Craig Pollock died in January 1972. He was hiking in the Andes near Columbia for the National Geographic while also serving in the Peace Corps. During his two years in the Peace Corps, he lived in Columbia, Peru, Chile, and Ecuador. His last place of residence was in Otavalo, Ecuador where he helped artisanos to develop artist cooperatives to sell their arts and crafts to the public.
-Shared by a member of the Pollock family
Donations can be made to the Craig Pollock Memorial Fund here. All donations to this Fund will support approved Peace Corps Partnership Program (PCPP) projects in South America with a focus on Health and Education.
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Dear friends and family of Craig. My name is Tom Croppi. My wife Carmen and I were Craig’s good friends when we worked together with the artisan cooperative project as Peace Corps volunteers in Ecuador. Craig was very instrumental in helping the artisans of Cotacachi and Esperanza produce leather items that became very popular. Craig and his close friend Bill Summers and the two of us were an inseparable group until the sad day that Craig passed. Carmen and I had our first child in Ecuador and both Craig and Bill were present at his birth. They also gifted us a beautiful wood crib for and were doting uncles. We met Craig’s parents and one of his sisters , maybe Amy, when they came to Ecuador to pick up Craig’s things. As I recall the artisans Craig worked with gave them a heartfelt plaque in his memory when we gathered to celebrate his life. Throughout all the years Craig remained close to our hearts and minds. We have often followed his mantra of “It only takes a half hour more” as he used to remind us to try and take our time to do the job right. Craig was the quintessential volunteer who captured the hearts of those people whose lives he touched. He continues to hold a special place in our hearts and will continue to do so as long as Carmen and I are alive.
Im looking for Craig’s sister who visited me in Vail Co
Jerry Sibley Bolivia 1969
Jerry,
I am John Pollock, Craig’s older brother. I believe we met in Atlanta at Craig’s memorial service in 1972.
The sister who visited you in Vail might be either Mary, five years younger than Craig, or more likely, Amy, who is about 11 years younger than Craig.
Don’t hesitate to write me at pollock@tcnj.edu.
Thanks for being such a good friend to my beloved brother,
John