Patrick Pollino, APR, Fellow PRSA, a longtime PRSA member, distinguished PR practitioner and former member of the PRSA Board of Directors, died on Aug. 25. He was 8o.
Pollino’s PR career spanned four decades. He began at Western Electric in 1965, and later held management and executive positions with a variety of companies, including Southwestern Bell, Pennsylvania Electric Company and Mercer Management Consulting. He was also part of the team leading communications for the Three Mile Island nuclear scare in the late 1970s.
He served in local, regional and national positions with PRSA, including as president of Boston’s PRSA Chapter. Pollino chaired the 1998 PRSA International Conference (today known as ICON) in Boston. The Boston Chapter honored him with the 2006 Diane Davis Beacon Award for lifetime achievement in public relations.
He officially retired in 2005, although he continued consulting for several additional years.
In 2014, Pollino shared this insight with the Boston Chapter for PR professionals: “Learn as much as you can about the world in which we live, master the tools that are available to you that can help you do your jobs better, and remain intellectually curious.”
He also revealed what he loved most about the PR profession: “There’s satisfaction that’s derived from knowing that your actions can make a difference in how the organization you work for is perceived by stakeholders both internally and externally.”
An active contributor to his local community, Pollino called on his passion for connecting with people to volunteer with the Greater Boston Convention and Visitors Bureau in downtown Boston and as a representative at the Boston Commons Visitor Information Center, where he was the go-to person for restaurant recommendations.
Pollino was born in Johnstown, Pa., in 1943, and graduated with honors from the University of Pittsburgh.
Pollino is survived by his wife, Lynne, and daughter, Kathryn.
Pat was a good friend who I met in the early 90s. He served as an Silver Anvil judge for many years. I had the pleasure of serving with him on two international conferences in Boston. I will miss him a lot.