‘He reached for lives that needed to be saved’

Carver High baseball coach David Pollard was laid to rest during an emotional two-hour service on Sunday at Cascade Hills Church. Pollard, 36, was killed on Monday in a three-car wreck caused by a driver in a stolen vehicle near Buena Vista Road.

The service, attended by nearly 1,200 people, was one filled with both laughter and tears as family and friends shared reflections of Pollard’s life.

His wife, Adrienne, thanked the community for the outpouring of support for her husband and her family, and a video tribute showed photos from Pollard’s life from childhood to adulthood.

The Carver baseball team was in attendance, wearing their jerseys, which bore a patch dedicated to Pollard.

A proclamation from Columbus Mayor Teresa Tomlinson was read by Pollard’s cousin Rhonda German, declaring April 24, 2016, as a day of remembrance for Pollard, and Congressman Sanford Bishop read a statement he would give on the floor of the United States House of Representatives on Tuesday.

Those who spoke remembered Pollard as a devoted husband and father, a pensive and deeply intelligent individual, and a man committed to having a positive impact on his community as a coach, educator and mentor. He was a man who made friends with a large variety of people, regardless of religion, race or occupation.

“David hung out with a chef, y’all,” joked Anson Hundley, the Carver girls basketball coach.

Reflecting first, Hundley called Pollard a brother. In fact, he said, Pollard had a lot of brothers. Hundley asked anyone who considered Pollard a brother to stand up, causing about 20 men to rise to their feet.

“All those men that stood up, that’s years and years of friendship,” Hundley said. “And we all come from different walks of life. Educators, counselors, firemen, a lawyer, a chef. … That’s what he wants for y’all.”

Hundley spoke to the students and members of the baseball team in attendance, telling them not to slip back after this.

“You always wear him on your shoulder,” he said. “And always know that he’s looking at you. That fussing he gave you, it’s still coming, because I’ll give it to you.”

And to Pollard’s 9-year-old daughter, Joy, Hundley said her dad wasn’t gone.

“Every one of those men that stood up, your uncles, we’re going to always be there for you,” he said.

Terry Render, Pollard’s father, did a similar thing. He asked anyone he regularly calls “Son” to stand up.

“These are my kids,” he said. “These are my sons. I lost one, but I gained so many in the process that (David) brought into my life.”

Kimberli Render, Pollard’s sister, remembered her brother for his sharp mind and love of discussing important issues. Brother Carlos Pollard had the same memory.

He said they would discuss race relations and political and social issues such as the Black Lives Matter movement and how it was perceived by different races. Carlos recalled a time years ago when David got angry at him after he advised David not to get too involved with one troubled kid.

“He said, ‘You know what? You’re just a part of the system, that’s what you are. What’s wrong with rehabilitating him?’ That’s what David wanted to do,” Carlos said.

He talked about his misgivings when his brother decided to quit a steady job at Blue Cross Blue Shield to coach high school baseball at Carver. Carlos was thinking about the financial end, he said. But not David.

“My brother said, ‘I want to change lives, man. That’s what I want to do.’”

And he did, for boys such as Kwame Holt whom he taught, coached and mentored. On Sunday, Holt told funeral goers that as a kid he didn’t know where his next meal was going to come from.

“I used to use that as a crutch,” said Holt, now 25. “Coach P wasn’t hearing that. … ‘You work to make it better. You work for a change.’”

When Holt was experiencing a strained relationship with his parents, Pollard walked him onto the field for his senior night.

Charles Flowers, Pollard’s coach at Shaw High School, also addressed the crowd.

“Sometimes we categorize people because of where they are,” Flowers said. “They can’t do good because they live across the tracks. But I’m here to tell you today, Coach David Pollard brought the tracks to them.”

Carlos said it was about more than coaching. Fighting tears, he said that baseball was just the vehicle for the larger impact David wanted to have.

“David was trying to save lives,” he said. “Lives that have no color. People, we’ve got to quit hating each other. David didn’t reach for the low-hanging fruit. He reached for lives that needed to be saved.”

Carlos said that included the driver of the stolen car that caused the wreck that took his brother’s life.

“I wasn’t mad,” Carlos said. “It was just a kid who needed help.”

Terry Render said it was a reminder for what David stood for.

“He wanted to change this community,” he said. “He knew what this community could be. … That’s what he dedicated his life to. David was an amazing man. When I grow up, I’m going to be just like him.”

This story was originally published April 24, 2016 at 8:32 PM with the headline "‘He reached for lives that needed to be saved’."