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Harold Pollman
"Think globally, act locally" is a phrase bantered about as if achievement is easily realized. But only a few of us are able to pattern our lives to accurately reflect such an expression-to develop the awareness and knowledge of what role to play and how to truly impact those in need. And then to nurture the desire to serve and pursue the ability to give meaning-these are thoughts and deeds to which only a few can lay claim.
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Fra Harold Pollman, Texas ‘51, is a successful Dallas attorney, real estate developer, and builder who has reached far beyond the great state of Texas while also making his mark elsewhere as well. His global thinking has included people around Texas, North Dakota, and even overseas. His local acts are rooted in community service, professional leadership, and sense of duty to others.
Having earned his JD at the University of Texas, Pollman’s dedication to the
Lone Star state is not surprising. But the depth of his commitment certainly
is-he led the Sigma Alpha Mu Dallas alumni club for many years (holding meetings
in his home and office), served as the house corporation president, and managed
and designed construction of the Sigma Theta chapter house in 1962. His skills
as a builder put him in a perfect position to supervise construction, oversee
the work, and wrangle with building contractors. Of course, who could have predicted
that the opportunity to give would be met by such a generous alumnus? The fraternal
traits showed again when the house was remodeled many years later. Flights to
Austin, at his own expense, and countless hours of planning were part of the
contribution. However Harold’s desire to serve started long before his arrival
in Texas.
The Pollman family first left philanthropic footprints in North Dakota, where Harold’s parents were leaders of the small Jewish community in Grand Forks. The senior Pollman helped build the synagogue there more than 100 years ago and Fra Pollman continues his support of the small shul to this day. But the family sense of responsibility extended far outside the walls of the Temple. Harold has recounted the story from his childhood when his mother sent a petition to the governor of North Dakota asking for sacks of flour. She then personally distributed the flour to needy families during each of the harsh northern winters.
Harold maintains that legacy of giving in the Dallas area through Leah’s Kitchen, an enormous Thanksgiving dinner served each year at Pollman Hall. Leah is Harold’s wife and the hall is part of Temple Emanu-El in Dallas-the giving pattern continues. Pollman family members entertain during the annual event and help serve food to those who would otherwise go without a hearty meal. Guests have included Russian refugees, orphans, recovering substance abusers and survivors of domestic violence. Mr. Pollman described the event to a local newspaper:
"We want to reach out into the Dallas community at large and help as many people as we can."
The Dallas Jewish Historical Society was prompted to give Pollman the Ann Loeb Sikora Humanitarian Award in 2006 for his generosity to the community. In addition, the Home Builders Association of Greater Dallas has honored him for his service work, as has Sigma Alpha Mu Fraternity with its Alumni Service Award.
Harold grew up during the Depression and learned early the value of a dollar earned-and the principle of sharing what you have with others. His family’s fur business, which helped the Pollmans invest in Grand Forks, was not for Harold, however. After he earned his bachelor’s degree from the University of North Dakota, he went to the University of Texas to major in real estate and oil and gas law. His real estate law practice led to a career in commercial and residential construction and land development.
Pollman Properties is the real estate development firm he created in 1977, focused primarily on shopping centers and residential subdivisions. The firm’s leader has been a fixture in the Dallas Builders Association as well as the National Board of Home & Apartment Builders, and he served on the boards of both groups for many years. Harold brings a wide-ranging knowledge to the industry as both a lawyer and an expert in real estate finance.
This expertise was called on when Pollman testified before congressional committees on housing and home finance legislation. His knowledge has been tapped as well by others eager to learn the craft -in 1994 Pollman taught a two-week course on business management in China as part of a US-China cooperative arrangement. He shared free enterprise principles with government officials in Beijing and Shanghai. Soon after, he began lecturing on real estate and finance at Harvard University. Only those who have succeeded in business at astounding heights garner such honors. They are also asked to serve on industry association boards and advise government committees on regulatory standards, as Pollman has done-including the FHA/VA Committee and the Construction Technical Standards Committee.
His global trek started in the United States Air Force during World War II. Fra Pollman refers to this as "the highest humane service I could perform." As he reported to the Dallas Morning News, the young serviceman completed 50 heavy-bomber missions in combat to disrupt railroad routes-the very trains that transported prisoners to concentration camps in Auschwitz, Bergen-Belsen and Dachau. Pollman told a Dallas newspaper, "At the time we had no idea of the magnitude of what had gone on in those camps. . . we knew (afterwards) they couldn’t move additional people to the death camps."
Because of the contributions he has made and the leadership he has shown, Pollman is pursued by organizations honored to showcase his name and association. In 2004, Harvard endowed a fellowship for post-doctoral students-the Pollman Research Fellowship in Real Estate Finance. And the Dallas Jewish Historical Society hosts the Pollman Annual Lecture Series four times each year. The Harold & Leah Pollman Dining Hall graces the grounds of Akiba Academy of Dallas, a private primary school that cites its mission in part as instilling social responsibility in its young pupils.
Community service and professional leadership have been mainstays in the life of Fra Pollman. He has lived a life patterned after a sense of duty to his fellow citizens and concern for those who have less. This sense of sharing has extended from the pocketbook to the college lecture hall and beyond.
"Think globally, act locally" may seem like just a catch phrase. But with awareness, understanding, and the desire to make a difference, Fra Pollman has demonstrated-for a half century-that words can translate into actions. And humankind is the better for it.
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