School to Name Classroom for Dale Koontz

Quincy Public Schools will recognize the memory of a man known for his support of the building trades by naming a classroom in his honor.

The School Board on Wednesday approved naming of the Dale Koontz Building Trades Classroom at Quincy Area Vocational Technical Center.

"He was a great supporter of QPS and children of this community, specifically our vo-tech programs and building trades program, both in person and financially," Superintendent Roy Webb said. "We want to honor his legacy and his commitment to us and our vo-tech program."

A dedication ceremony and celebration will be held at a later date "when we can do that properly," Webb said.

Koontz, who died in August, worked for local contractors as a carpenter before starting his own company, Dale Koontz Builder Inc., in 1973.

His sons, Tim and Scott, joined the business, as well as a grandson, Matthew.

Scott Koontz said the honor for his dad was "very exciting and in a way humbling" for the family.

"My dad never considered himself the smartest guy in the world -- he was not a particularly outstanding student at Central High School -- but I tell people he was very smart in understanding how to work with people. He had a knack for entrepreneurship and business, and he was very successful in what he did," Scott Koontz said.

"As he was making donations to support building trades education, he saw there was still a place for that, that it needed advocates, people to stand up and say it's OK to work with your hands," he said. "For himself and other men and women who made a career out of working with their hands, he wanted to be a voice to say it's something that can be done. It's a viable career path."

Koontz, raised on a farm outside of Columbus, graduated from Central High School, but saw family members and extended family members graduate from Quincy High School.

Koontz was well known as a businessman with a reputation for quality projects, including several residential developments in Quincy, who was active in the community and financially supported QPS by establishing the Dale and Donna Koontz Circle of Investment, supporting QAVTC and building trades through the QPS Foundation.

"We realize the world changes, but we still need people who are able to work with their hands, able to fix things, build things. He was a big believer in that," Scott Koontz said.

"It's neat to see the School Board kind of say 'here's a guy who supported what we're trying to do' and a small way they could acknowledge his efforts."