Former schools chief Wentz dies

Jace Radke

Monday, Dec. 4, 2000 | 11:32 a.m.

A memorial service is set for Thursday for former Clark County School Superintendent Robert Wentz, who began strategic community planning for the burgeoning district and championed passage of the 1988 school bond.

Wentz, who served seven years at the helm, also built a business partnership program that grew into a statewide program involving more than 500 businesses, died Wednesday in Las Vegas from complications of a brain illness. He was 67.

Services will be 3 p.m. at the Canyonridge Christian Church, 6200 W. Lone Mountain Road.

Wentz was remembered as a tireless educator known for working 15-hour days to meet the needs of the booming school district that was the nation's 18th largest at the end of his tenure in 1989 and today is the sixth largest.

"He put a lot of work into everything, and was very industrious in working with the school board to develop programs to help administrators, teachers and students," former School Board member Shirley Holst said.

"He was very dedicated to keeping himself up to date on the Legislature and the issues that a superintendent needs to be aware of. Beyond that he was a nice man, someone who was just a generally nice person."

Wentz was born in Lanark, Ill., on Jan. 20, 1933, and attended Mississippi State University, where he earned a bachelor's degree in education.

He worked as a teacher in Mississippi before returning to Illinois to become an assistant principal. In 1965 he received a master's degree in educational administration at the University of Chicago, and later earned a doctorate.

However, Wentz felt the title of "Dr." was too formal. Days before he took over as local superintendent in July of 1982, parking places at the school district offices were repainted with the "Dr." titles left off the markers.

"It is important we view each other as equal," Wentz said in a July 2, 1982, Sun story, noting that he preferred simply being called "Bob."

Before coming to Las Vegas, Wentz worked as a superintendent of school districts in Indiana, California and Missouri, where he spent seven years with the St. Louis Public School District.

During his tenure in St. Louis, Wentz eliminated 45 administrative positions in what was called the most exhaustive shake-up in that schools system's 143-year history.

Upon taking the superintendent post in Clark County, Wentz began making weekly morning visits to area campuses saying, "I want to see what's needed. I don't want to walk through a school just to say 'hi.' "

He fostered strategic community planning, helped guide the district through a recession and supported year-round schools to ease classroom overcrowding. Wentz also supported racial diversity, naming nearly 26 percent of his administrative appointments from minority groups.

Wentz said he spent many "sleepless nights" during a 1986 test score scandal that some predicted would be his downfall as superintendent.

In 1988 he worked diligently for passage of a $674 million school bond that would help build 77 new schools. Wentz called it one of his proudest accomplishments.

He resigned in 1989 and later emerged as the superintendent of the Wake County School District in Raleigh, N.C.

Wentz is survived by his wife, Janice, of Las Vegas; four sons, Mark Wentz, Mike Wentz, Murray Wentz and Tony Cordaro; three brothers, Leroy Wentz, Jack Wentz and Steven Wentz; and four grandchildren.

The family said contributions can be made to the Robert Wentz American Association of School Administrators Scholarship Fund, 1930 Village Center Circle, Suite 3-341, Las Vegas, NV, 89134.