He was 82.
In accordance to his on the web obituary in the Portland Press Herald, Pollack was born in Pittsburgh to Perle and Gerald Pollack but moved to Maine, the state that would come to be his longtime home, when he was 15.
He graduated from Deering Higher College and went on to show up at, and graduate from, the University of Bridgeport.
It was for the duration of his freshman yr at Bridgeport that he achieved the female who would turn out to be his wife, Doris Carroll. He was 18 and she was 17, and their conference sparked the commencing of a 59-12 months romance.
After faculty, Pollack served in the U.S. Military all through the Berlin Crisis (1961) and been given the Countrywide Crisis Medal from President John F. Kennedy for his provider.
He was honorably discharged from the Military and started performing together with his father, Gerald, at G.M. Pollack & Sons, the jewelry retailer Gerald had opened in 1955.
Pollack led the growth of G.M. Pollack & Sons from 1 retail store in Maine to more than a dozen throughout the condition and in New Hampshire, which include a corporate business.
He was a diamontologist and gemologist who not only marketed jewelry but also made it and brought contentment and like to his consumers.
Pollack headed some of the most seen corporations in the jewellery business.
He was treasurer, vice president, and president of Jewelers of The usa, served two terms as chairman of the Diamond Council of The us, and founded the Maine Jewelers Association.
He also served on the first board of directors when the business now acknowledged as Jewelers for Little ones transitioned from becoming the Worldwide Retail Jewelers Charity Fund to the Jewelers Charity Fund for Children.
According to recent JFC Executive Director David Rocha, Pollack spearheaded JA’s energy to aid JFC from the begin.
It was his thought to develop the JFC canister for shops to set on their counters and he labored as a result of JA to send one particular to each and every member at the time.
He was inducted into Nationwide Jeweler’s Retailer Corridor of Fame in 1999 together with Cartier’s Ralph Destino and New York jeweler Al Solomon.
His family’s jewellery store, G.M. Pollack & Sons, closed in 2015, battling with the same troubles that have plagued lots of impartial jewelers in the latest many years.
Outdoors of the jewelry industry, Pollack was involved in numerous charities in Maine, and experienced a deep-rooted enjoy for the state’s Jewish group and for continuing the traditions of his faith.
He also preferred to fish, travel, and expend time with his household, and was a enthusiast of all New England sports groups, in particular the Boston Red Sox.
Pollack was preceded in demise by his sister, Betsi Messier.
He is survived by his spouse, Doris two sons, David and Sam two daughters-in-law, Agnes and Stacey two grandchildren, Sage and Boden sister, Leiba Frankel (Marshall Frankel) brother-in-law, Raymond Messier lots of nieces, nephews and cousins and 3 particular “furry pals,” Timmy, Willi, and Bella.
The family members held a non-public funeral provider.
In lieu of bouquets, donations may perhaps be made in Pollack’s memory to the Barbara Bush Children’s Healthcare facility by way of this url or as a result of the mail to the Maine Health care Middle Philanthropy Division, 22 Bramhall St., Portland, ME 04102.
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