Many folks who settle in Colorado are partisan to mountain views, but Calvin Pollard would rather look east over the plains and take in the beauty of Coloradoís wide open spaces.Pollard grew up in the foothills of the Appalachian Mountains of Kentucky, about 30 miles south of Lexington. He was born Aug. 16, 1942, in his parentsí home. The doctor who delivered Pollard drove as far as he could in his Model A Ford, but Pollardís father had to retrieve the doctor and drive him the rest of the way in a horse and buggy. His parents were farmers. ìThey raised tobacco, corn, sugar cane and big, huge gardens,î Pollard said. They milked cows and raised their own hogs as well. Pollard, the only child, graduated from high school in 1961, and joined the United States Air Force. He began basic training in San Antonio, and later headed to Amarillo, Texas, for tech school, where he studied airplane mechanicsí parts and supplies.Pollardís first assignment took him to Selfridge Air Force Base in Michigan. In 1962, the Air Force sent him to Okinawa, Japan. Pollard worked in supply and also drove parts to mechanics on the flight line, he said. After six months in Japan, he was assigned to Clark Air Force Base in the Philippines, where he received a promotion to an E4. Pollard stayed at Clark two years before returning to George Air Force Base in California. There, he moved into logistics. In 1965, Pollard re-enlisted and chose Langley Air Force Base in Virginia for his next assignment. ìI was on the West Coast so I wanted to go to the East Coast,î he said. He also switched from logistics to mobility. ìMobility was exciting because we practiced the different plans that send aircraft all over the world and you had to do it in an allotted amount of time,î he said. ìYou had so many minutes from the time the phone rang to get loaded and manifested and then take off.îIn 1970, Pollard went to Arnold Air Force Base near Tullahoma, Tennessee. ìIt was 60 miles south of Nashville, and everyone wanted to come there,î he said. ìIt was primo territory.îThe following year, Pollard, now an E5, was assigned a 13-month tour to a civil engineering department in Kunsan, Korea.After Korea, the Air Force moved him to Mississippi. ìIt wasnít necessarily where I wanted to be,î he said. Pollard put his name in for an opening at the United States Air Force Academy and came in second for the job. ìAbout a week and a half later the guy that got the assignment didnít want it,î he said. Pollard eagerly stepped in, and worked supply and pickup and delivery. He stayed at the USAFA four years before being reassigned. ìIt took (reviewing) 28 bases before finding one to match my rank and skill level,î he said. He ended up at MCord Air Force Base, near Tacoma, Washington; but Pollard said the assignment wasnít his ìcup of tea.î After almost 10 months, he asked his commanding officer if he could retrain for a different field of study.In 1979, the Air Force sent Pollard to Fort Benjamin Harrison in Indiana to study journalism. After four months of school, he graduated and ended up at Lowry Air Force Base in Denver. ìI started working at the newspaper, and my first story was about a squirrel,î he said. ìIt was about a guy feeding a squirrel peanuts through a screen; and I still get a laugh about it today.î After spending three and a half years at Lowry, Pollard had a choice to go to Korea or Lubbock, Texas, for his next assignment. Pollard spent his final year in the Air Force at Reese Air Force Base near Lubbock. ìThatís where I finished up my tour in the Air Force,î he said. ìPrinting newspapers, writing speeches and taking pictures.îBefore officially retiring from the United States Air Force in 1982, Pollard bought a house in Colorado Springs. He moved from Texas back to Colorado, and soon after began taking journalism classes at Pikes Peak Community College. In 1985, he earned degrees in journalism and marketing. Pollard said he worked various jobs before being hired for the service counter at Hugh M. Woods hardware store. He eventually moved to a management position.In 1993, Pollard built a house in Falcon. After driving around on the eastern plains, Pollard said he wondered ìwho would live outî in Falcon. ìMe, thatís who,î he said. Pollard was the 10th house built in the Paint Brush Hills development (formerly Falcon Hills).As Falcon grew, Pollard became involved with a development board; and, in 1994, he ran for the Paint Brush Hills water board, and served on the board for 12 years. ìYou are either part of the problem or part of the solution,î he said. ìI try to be part of the solution.î Pollard plans to run for the Paint Brush Hills water board this fall.At a Hugh M. Woods Christmas party, he met his future wife, Cheryl. They began dating, and eventually they were both in pursuit of new jobs after Hugh M. Woods went bankrupt and closed 200 stores, including three stores in Colorado Springs. A few years later – in November 2004 – they marriedPollard and his wife are now retired. They enjoy traveling, fishing, playing golf, photography, writing; and just taking in Coloradoís wide open spaces. ìYou canít box me in.î he said. ìHavenít found any place else I want to move to.î
