We can never forget Dr Velma Pollard’s spirited dance to the live mento band at a CCRP outing to Milk River Hotel & Mineral Spa. Her joie-de-vivre, reflected in her warm smile, would charm her fellow members at various outings. The celebrated writer, who passed away at 87 on February 1, never rested on her laurels and was a mentor to many.

“Rest peacefully, Velma Pollard,” wrote the Observer’s Bookends coordinator Sharon Leach. “I will always remember your kindness, your interest in my writing, and your encouragement… and more than anything else, your relentless support of the Sunday Observer’s Bookends.”

In lauding Dr Pollard’s achievements, Culture Minister Olivia “Babsy” Grange remarked on her affirmation of Jamaican patois and her publications From Jamaican Creole to Standard English: A Handbook for Teachers and Dread Talk: The Language of Rastafari.

“Along with her sister, Dr Erna Brodber, also a critically acclaimed author, Pollard organised an annualEmancipation watchnight vigil in Woodside, where members of the community and the wider Jamaica could come and reflect on the significance of Emancipation,” noted Minister Grange.

Blogger Emma Lewis wrote a memorable tribute, ending with: “… her delightful, sometimes sharp humour, her warmth and her encouraging and sympathetic manner endeared her to many. She will be missed by Jamaicans of all ages, especially younger writers. Her passing leaves a gap in Jamaica’s cultural narrative, which she so effortlessly and warmly expressed.”

My deepest sympathy to Dr Pollard’s beloved family and friends. May her great soul rest in peace.

^{Source: Jamaica Observer}