Alan P. Pollard

Alan P. Pollard, 86, of Cambridge, died Monday, May 26, 2025, after a brief illness.

A resident of Cambridge for 17 years, he was the son of the late David and Rebecca Pollard of Boston, Mass.

Dr. Pollard received his A.B. degree from Harvard College, his M.A. and Ph.D. degrees from the University of California-Berkeley, and his M.L.S. degree from the University of Rhode Island.

From 1966 to 1971, he taught history at Indiana University. He was then a member of the history department faculty at Rhode Island College (R.I.C.) from 1971 and reference librarian in R.I.C.'s Adams Library from 1979 to 1986, with his library assignment formalized in 1984 by a joint appointment as associate professor of history and library.

From 1986-91 Dr. Pollard held the position of Slavic bibliographer at Princeton University, which enabled him to combine two key areas of his expertise, Slavic scholarship and academic librarianship. In 1991, he joined the University of Michigan faculty as head of the Slavic and East European Division and librarian in the University Library, and he retired from that role in 2004, receiving the title of librarian emeritus. He was especially proud of the acquisition of a comprehensive collection of Armenian books for which he was solely responsible. At Princeton and University of Michigan, Dr. Pollard was considered a unique hire, as he came from an academic background in addition to possessing library science credentials.

Fluent in Russian and Polish and proficient in French, German and Latin, Dr. Pollard spent time in Eastern Europe, Finland and the Soviet Union. During the course of his career, he published numerous, widely-cited works of research, as well as reference works. He served two terms as chair of the Association of College and Research Libraries Slavic and East European Section and also served on the executive board of the Bibliography and Documentation Committee of the American Association for the Advancement of Slavic Studies.

After retiring, he and his wife, Sarah, relocated to Massachusetts and enjoyed helping to raise their grandchildren. Besides his loving wife, Dr. Pollard leaves his son, Daniel Pollard (and wife, Carolyn Hann) of Falls Church, VA, and stepsons, Stefan Economou (and wife, Ruth, and their children, Elise and Lucas) of Cambridge, and Peter Economou (and wife, Susan), of Charleston, WV. As the youngest of five siblings, all of whom predeceased him, Dr. Pollard had numerous nieces and nephews who were close to him. His second son, John Pollard of Westerly, RI, also predeceased him.

He was an exceptional human being by virtue of his loving nature, extraordinary mind, and sharp wit. His joke-telling, card-playing, and dancing skills must also be noted. He will be sorely missed.

Donations in his memory may be made to the West End Museum.

A memorial service may be held at a later date.