Ronald Tietjen of Newton was born the son of a Manhattan restaurant owner and grew up in Longbranch, N.J.
 “My mom for some reason had always wanted me to become an orthopedic surgeon,” said Tietjen. “Not just a doctor but an orthopedic surgeon. Around the age of 12 when I could finally spell orthopedic surgeon, I learned what they did and it became interesting to me.”
When Tietjen was in high school he began seeking out orthopedic surgeons and picking their brains.
“I thought it was a great way to be able to help people,” he said.
By the time he finished high school, bucking the tide of boys still dreaming of pro sports and, times being what they were, astronautdom, he was convinced he wanted to be an orthopedic surgeon.
Tietjen attended Ursinus College in Collegeville, Pa. While in transit to school, he came across a machine that would become a driving force in his life.
“When I was in my second year in college, my mother drove me back to Pennsylanvania,” said Tietjen. “One day we were driving along and I looked at the window and saw this car, and thought it looked kind of like a Volkswagen, but it certainly wasn”™t.”
The car, sitting in a used car lot, was a white 356 Porsche.
“I looked at that car and I fell deeply in love,” said Tietjen.
An aunt, who felt that Tietjen, being the first one in his family to graduate from both high school and college, deserved the car, lent him the money.
“The Porsche has always had a great racing history,” said Tietjen. “In all the races in the ”™60s you”™d always see the Porsches winning. You want to be driving that car.”
The 356 was stolen while Tietjen was living in Manhattan. On his bicycle, he took to the streets in search of his beloved automobile ”“ to no avail.
“We don”™t have that exact car but I have a couple that remind me of it every day,” said Tietjen of his lost white 356.
A couple of years later in 1968 he bought a used 911 and enrolled in his first Porsche drivers education course, a Porsche-sponsored race track driving course at Watkins Glen International Speedway.
“That”™s when my interest in car racing began,” said Tietjen.
Tietjen went on to attend medical school at NYU, did his residency at Bellevue Hospital in New York City and his orthopedic training at Columbian Presbyterian, also in New York City.
Wanting to go into practice with a collective of orthopedic surgeons, Tietjen came to Danbury Hospital.
“It was a unique environment,” he said. “I could pick other people”™s brains and continue to learn.”
Tietjen joined Danbury Orthopedic Associates P.C. and began teaching at Columbia Presbyterian as a visiting professor.
Throughout the years, Tietjen continued to race and take part in driver”™s education programs.
In the late 1970s, Tietjen and his wife Mary began their family of four boys, now 30, 29 and a set of twins, 28. Though his interest in Porsches and driving didn”™t diminish, the time to practice his hobby did.
“It”™s the most fun you can have legally,” said Tietjen.
As the children got older, Tietjen began driving on the track again, only this time his wife wanted in.
In 1985 the Tietjens got another 911 and began driving at Lime Rock Park just north of Danbury and became more and more involved with the Connecticut Valley Region Porsche Club of America.
In 1990, Tietjen and his wife became instructors and began teaching the fundamentals of driving safely ”¦ and fast.
In 1996, Tietjen became chief instructor of the regional club and in 2000 was named Connecticut Valley Region Club Race chairman.
“In between, we were doing the driving and racing,” said Tietjen. “We”™ve grown to know thousands and thousands of people. For years and years this has been a big part of our lives.”
Every weekend finds the Tietjens driving, racing and instructing.
“Every time I do surgery, I say I want to be as perfect as I can and tomorrow I want to be more perfect than I was today,” said Tietjen. “The same thing goes for car driving, you always build on what you”™re doing today and try to be better tomorrow.”
Tietjen explains that his passion for perfection is not all about driving fast and hitting the accelerator.
“A lot of people see the glory of the driver education and the racing,” said Tietjen. “This past weekend I spent about 10 hours behind my race car preparing it for upcoming races.”
In 1997, Tietjen became the chief of orthopedic surgery at Danbury Hospital. Eleven years later, at age 62, he continues to perform hundreds of surgeries each year.
