Fredric Selcke
(1914 - 2006)
Fredric
Bente Selcke, 91, longtime Petersburg resident died Saturday, April 1, 2006, in
Oxford, Alabama.
He was born October 27, 1914, in St Louis, Missouri, the son of Rev. Benno H.
and
Frieda Bente
Selcke. He married the former Helen E. Culver of Indian Point on September 19,
1942.
Mr.
Selcke was educated in the Petersburg public schools and graduated from
Northwestern
University, Evanston, Illinois, in 1939 with a degree in Business
Administration.
He enlisted in the Army in 1942 and was discharged as a captain in
1946. A
lifetime member of Bethlehem Lutheran Church, Petersburg& he was also a 60
year member
of American Legion Post 198 as well as a member of the VFW, having
served in
the Philippines.
Mr.
Selcke was active in Republican politics both locally and statewide. He was a
precinct
committeeman for many years and served as Republican County Chairman of
Menard
County for eight years. He was elected Menard County Clerk in 1946 and 1950.
In
February, 1953, he was appointed by then Governor William G. Stratton as
Superintendent
of Registration for the Illinois Department of Registration and Education.
In
1963 he was elected Chief Clerk of the Illinois House of Representatives and
served
ten years in
that capacity along with two years as Assistant Chief Clerk. In 1973, as
Chief Clerk,
Mr. Selcke was elected President of the American Society of Legislative
Clerks and
Secretaries. He retired from state service in December, 1976. From 1977 to
1997 he
worked as a legislative consultant for several elected officials and business
organizations.
He is survived by Helen, his wife of 63 years; two children, Sandra S. (husband,
Patrick) Bernardi, of Oxford, Alabama, and Stephen F. (wife, Katherine) Selcke
of
Hinsdale, Illinois;
five grandchildren, Ellye and Greg BernardL and Ben, Dan, and Drew
Selcke;
brother, Dr. Benno H. Selcke, Jr.; sister, Phyllis S. Weaver, both of Oxford,
Alabama;
sister-in-law, Harriett C. Shaw of Petersburg; and three nieces, Sally Moreno
of Cancun,
Mexico, Jane Catright of Petersburg, and Brigitte Tournier of Winchester,
Mass.
Cremation rites have been accorded. Memorial services will be held on Saturday,
April 15, 2006 at 10:00 a.m. at the Bethlehem Lutheran Church in Petersburg.
Burial will be in Oakland Cemetery in Petersburg, IL.
ln
lieu of
flowers, the
family requests memorials to Bethlehem Lutheran Church, P0 Box 197,
Petersburg,
IL 62675, Menard County Historical Society 125 S. 7th St., Petersburg, IL 62675,
or
PORTA
Foundation, P0 Box 202, Petersburg, IL 62673.