MODERN WOODMEN of AMERICA - About Us

Gary E. Stoefen, Davenport, Iowa, will retire from Modern Woodmen of America's board of directors, effective Jan. 31, 2005. Judge Robert C. Pollex, Perrysburg, Ohio, has been appointed to fill the board position, effective Feb. 1, 2005.

Stoefen has served on the fraternal benefit society's seven-member board since 1990. He began his Modern Woodmen career in 1961, serving in investment analyst and management positions. He became the organization's treasurer and investment manager in 1978, retiring from that position in 2002.

Pollex served in the national office of escort for Modern Woodmen's 2002, 1998 and 1994 national conventions. He was chairperson of the Credentials Committee at Modern Woodmen's 1990 National Convention.

"Judge Pollex's background in a variety of fields gives him a wide range of viewpoints, which makes him an excellent addition to the board," says Modern Woodmen President Clyde C. Schoeck. "As a judge, he sees what is happening to children and families on a daily basis. This experience and knowledge can help us further our mission to improve quality of life for our members, their families and communities."

A graduate of the University of Toledo, Toledo, Ohio, where he studied physics and mathematics, Pollex earned his law degree from the University of Toledo College of Law in 1973. He was first elected to the bench as Juvenile and Probate Judge of the Wood County Common Pleas Court in 1985. He served in that position for 14 years and is currently a judge of the Wood County Common Pleas Court, General Division. In this position, Pollex handles adult felony criminal cases and major civil cases of all types, in the top trial court level in the Ohio court system.

Pollex is a member of the Wood County and Ohio State Bar Associations and the Ohio Common Pleas Judges Association. He is a member of the governor's task force on the handling of child abuse cases. Additionally, he serves on the Area Aging Board, representing 14 counties in northwest Ohio, and on the board of Behavioral Connections, a mental health agency in the Wood County mental health system.

Pollex previously served as president of the Ohio Association of Juvenile and Family Court Judges. He also served on the Ohio Adoption Commission and on the board for the state drug agency, both by governor appointment.

Founded in 1883 as a fraternal benefit society, today Modern Woodmen of America offers financial services and fraternal member benefits to individuals and families throughout the United States.