Richard Langdon Pollen

Richard Langdon Pollen

Richard Langdon Pollen, a former resident of Ketchikan and Craig, AK and long active in the Alaskan seafood industry, died unexpectedly January 25, 2011 in Seattle, WA.
A memorial service is scheduled for 4 p.m. Friday February 4, at Ray's Boathouse in Seattle. Funeral arrangements are being handled by Bauer Funeral Home in Snohomish, WA.
Mr. Pollen was born on October 26, 1951 in Northhampton, MA. He served in the U.S. Marine Corps. from 1970 to 1972. He moved to Ketchikan in the early 1980's with his dog Zeus, and was one of the original owners of Alaska Specialty Seafoods. In the mid-1980's he started tendering fish for Silver Lining Seafoods aboard the tender "Daybreak" and eventually went to work for the company full time.
He moved to Craig in 1987 to manage Silver Lining's processing plant there. During his time in Craig he served on the Craig City Council from 1994 to 1999. He married his wife, Karen, in their Craig home August 12, 1990. In typical fishing family style, Mrs. Pollen remembers their wedding day was also during an opening for the halibut fishery. They moved from Craig in 1999.
From those early days in his seafood career, Mr. Pollen went on to work as plant manager for NorQuest Seafoods in its Adak processing facility in 2000. He moved to the NorQuest fleet manager position for Bristol Bay operations in 2003 and continued in that role to the present after the acquisition of NorQuest by Trident Seafoods. Granite Falls, WA, was home for the Pollens since 2002.
Peers in the seafood industry remember Mr. Pollen as a pioneer in opening new Alaskan fisheries such as winter rockfish, and the dive fisheries for sea urchins, geoducks and sea cucumbers. They describe him as someone "with a positive attitude, a readiness to try new challenges, and an ability to communicate with everybody. He had an innate ability to understand and relate to people on a personal level."
Another friend said Mr. Pollen was so successful in the seafood industry because he fit right in, "smoking and drinking with the fishermen!"
Mr. Pollen's family remembers his favorite activities as hiking, golfing, baseball, football, reading, fishing, traveling, kayaking and "driving around during a storm to check out the damage!"
He was preceded in death by his mother; father; sister, Marianne; and granddaughter, Rylan.
He is survived by his wife, Karen; children, Theresa Media, Thrina Marsing, Marty Media and Thandra Media; grandchildren, Corbin Wolford, Sage Wolford, Ember Marsing and Phoenix Marsing; siblings, Barbara Cate, Dianne Susan Watts and Michael Phillips Pollen; nieces, Patricia Ann Bleichfeld, Kathryn Cate Goldman, Jennifer Cate Goldman and Stephanie Lynne Pollen; and twin great-nieces, Alexandra Cate Bleichfeld and Julia Lena Bleichfeld.
Condolences may be sent to: Karen Pollen, 19819 Canyon Dr., Granite Falls, WA 98252.