Polk embarking on retirement
From our weekly issue dated September 01, 2010
Jim Polk (IVN file photo)
For the first time in the last 17 years, Jim Polk will no longer be spending every weekday at Cave Junction City Hall.
Polk, the 58-year-old, longtime city recorder, retired as of Wednesday, Sept. 1. He has been replaced by valley native, Ryan Nolan, who“s been training for the position for the past several weeks.
Born in Hillsboro, Polk grew up in Josephine County, and attended Wilderville Elementary School, Redwood Elementary School, Highland Elementary School, Jerome Prairie Elementary School and Lincoln-Savage Middle School.
In 1970, Polk graduated from Grants Pass High School. His class included such notable figures as Carl Wilson, Giff Gates, Jimmy Basker, Lindi Baker and Tom Hull.
Although his goal was to study pre-law at Willamette University in Salem, a private school, the scholarship that Polk had obtained for his college education wouldn“t pay for it. Instead, he spent one year as a math major at Southern Oregon College in Ashland.
While he was still a junior in high school, Polk had received a Senator“s nomination to attend the U.S. Air Force Academy. But he was reluctant to sign up, as the Vietnam War was still being fought.
Polk changed his mind and enlisted in the Air Force in September 1971. He served as a linguist for 20 years, and was stationed in a number of places, including Monterey, Calif., Texas, Florida, Spokane, Wash., Tucson, Ariz., the Philippines and Korea.
A major life change hit Polk at 32 years old, when he came down with a case of arthritis. He suddenly was unable to bowl, play softball or engage in many other activities.
“I was walking around like a little old man,“ Polk said.
The medication prescribed to Polk lead to his flying status being revoked. The Air Force was about to send him to Maryland, but he didn“t want to go. It was around that time that Polk ran into an officer that he knew, who set him up with a job doing procurement, military budgeting, supplying and contracting. In that role, Polk negotiated multi-million dollar contracts.
Polk and his wife purchased a home in San Antonio, Texas. But his medical hold was released less than two weeks after that sale closed. He was given the option of going to Hawaii or Korea, and chose the tropical U.S. islands.
After being stationed in Hawaii for three and a half years, Polk retired from the service in 1991. He was 39 years old.
From there, Polk and his wife moved to Portland, where he searched for jobs through temp agencies. It was around that time that he and Katie inherited some property in Illinois Valley and moved to the area.
Polk initially worked at the former drive-in theater south of Cave Junction, but the city recorder position opened up, so he applied for it. Polk began that job in November 1992, and held it up until Sept 1.
For the future, Jim and Katie plan to do some traveling. They are now free to visit grandchildren and take cruises, and Polk said he plans to do plenty of both.
“There are states I haven“t been to that I want to go see,“ he said.
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