Boston Herald
Longtime Boston Herald photographer Arthur Pollock, whose 40-year career spanned the dark room to the digital newsroom, died yesterday.
Pollock, 68, made a mark on the Boston news landscape photographing thousands of news events, celebrities and athletes. He kept up the pace after being named assistant chief photographer.
“I had the honor of watching Arthur take pictures for decades,” said Herald Editor-in-Chief Joe Sciacca. “I saw him photograph Christa McAuliffe in Houston and then the horrific Challenger disaster that took her life at Cape Kennedy. I watched as he studied an orphanage in Huambo, Angola, before clicking away as Ethel Kennedy embraced children there. And I saw him chronicle events — happy, sad, uplifting, tragic — that we were assigned to cover as daily news cycles turned into years.
“Arthur didn’t just take his work seriously. He immersed himself in it, caught up in every moment he captured,” Sciacca added. “He did it with humor, compassion, intelligence and remarkable energy. In every image he left, there is a part of his spirit.”
Pollock began his career at the Daily Cardinal, the University of Wisconsin Madison newspaper, starting his professional career in Hammond, Ind. He then worked for The Sun of Lowell, departing for the Boston Herald in 1983.
Herald photo department director James Mahoney called Pollock “first a friend” then a colleague and mentor.
“He was really a terrific guy who loved being a Herald news photographer. Today is a sad day for his family and for us,” Mahoney said. “What he could do with a camera was often magic and his imagination was as boundless as his sense of humor. He was a really tremendous photographer who I counted on frequently to get just the right photo for our stories. … It was an honor to work with him for last 34 years. I’ll miss him.”
Herald publisher Kevin Corrado said, “Arthur brought talent and leadership to the Herald photo staff, but more than that, he brought a level of friendship and collegiality that will always be remembered. We were privileged to have him in our newsroom.”