ONE OF ADAM PUTNAM'S DEMOCRATIC CHALLENGERS

I've mentioned that 12th District Congressman Adam Putnam (R - Bartow) will likely be facing one of two Democratic challengers in November. One of them, Mulberry attorney Jack Wolf, has submitted his biography to introduce himself to voters of the district. I am publishing it here verbatim, and will do so for the other likely candidate, James B. Davis, when it becomes available.

Jack Wolf was born in Coldwater, Michigan on June 22, 1948. He has one older sister and one younger brother. His parents have both passed away. After spending much of his youth between Coldwater, Michigan and Fort Lauderdale, Florida, he graduated from Coldwater High School in June of 1966. He then attended Ferris State College in Big Rapids, Michigan and in 1967 transferred to Western Michigan University in Kalamazoo, Michigan.

He joined the United States Navy in July, 1968 and served honorably for nine years, leaving the Navy in February 1977. While in the Navy he was trained at the Naval Justice School as a court-reporter and legal clerk and thereafter at the Naval School of Diving and Salvage where he learned “hard-hat” diving with the Mark-V brass helmet and 102 pound diving suit.

Upon leaving the Navy, Jack went to work for a subsidiary of Johnson Controls International where he was a sales engineer and designed and sold electronic security systems, fire alarm, CCTV and master clock systems. Over the years he worked in various jobs, with mostly sales and management backgrounds. At one time he owned two Subway Sandwich Shop franchises, an offset printing business, a tanning salon and numerous real properties, both commercial and residential. Under the pressures of absentee management problems and a failing marriage, he liquidated almost all assets and paid his creditors, thus closing the businesses. He then owned a small automobile sub-leasing lot for a short time, but moved to Florida in 1992.

Jack was working for a local car dealer, selling new and used cars, while he had full custody of four children from two previous marriages. When his children were aged six to seventeen, he shared with his children that he wanted to return to college and obtain the law degree to which he had always aspired. With his children’s blessings and while still working full time, he then attended Polk Community College and the University of South Florida. He graduated USF in 1997 with dual degrees of criminology and political science. His GPA at USF was a perfect 4.00.

Jack moved back to Fort Lauderdale in 1997 to attend Nova Southeastern University – Shephard Broad Law Center where he obtained his Doctorate in Jurisprudence in May, 2000. When he took the bar exam, he passed it the first time. He returned to Lakeland in 2000.

In July, 2000, he was diagnosed with prostate cancer and he was treated with external beam radiation and radioactive seeds in October, 2000. He has remained cancer free since and enjoys excellent health.

Jack now is a practicing attorney with an office in Lakeland. Jack has served on the Polk County Domestic Violence Task Force for five years and the Polk County Victim’s Resource Network for five years with two years as the Chair. He has served as a mentor for four years under the “Take Stock in Children” program. He is married to the former Cyndi Wolfe and they share six children, from ages ten to 32, and two grandchildren (ages one and four). Their home is in Southwestern Lakeland, Florida.