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They don't make them like Judge Pollak any more -- brilliant, wise, honest, fair, kind, warm and sweet, a man of unfailing integrity. In 1991, when I asked him to officiate at our wedding, he agreed, but only on a weekday, as his weekends were reserved for his lovely wife. He had his priorities straight.
The best description of Judge Pollak I've read came from the late Judge Edward Becker in an article in the U of P Law Review, Vol. 127, No. 2 (Dec. 1978): "...spindly, slightly stooped, soft spoken, self-effacing, unflaggingly pleasant, unceasingly reflective, so terribly bright and yet, in deference to his unremitting quest for constitutional essence, always tentative in exposition. ... He was so decent and kind, infinitely courteous, always finding a kernel of redemption in the student's views, however off the mark they might be."
He was a splendid man, adored by all. I used to tease him about his kindness even towards the murdering thugs I prosecuted. While I look at the world and see armed thugs, he saw puppies, bunnies, kittens, butterflies and flowers. He saw the best in everyone and suggested that some of my colleagues might feel that made him unfit for the bench. No, I said, we need people like him to balance the cynics among us. The world is poorer for the loss of such a special man. RIP, my friend. My heartfelt condolences to his beloved wife and family.