OBITUARY: Harry Pollak

Harry Pollak, 93, of Sarasota, died May 29.

Born Sept. 11, 1920, he served as the captain on a mine-sweeper escorting convoys in the North Atlantic during World War II.

Following his service, he graduated from the Wharton School of Business at the University of Pennsylvania.
Mr. Pollak returned to his hometown of Wichita, Kan., where he became an investment banker, and he later owned several hotels in Kansas and Georgia.

After relocating in the 1960s to Sarasota, Mr. Pollak and his wife, Sharley Woolover Stevens, became art collectors. They first began to collect a library devoted to Mexican artists.

Mr. Pollak loaned his collection to be the first exhibition of The Baker Museum of Art. In 1992, he donated his collection to the museum.

Mr. Pollak joined the Longboat Key Club in 1982 and played golf three times a week. While in his 80s, he shot his age twice.

Mr. Pollak was preceded in death by his wife, Sharley. He is survived by his stepson, Clyde Pollak, and his devoted friends, Marie Bishop and Leana Faulk.