Born November 29, 1921, in Indianapolis, Indiana; died June 26, 2003. Activist. Patricia Anne Fletcher attended Indiana University before she moved to Chicago, Illinois with her family in 1950. On February 20, 1950, she married her second husband, Harry Polos, an attorney and nightclub owner who eventually became an Illinois judge. Together they had two children, Michael and Richard. Patricia graduated from Mundelein College in Chicago in 1968 with a bachelor's degree in social science and later took advanced work in urban studies at Roosevelt University. Patricia became heavily involved in Illinois politics, in particular lobbying for the passage of the Equal Rights Amendment (ERA) and later for senior citizens' issues. She served on the Community Mental Health Board of Chicago for thirty years and was appointed to the Governor's Commission on the Status of Women in Illinois as a consultant in 1965. She later served as the president of ERA Illinois from 1988 until 2002 as well as for the Loop [Chicago] chapter of the Older Women's League until 1994. Patricia also worked on numerous political campaigns, including that of State Senator Esther Saperstein, for whom she worked as a legislative assistant from 1968 until 1972, and State Senator Howard Carroll, for whom she worked as an administrative assistant from 1980 until 1986. In 1994, Patricia directed her attentions toward senior issues and lobbied on behalf of AARP. She served as a coordinator of Chicago Area Legislative Activities for AARP and a member of AARP's Volunteer Lobby Team. As a result of her efforts for AARP, the organization awarded her its Partnership for Excellence Award in 1999 and its Bright Star for Seniors Award in 2001. Patricia died in 2003 at her Chicago home.
From the description of Patricia F. Polos papers, 1964-2003. (Unknown). WorldCat record id: 568311582
