV when Tyler got a phone call. I overheard the person on the call say, ‘Welcome to the NFL.’ We were all emotional.”
After 27 years of faithful service to DPS, and nearly 32 years for the state, Bass recently made the decision to retire. While he looks forward to attending more football games and spending more time with his wife and children, he has no intention to quit working entirely.
“I want to help my family and find some volunteer work I can get involved in,” Bass said. “There’s a country song that goes, ‘Do what you love and call it work.’ So wherever I can make a contribution, that’s what I plan to do.”
