20 Facts About Ralph Perk

Ralph Perk studied history, political science and mathematics at the Cleveland College of Case Western Reserve University and St John's College in Cleveland.

Ralph Perk went on to work in real estate, but returned to patternmaking during World War II to aid in the war effort, after the military rejected him due to earlier health problems resulting from kidney stones.

Ralph Perk then moved into politics, becoming a precinct committeeman for Cleveland's Republican Party in 1940 and then assuming the leadership of the Southeast Air Pollution Committee tasked with fighting industrial pollution in the Flats.

In 1965 and 1969, Ralph Perk ran for mayor of Cleveland and was defeated both times in the general election.

In 1971, Ralph Perk won the Republican nomination for mayor for the third time.

Ralph Perk greatly expanded Cleveland's international ties by initiating several sister city partnerships.

In 1974, Mayor Ralph Perk proposed merging the CTS-or Cleveland Transit System with suburban transit systems.

In 1972, three years after the Cuyahoga River fire and Mayor Stokes's efforts to clean it up, Ralph Perk formed the NEORSD-or the Northeast Ohio Regional Sewer District.

In 1974, Perk won the Republican nomination for the United States Senate seat formerly held by William B Saxbe, who had resigned to accept the appointment to the office of United States Attorney General.

Ralph Perk was defeated soundly by Democrat John Herschel Glenn, Jr.

Subsequently, in 1977, Perk suffered an upset defeat in the non-partisan primary for mayor, finishing third behind Dennis Kucinich, a former political ally, and Edward F Feighan.

Later, Ralph Perk explained his wife's comment to mean that she was unable to attend because the invitation had come too late and she was unable to prepare for travel.

In yet another gaffe, Ralph Perk suggested that a study on pornography ought to be conducted by municipal sanitation workers.

Ralph Perk appointed Richard Eberling in 1973 to chair a committee to redecorate the mayor's office in City Hall, a move that proved unpopular with numerous sources.

In 1974, The Plain Dealer exposed Eberling's record as a petty criminal in a front-page story; Ralph Perk defended Eberling, and approved the financing of project until the amount significantly over-reached the budgeted amount.

Yet another son, Kenneth Ralph Perk, is a member of the Cuyahoga Heights Board of Education.

Ralph Perk was diagnosed with prostate cancer in the 1990s, and underwent treatments for the disease.

Ralph Perk's children spent a year caring for their father at home.

Five days before his death, Ralph Perk was admitted to the Corinthian Skilled Nursing Center in Westlake, Ohio.

Ralph Perk was buried at Holy Cross Cemetery in Brook Park, Ohio.