Harold was born in Winnipeg on January 17, 1928, but lived his first nine years in Rhein, Saskatchewan, where his parents Abraham and Esther Pollock (née Krupkin) ran a general store. He was the youngest of three children. He had a brother Paul and a sister Evelyn.

The Pollock family moved to Winnipeg in 1937 but things did not go well for them financially and so they moved to Cudworth, Saskatchewan, where Harold attended high school. He had a private teacher for his Bar Mitzvah but never had a formal Jewish education. He made many good friends while living in Winnipeg so when he returned to go to the University of Manitoba he had no difficulty in renewing those relationships.

He was undecided about a career, but when he met me (Arnice Kozack), who was interested in teaching, he decided to follow that path. We were married on December 25, 1949. Harold graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree in 1950 and a Bachelor of Education degree in 1951. He was employed by the Winnipeg School Division No. 1 and his first assignment was at Aberdeen Junior High School. He also taught for one year at Kelvin High School and then received a Master of Education degree from U of M before joining the staff at St. John's High School from 1959 to 1965. His subject was mathematics and he was told by many of his students he was an excellent teacher.

In 1966, Harold accepted an offer to organize and become the principal of the Winnipeg Adult Education Centre. In 1969, he moved to Sisler High School as Vice Principal for one year, then Principal, and later was asked to apply to become an Area Superintendent. He was very happy in his role as a Principal and didn't want to move, but his colleagues convinced him that he could be a good voice for education in the Superintendent's Office so he accepted the position. In 1972 he became Superintendent of Secondary Schools and in 1976 he was named Superintendent of Winnipeg School Division No. 1. He retired in 1984.

Harold was in the vanguard of curriculum change in mathematics in the early 1960s and worked with the Manitoba Department of Education in curriculum revision and teacher education. He was a participant in teacher groups and served on committees for the Manitoba Teachers' Society and the Winnipeg Teachers' Association. He was a founding member and past president of the Manitoba Association of Mathematics Teachers and a long-time member of the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics. He joined the Retired Teachers' Association of Manitoba when it was organized in 1990.

Harold always had time for family and community. We raised four children — Carol of Richmond, B.C., Ellen (Stewart Leibl) of Winnipeg, Norman z'l (Janet Lerner) of Edmonton, and Ken (Lori Leinburd) of Phoenix. Harold coached our sons' baseball and hockey teams at the West Kildonan and Garden City Community Centres, was a member of the Rosh Pina Synagogue and Menorah Lodge No. 167 A.F. & A.M., and served on the Winnipeg Board of Jewish Education.

Harold also enjoyed the outdoors and derived much pleasure from activities with our children. Our backyard was a playground and baseball diamond in the summer and a hockey rink in the winter. The family's annual camping trips took us across Canada and the United States. Later, Harold enjoyed many activities with our nine grandchildren — Alana, AJ, and Ian McKenzie of Richmond, B.C., Matthew and Leah Leibl of Winnipeg, Shawn and David Pollock of Edmonton, Kevin Pollock of Tel Aviv, and Taryn Pollock of Phoenix. They were a whole new audience for his jokes and stories!

After Harold retired, we started spending winters in Palm Springs, California, where we enjoyed the warm weather, walking, reading, meeting new friends, and playing shuffleboard, billiards, and bridge. During the summers at home, Harold played slow-pitch baseball with the Senior All-Stars in Kildonan Park, and joined the Wellness Centre at the Seven Oaks Hospital. He was a model train enthusiast and a self-taught computer programmer, and delighted in developing and writing software.

Harold and I shared a number of interests including theatre, symphony, and travel, but we particularly relished playing duplicate bridge and were a regular partnership at various clubs. We achieved Life Master status from the American Contract Bridge League during the winter of 2000.

Harold passed away on July 1, 2008, at the age of 80.

He was dedicated to "what was good for the kids." He raised a family with love, lessons, and the instilment of good values, and he influenced the lives of many children and families — a wonderful man whose life made a difference in the world.

2018