Kenneth Reader Brock III

Kenneth Reader Brock III (February 29, 1960 – July 22, 2015) was a political activist with strong progressive beliefs. A strategist and manager, he worked most of his life in campaigns, but also inside government in the legislative branch. He had a knack for understanding the relationship between politics and policy. He loved his family. He is survived by his wife of 28 years, Sue Poppink, a professor of educational leadership at Western Michigan University; his daughter, Emma Brock, a musical theatre actor of New York City; his parents Kenneth Reader Brock II and Jeanette Tracy Brock of Ann Arbor, and his brother John Brock of Pinckney. He is also survived by several relatives in California. Emma and Sue were the center of his life. He also loved his work. He took great satisfaction in working with and mentoring other strategists and managers—people who shared his ideals. There are far too many to name. He was fortunate enough to work with politicians he admired and loved, including (in chronological order) Howard Wolpe – a former US congressman and Michigan gubernatorial candidate; Lane Evans – a former Illinois US congressman; Burton Leland – a former Michigan state senator and present Wayne County commissioner; Mark Schauer–a former Michigan state senator, senate minority leader, US congressman and gubernatorial candidate, and John Dingell, a former Michigan US congressman. He worked with many other progressive politicians as a staff person with the Michigan House of Representatives and the Michigan Senate, and as a consultant with Potomac Survey Research of Washington D.C., as well as his own consulting firm in Lansing with Leslee Fritz. He grew up in Ann Arbor and attended Pioneer High School and Albion College. His loyalties were divided between the Wolverines and Spartans, having spent the last 25 years in Lansing. In baseball, he had no need to divide loyalties—Tigers. He played Michigan political trivia with Burton for hours on end; their body of knowledge was unending. He knew more about musical theatre than he ever intended to, the result of having a musically inclined daughter. He once went deep sea diving in the Caribbean, which he referred to as “a swim on the moon.” His favorite place was Beaver Island. He loved sailing. He, along with his father and brother, sailed many long trips on the great lakes waters. All members of the community are invited to a memorial service which will be held in his honor on Friday, July 31, 2015 at 11:00 am at River Terrace Church in East Lansing, Michigan. An informal family visitation will take place before the service. Lunch will follow. In lieu of flowers, the family asks that donations be given to an education fund. To make a donation to the Howard Wolpe Fund for the Study of Politics at Western Michigan University, please make the check out to the WMU Foundation, with this memo line: Wolpe Fund, Ken Brock. The check can be mailed to: The WMU Foundation, 1903 West Michigan Avenue, Kalamazoo, MI 49008-5403. For donations to the Ken Brock Music Fund, please make the check out to Ken Brock Music Fund, with the memo line: Emma Brock. The proceeds will go to Haslett Schools and Otterbein University. The check can be mailed to Emma Brock, c/o Sue Poppink, 6327 Leyland Pine St., Portage, MI 49024