Dorothy Wright has many fond recollections of working with the late Vancouver Mayor Royce Pollard. Throughout a small earthquake, Wright panicked, calmly shoved Pollard apart in a scramble to evacuate, and thought, “I’m so fired.”
However the immigrant from Zimbabwe additionally remembers how Pollard not solely made her really feel welcome in the US, he made her really feel like Vancouver was residence.
“I really wish I could give him one last hug and just say to him, ‘You are the one that actually embraced me and welcomed me,’ ” Wright instructed The Columbian.
On Friday night, about 100 individuals gathered on the Firstenburg Neighborhood Heart to have a good time the previous mayor’s life. Fittingly, the memorial passed off in a room named in honor of Pollard.
Pollard, who died at 85 on Feb. 24, served as Vancouver’s mayor from 1995 till 2010.
Throughout his time as mayor, he guided the town by way of a interval of outstanding progress. It went from the eleventh largest metropolis in Washington to the fourth. He embraced the thought of “America’s Vancouver,” a imaginative and prescient that helped form the town into the colourful group it’s at this time.
“He was humble and he was a man of the people,” stated Alice Renteria, a metropolis worker who labored with Pollard. “I think he’s the best mayor we’ve ever had.”
Lasting legacy
Throughout the memorial, audio system mirrored on Royce Pollard’s life — from his navy service to his political profession and the moments in between that outlined his time as a frontrunner.
Pollard started his navy service in 1961 and served throughout the Vietnam Warfare. He retired as a lieutenant colonel in 1988 after his closing publish as commander of the Vancouver Barracks. He was additionally a recipient of the Purple Coronary heart.
“He was a role model,” stated Larry Smith, a former Vancouver metropolis councilor, longtime buddy of Pollard’s and co-chairman of the Neighborhood Army Appreciation Committee. Smith learn the Soldier’s Creed throughout his remarks, calling it a mirrored image of the values Pollard carried with him all through his life.
“He kept those values in him and that’s what made him what he is, and why he was such an effective leader,” Smith stated. “He did so much good for this community.”
Pollard’s political profession was marked by the identical sense of obligation, stated audio system. He served on the town council earlier than being elected as mayor. His tenure wasn’t with out its memorable moments.
These embody when he joined metropolis employees in cherry selecting, took a dive — totally clothed — into the Hough Pool for a fundraiser, and smashed two Portland mugs in an area espresso store as an audacious assertion of his loyalty to Vancouver.
“A lot of people, especially some on the other side of the river, thought of Vancouver as one of Portland’s bedroom communities. Now, no one would say that today, and that’s a part of Mayor Royce’s legacy,” metropolis lobbyist Mark Brown stated.
However past the colourful moments, Pollard’s management helped form Vancouver’s bodily and financial panorama, Brown stated.
Beneath his route, the town enfolded the world round Vancouver Mall within the largest annexation in state historical past and revitalized Esther Quick Park. Pollard helped convey the Hilton Vancouver Washington and the town’s conference heart to fruition. Pollard additionally performed a crucial function in planning Vancouver’s waterfront.
“He put Vancouver on the map. And there was no going back,” Brown stated. “While the Pollard era has come to a close, he and his accomplishments will live on forever.”
What struck many audio system and attendees Friday night was how Pollard’s management transcended political strains. He was a mayor for the individuals, they stated.
Will Pollard, his youngest son, remembered how his father usually instructed him his job as mayor was to be Vancouver’s head cheerleader. It was a job he took severely, at all times discovering methods to elevate up the group and encourage satisfaction within the metropolis.
As early night daylight streamed by way of the big home windows, Will Pollard stood beside his father’s portrait and appeared as much as say, “Dad, I’m super proud of you.”
