Walter “Wally” Pollock served the company from 1977 to 1990, becoming vice president of human resources. Authentic, good-natured, and enthusiastic, Wally made a powerful first impression on job candidates and gave new hires a good start with the organization.
During his tenure, Pollock developed a cutting-edge wellness program and introduced benefits that included educational assistance and career development, as well as strengthening the company’s infrastructure by developing and documenting operational processes and procedures. He played a key role in improving the work safety of all Lowe’s employees and created a mine safety and health administration handbook, which was upheld as a national model. The standards he set created a legacy that remains the hallmark for human relations at the Edward Lowe Foundation.
Wally was well-known and respected throughout the Lowe’s organization and the South Bend community. His wife, Debbie, was also known for her warm, outgoing nature. “Whenever we attended family functions for the organization, Debbie would always go out of her way to visit with new employees and their spouses and make them feel welcome,” remembers Mike McCuistion, divisional vice president of physical resources at the Edward Lowe Foundation.
When Debbie died from a sudden asthma attack in 1988, the entire Lowe’s organization felt the sadness along with Wally and their three children, Danny, Jessica and Lisa. Wally later married Kathy Jo (Finch) Pollock.
Ed Lowe sold the clay absorbent portion of Edward Lowe Industries in 1990, and five years later the Golden Cat Corporation was sold and the South Bend office closed. Although Wally moved on to other HR positions, he often expressed to friends and co-workers he considered the years spent working at Lowe’s the “best of times.”