Services Were November 14 For Sy Pollack, Part-Time Sag Harbor Resident

Seymour Leonard Pollack

Sag Harbor summer resident Seymour Leonard Pollack of Hawthorne, New Jersey, died on November 10 of pancreatic cancer. He was 82.

Known affectionately as “S.L.,” and locally known as “Sy,” Mr. Pollack was born and raised in Paterson, New Jersey. The highlight of his youth was his summers at Camp Wasigan: first as a camper, when he developed a lifelong love of softball; later, as a counselor; and, finally, as an alumni reunion organizer. He attended Ohio State University, where family said his fondest memories were playing clarinet with the marching band at halftime.

After graduation, he returned to Paterson to enter into the family optical business. He became a pioneer in the optical retail industry, offering one-hour service in an era when customers were accustomed to waiting a week or more for a pair of eyeglasses. He was also a senior statesman on the New Jersey State Board of Ophthalmic Dispensers and Ophthalmic Technicians, where he championed consumer rights.

Mr. Pollack spent his summers in Sag Harbor, where he was known as an artist-in-residence, as well as a fixture at the weekend softball games, regardless of his health. Even in later years, when he wasn’t healthy enough to run the bases, he played catcher and frequently used a pinch-runner, but still regularly participated.

Never one to opt for an ordinary form of transportation, Mr. Pollack was often seen driving around town in his flashy yellow TriHawk, a three-wheeled classic roadster that survivors say epitomized his eccentricity.

As an artist, Mr. Pollack dabbled in sculpture and photography. After early training in oils, he gravitated to watercolor, then to pen and ink. In Sag Harbor, his drawings of local homes and businesses appeared frequently throughout town, as well as on local postcards.

Eric Ernst, an artist and freelance contributor to The Press’s Arts & Living section—and a softball teammate of Mr. Pollack’s—recalled, “Sy was a singularly recognizable figure around Sag Harbor in his TriHawk. His reserved and thoughtful demeanor masked a dry and entertaining sense of humor. As an accomplished plein air artist, his watercolors indicated a profound understanding of color and light—while as a member of a weekly local softball game, his rather latent athletic skills never posed an obstacle to his enthusiasm or to the enjoyment of those who shared his company.”

In addition to softball, Mr. Pollack enjoyed gardening, horseback riding, boating and adventure travel. Family said this week that Mr. Pollack’s idea of a vacation included stints as a volunteer with the Israeli Army, working on an archeological dig in Belize, or herding cattle with the gauchos in southern Spain. Each adventure is memorialized with a scrapbook of his photos, drawings and artwork.

Family members recalled a surprise 80th birthday party that Mr. Pollack had hosted for himself three years ago—on his 79th birthday—sensing his own mortality and increasingly concerned that he might not reach the milestone. The gathering turned into a celebratory roast.

He is survived by his wife, Mindy Bernstein; four children from his first marriage, Susan Horowitz, Bruce Pollack, Steven Pollack and David Pollack; two stepsons, Richard and David; 12 grandchildren; four stepgrandchildren; and a great-granddaughter.

A memorial service was held on November 14 at Gutterman’s Funeral Home in New Jersey—and more than a half dozen of his Sag Harbor softball teammates attended.

A local memorial service will be held in June 2011 on the softball field in Mashashimuet Park in Sag Harbor. In accordance with Mr. Pollack’s final wishes, his ashes will be rocketed skyward in a fireworks display, accompanied by a the music of a Klezmer band.

Upon disclosure of these plans, Sag Harbor softball teammate and friend Robert N. Michaelson said fondly of Mr. Pollack: “Right to the end, and beyond, he did things his own way.”