William A. Pollard ’50

William A. Pollard ’50, of Essex, Conn., formerly of Providence, R.I.; Dec. 22, his 96th birthday. He began his career in the insurance industry. He worked at the Reliance Insurance Companies for 25 years, where he became chairman and CEO. He was a past director of the Provident Mutual Life Insurance Company and the Philadelphia Savings Fund Society, emeritus Brown Corporation member, trustee of the Princeton Theological Seminary, and president of the National Recreation Foundation. At age 54 he retired and became more involved with Brown, serving terms on the President’s Council on Athletics and on the board of directors of the Brown University Sports Foundation, and he was an active member of the Brown Football Association. For decades he attended Brown football games in his raccoon coat, cheering. He was particularly proud to help direct funds towards outdoor athletic school facilities for youth programs in Providence. He enjoyed summers gardening, playing golf, and sailing on the Chesapeake and winters in Colorado, where he skied into his eighties. He traveled the world and consistently read about business and global issues in the New York Times and Wall Street Journal. He was a member of numerous clubs. He is survived by four daughters, including Wendy Bodell ’81, Judith Danforth ’77 and her husband Murray Danforth III ’77, and Edith Tower ’85 and her husband Caleb Tower ’85; eight grandchildren, including Merebea Danforth ’06, Ben Kurtz ’08, William Kurtz ’08, and Julia Metzger ’13; and eight great-grandchildren.