David Polur 87, of Clearwater, passed away Tuesday, August 4th, 2009. When David Polur was interviewed as President of Hav-A-Tampa Cigars, he described the company as a slumbering giant. He awoke that giant and pushed it to great success. And that's what he did throughout his life. Born in 1922 in Kishinev, Romania, David immigrated to the United States at age five and lived in St Paul, Minnesota and Brooklyn, NY with his parents, brother and sister. In New York City, he attended the prestigious magnet school Townsend Harris and then entered City College. After transferring to the University of Minnesota, Dave enlisted in the US Navy's ROTC specialized training program and graduated with a physics degree. He went on to earn a Masters degree in physics, specializing in X-ray crystallography and math, from the Polytechnic Institute of Brooklyn. After graduation, David went on active duty in the Navy, where he worked on emerging defensive radar systems at MIT, Bowdoin and the University of Chicago. David was honorably discharged as Lt. Junior Grade from the Navy in 1946, after being in charge of radar in an area of the Pacific theater. He taught at the Chicago Institute of Technology and at Clarkson College in Potsdam, New York. He then began to design unique electronic devices for General Electric in Syracuse, NY. This successful endeavor led him to establish his own electronics firm, Electro Networks. In 1961, Dave moved Electro Networks, to Caledonia, NY where he designed and built state-of-the-art filters and transformers for NASA and the US Military. His was the first business in the nation to receive General Electric's TARGET ZERO DEFECT award: it had delivered over 22,000 missile parts with no rejects. In addition, Electro developed the only non-redundant parts to be used in the first manned space flight. Through a series of mergers and acquisitions, Electro Networks became Connrex Corporation. This expansion also included the purchase of C. Graves Battery Company of Tampa, then the fourth largest battery manufacturer in the US. Dave then moved the Connrex headquarters to Tampa in 1971. After a British firm bought Connrex, Dave became General Manager and then President of Hav-A-Tampa Cigars. Subsequently, he formed his own company and was involved in a variety of other entrepreneurial ventures. During his tenure as a prominent Tampa businessman, David also worked tirelessly as a fundraiser and philanthropist. He gave generously and raised much for the Jewish Federation in Tampa and the United Jewish Appeal, helping bring former President Ford to Tampa. Additionally, David served on the Board of Trustees of Berkeley Preparatory School while his children attended. He worked diligently to expand the school's Kelly Road campus, where he was also a generous donor and, in a pinch, calculus teacher. David is remembered by his adored wife and partner of 48 years, the former Ruth Gastel, brother Sam Polur, sister Clara Simon, beloved children Lou Polur; daughters Shari Polur and Lila Polur Wrubel; daughter-in-law Kay, sons-in-law Michael and Robert and loving grandchildren Emily, Elliot, Jenna, Alexandra, Adrian, Benjamin, Sarah, and Annie. Services will be 11 am Friday, August 7th at Temple B'nai Israel, 1685 S. Belcher Road, Clearwater. Interment will follow at Sylvan Abbey Memorial Park. In lieu of flowers, the family suggests donations in David's memory to the Alzheimer's Association (alz.org) or Suncoast Hospice (thehospice.org). David C. Gross Funeral Home is serving the family. Service Information