William Benjamin Polk

William Benjamin Polk, of South Pasadena, Fla., beloved statesman, husband, father and grandfather, passed away 1 Oct, 2014 surrounded by family and friends. He was born in Hamburg, Iowa on January 24th, 1930, to Warren and Carrie Belle Polk. Ben graduated from Percival Iowa High School, attended University of Nebraska, and graduated from the University of Illinois. He was a member of Phi Kappa Psi and president of his freshman class. He received his Masters of Arts in Political Studies from the University of Illinois at the age of 50 in 1980. Ben spent most of his life in public service motivated by a positive attitude and the desire to help others. He served in the United States Marine Corps, both active and reserve, from 1948 to 1956. He served five terms in the Illinois House of Representatives from 1972 to 1980 for the 36th District. Representative Polk was the Majority Whip in the 82nd General Assembly and the Minority Whip in the 81st General Assembly. He also served his country in a variety of leadership positions including Director of the Senior Citizens and Human Resources Department for Illinois and as the Associate Director for the Illinois Department of Aging. Ben managed the American Red Cross in Rock Island County, Illinois for a decade, responding to multiple disasters including the flood of 1965. He served as a Political Science professor at Springfield College, Lincoln Land Community College, in Illinois and Edison State College in Fort Myers, Fla. He also served as a political analyst for WINK-TV CBS. Ben earned many awards including “Top Ten Men of the Year” Award in the Quad City Times in Davenport, Iowa in 1980. Ben was always the man of the year for his bride of 52 year, Millie Ida Selander, whom he met in 1959 in San Francisco, and married four months later. They raised their two children in Moline, Illinois. Ben and Millie spent 13 years of their retirement on Fort Myers Beach, Fla., waking each morning to a view of the Gulf of Mexico. They volunteered for Turtle Time, waking up before dawn to monitor Loggerhead Turtles, count their eggs and protect their nests. Every day at 4pm they shared thoughts from the day at cocktail hour. In 2002, the move to Lexington Country Club in Fort Myers. Together they went on 37 cruises throughout the world. Millie Polk died in 2010 at Hope Hospice in Fort Myers at 77. Ben continued to volunteer at Hope and provide comfort to veterans. In 2011 he move to South Pasadena, Fla., and spent the remainder of his life enjoying his family, expanding his collection of character watches- one of the largest in Florida, driving his favorite sports car, and enjoying the beach. He is survived by his son Morgan Polk, of Tampa, Fla., his daughter Nysha Drennan, of Springfield, Ill., and his grandchildren Adair, Noelle, Lucas and William Benjamin Polk, and Ali and Drake Drennan. There will be a private services to honor Ben in St Petersburg, Fla., Fort Myers, Fla., and at the Marine Corps Recruit Depot in San Diego, Cal. In lieu of flowers please donate to American Autoimmune Related Diseases Association at www.aarda.org/donate/

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