John Polles ’67 Drew on Athletics Experience During Distinguished 25-Year Military Career

(PITTSBURGH, Pa.) – John Polles arrived on the Carnegie Tech campus in 1963 faced with an important decision – should he enroll in the institution's physical education or ROTC requirement? Since Polles was going to play football and run track, the physical education route wasn't particularly appealing, so he enrolled in the campus ROTC program. Four years later, he embarked on a distinguished 25-year career in the United States Army and achieved the rank of Lieutenant Colonel.

"I was on the football team and thought I was a pretty big stud as a freshman. I wasn't going to take PE, so I did ROTC," Polles said. "I went from walking on campus and not wanting PE to taking a commission in the Army."

Polles did well during his ROTC years, and he was commissioned to the Army with the same commission as a West Point graduate. After going to Purdue to earn his master's in inorganic chemistry, Polles made his way to Vietnam in 1970 and was deployed for a one-year tour of duty during the war. As a leader of a unit, he drew on his Carnegie Tech athletic experience on the battlefield.

"The military is all about teamwork. When you're in a command position, you have to harness that team and drive it to a greater good. In a war zone, you're driving your team into the jaws of death," Polles said. "I had good experiences as a leader and got the opportunity for several commands. You have to know how to get the most out of people. It's crucial in a war zone because if you don't do it right, someone could get killed."

Following his time in Vietnam, the United States Army sent Polles back to Purdue to work on his doctorate. After two years, however, Polles was reassigned to West Point to teach chemistry. At the end of four years at West Point, Polles received a progression of assignments to include an assignment to General Norman Schwarzkopf's staff at Fort Stewart, Georgia.  Polles spent time in Germany, Japan and several stateside posts before ending his career as the Professor and Head of the Department of Military Science back at Purdue.

"I just had great assignments. I never thought I'd make it a career, but I had one good assignment after another so I just stayed in," Polles said. "Before I knew it, 25 years had gone by and it was time to retire."

The first student from his Akron, Ohio high school to be accepted by an Ivy League university, Polles debated between attending Yale and Carnegie Tech. Ultimately, he elected to come to Pittsburgh because of its proximity to home, a full scholarship and the opportunity to participate in intercollegiate athletics. Polles credits his experience as a Tartan for shaping his future and has been an ardent supporter of the athletics department for years.

"I wasn't the greatest athlete in the world but that's why I'm so dedicated to the athletics department," Polles said. "It kind of completed my life there and rounded me off by giving me that sense of belonging. It shaped me, it really did."

Polles, who was also part of the Delta Upsilon fraternity at Carnegie Mellon, has been married to his high school sweetheart Gail for the past 45 years. He has spent the last 18 years as adjunct faculty in chemistry at Purdue. In 2006, he completed his Ph.D. at the university in science education.

"I love teaching. I love finding ways to get science across to another generation of young people," Polles said. "The students keep me young."

In 2008, Polles ran for state representative in Indiana's District 26. There were 29,000 votes cast in the election and Polles finished 26 votes behind the victor. Last year, he ran for mayor of West Lafayette but lost the election as well. 

"I'm cured of politics," Polles said with a laugh.  "I ran because of that idea of service. It goes back to being a part of something greater than yourself. I served my country for 25 years and I thought being elected for office would be a good way to serve my community."

While he wasn't elected to public office, Polles continues to do everything he can to spread his message of peace. His signature on every e-mail he writes is preceded by the Hebrew word for peace, "shalom."

"Some people say cheers, some say warm regards," Polles said. "I say shalom because peace is my ultimate wish."