[5] In 1935, Wells visited Salzburg, Austria, while under Austrofascist rule, and returned home to Chicago aboard the Majestic with his parents, Giorgio Polacco, and Edith Mason.
[7] While attending MIT, Wells participated in Army ROTC before cross-commissioning into the United States Marine Corps in 1943.
During World War II, he fought the Empire of Japan in the Pacific theatre at the Battle of Iwo Jima.
[10] After returning home from the war, Wells worked for the Quaker Oats Company as the chief engineer of the chemical division.
The company owned the Riverside Hotel in Fort Lauderdale and other large properties across Broward County, Florida.
[18][19][20] For most of his adult life, Wells was the primary owner of Rush Creek Ranch in Nebraska; founded by his grandfather in 1890.
[28] From 2002 until his death, Wells was chairman of the Intercollegiate Studies Institute; an annual award was designated in his honor.
[4] Upon the announcement of his death, Edwin Feulner reacted by saying: “We will miss his quiet and principled guidance in every area of Heritage’s activities.”[8]