HOME NEW @ LaRue FACTS & FAVORITES ART'S STATS - PRE-1962 1962-65 1966 1967 1968 1969 1970 1971 1972-73 1967 THERMO-KING Gerhardt Press Release Pacific Racing Association: TRIBUTE 1969 STP Press Release 1969 REX MAYS 150 Magazine Article MORE EULOGIES IN THE BLOOD Mike & Brad Pollard E-ME CREDITS TRACK FORUM River City Corvettes

Press release courtesy of Mike Pollard Art Pollard Playground Art Pollard was talented racer with a wonderful sense of humor, a gift for glib and a love of socializing, somehow found himself quite at home with the emotionally disturbed children at Larue D. Carter Memorial Hospital. Back in Art Pollard's heyday, it wasn't just a smooth PR or photo op, it was a genuine affection for the kids. Things were different then. It was just a genuine bond between the personable Oregon racer, who came to Indianapolis racing rather late in life, and Indianapolis kids known as "very tough cases" in treatment at the state psychiatric facility. Art Pollard first visited Larue Carter in May 1968. It was the beginning of something very special. Pollard returned every spring, quietly stopping by to visit the kids in the evening, sharing a story or two, and bonding with them. A hospital doctor at the time said Pollard just seemed to click with them. When Art died at the wheel of his racer, the children at Larue lost a true friend in 1973, but his legacy contiues to this day. He left behind $25,000 in donations, and the Art Pollard Fund was established to help fund yearly visits to the track for the children. On May 22nd 2003, Members of his family, the 42 kids at the hospital and dozens of staff watched as the Family and Social Services Administration's John Hamilton named an acre playground for Art Pollard. Then came the annual Art Pollard picnic. John, 14, a skinny kid in a black Jeff Gordon T-shirt, who was into anything fast with wheels and an engine, was totally excited. "It's awesome," he said, posing for a picture with his friends in front of the newly dedicated playground. Mike Pollard, Art's son, and his cousin Brad Pollard, were in attendance for the ceremony. Indy also has a lot of good memories of Pollard. Attorney Forrest Bowman III and retired sports announcer James A. Wilson are trustees of the fund. They've got lots of Pollard stories. The best recollation came from David Harrison, the graying volunteer coordinator at Larue Carter. "We have never generated a lot of friends in the community," he explains. "People are uncomfortable around mental illness. There is so much stigma." "Art didn't see stigma. He saw kids as kids." For that, he will always be a winner." Photo courtesy of Mike Pollard Art Pollard Tribute Site established April 2, 2002