When an accident killed Pollick, the city mourned

Recently, I devoted the column in this space to the Gold Key Dinner, sponsored by the Connecticut Sports Writers Alliance. It evoked a pleasing response from Torrington’s Roger Pollick.

Pollick, whose late dad, Omar Pollick was for decades a prominent sports figure in Torrington, has in his possession a number of treasures – that is, autographed programs from past Gold Key Dinners. These are intrinsically precious souvenirs loaded with matchless memories.

Omar was a big man, strong

as the proverbial bull and a hecka’va guy. He never stopped grinning. (Said Roger, in a later conversation, “At Peekskill Military Academy, his nickname was ‘Smiley’) and simply gave himself to Torrington sports.

A devoted family man, he was one of the founders of the local Babe Ruth League. The whole town grieved when, in 1973, Omar was killed in an industrial accident at the American Brass manufacturing plant in Waterbury. He was only 55 years old. Nobody didn’t like Omar Pollick, and at his wake, many visitors wept openly, including two brothers, James, known as “Flash,” and Francis, affectionately called “Bummer,” both now deceased.

Sideroad: Omar and Flash, both basketball officials, worked the THS Jayvee games prior to the varsity games at the state armory on South Main Street. Bummer was also a fine basketball ref, who was assigned to many games, including tournament games.

Back on track:

And back to Roger, who wrote, “I have the program from the second Key dinner in 1941. My dad had it signed by the three honorees – future Hall of Famer George Weiss, boxer (and champion) Kid Kaplan and golf executive Robert D. Pryde . . . speakers that night included Ford Frick, Joe McCarthy, Gene Sarazin and Francis Ouimet.”

Omar would, of course, have attended the Gold Key dinner, sports fan that he was, and would certainly have collected the autographs of every star — even the celebrity “bulldogs” among them. They could not have resisted that grin.

Roger continued: “I also have some later programs, which were signed by Mickey Mantle, Dick Williams, Jim Crowley, Ralph Houk, Johnny Pesky, Mel Stottlemeyer, Jordan Olivar and of course, Steve Blass.”

Torrington’s legendary coach, the late Connie Donahue, received his Gold Key in 1963, and Roger has the handed-down program from that one as well. ******* Delighted to see that Julio Palazzini (Class of 1949) will be inducted this evening into the Torrington High School Athletic Hall of Fame at the Elks Lodge.

As a kid, I watched him play third base from the Fuessenich Park bleachers for Connie’s Red Raiders, maybe 10 times. O My Lord, what an arm! Remember an infield of Julio, shortstop Danny Samele, second baseman Jim Toro and first baseman Vic Alexander.

Connie , in pre-game infield drills, used to smash ground balls at Julio, who would invariably control the ball cleanly and fire a throw to first that would practically tear the glove from Alexander’s hand. Rifle arm. He could hit, too, from the left side.

Palazzini was a fine all-around athlete who played one year of football at THS for coach Pete Dranginis. In a memorable 1948? game against Ansonia and its non peril quarterback Vinnie Drake, Julie circled into the backfield, took the ball on a Statue of Liberty play from the quarterback and shot a 50-or 60 yard pass to wide open Len Bonini for the touchdown that won the game.

I watched it, thrilled. What a night!

Owen Canfield