Carl Arthur Pollock, OC (1903 – August 16, 1978) was a Canadian businessman. Born in

Kitchener Kitchener may refer to: People * Earl Kitchener, a title in the Peerage of the United Kingdom ** Herbert Kitchener, 1st Earl Kitchener (1850–1916), British Field Marshal and 1st Earl Kitchener ** Henry Kitchener, 2nd Earl Kitchener (1846–1937) ...

, Ontario, graduated from the University of Toronto in

electrical engineering Electrical engineering is an engineering discipline concerned with the study, design, and application of equipment, devices, and systems which use electricity, electronics, and electromagnetism. It emerged as an identifiable occupation in the l ...

. A scholarship from the Massey Foundation financed two years at Oxford University,

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe ...

. At university he showed exceptional talent in track and rowing. He taught for a short time at the University of Toronto, but his father's illness led him to choose a career in business and industry at the Kitchener electronics firm his father founded in 1907, Electrohome. Pollock joined the firm in 1930, was president from 1951 to 1972, and oversaw the most successful years of Electrohome's history. During the decades to follow, Electrohome produced many different consumer products, including furniture, electric motors, small appliances, and most importantly, radios and televisions. By 1965, Electrohome products were being sold in 23 countries. Total sales in 1968 were $44.5 million. By end of the decade, Electrohome was the second largest employer in the Kitchener-Waterloo area, and colour television was the company's largest single product line. In fact, Electrohome engineered, designed, and manufactured the only Canadian colour television receiver. He was also the founder of several media outlets in Kitchener, including CKKW, CFCA and CKCO. Pollock was a member of the

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and in 1963 he became president of the Canadian Manufacturers' Association. He was convinced that Canadian technology and industry would take no second place. His own firm led in introducing several firsts in the electronics field. In 1975, he was made an Officer of the

Order of Canada The Order of Canada (french: Ordre du Canada; abbreviated as OC) is a Canadian state order and the second-highest honour for merit in the system of orders, decorations, and medals of Canada, after the Order of Merit. To coincide with the c ...

"for his many services to industry, particularly in the field of electronics and for a variety of community activities." He was a founder of the

University of Waterloo The University of Waterloo (UWaterloo, UW, or Waterloo) is a public research university with a main campus in Waterloo, Ontario, Canada. The main campus is on of land adjacent to "Uptown" Waterloo and Waterloo Park. The university also operates ...

, chairperson of the board of governors for eleven years and chancellor from 1975 to 1978. He was a founder of the

Stratford Festival of Canada The Stratford Festival is a theatre festival which runs from April to October in the city of Stratford, Ontario, Canada. Founded by local journalist Tom Patterson in 1952, the festival was formerly known as the Stratford Shakespearean Festival ...

and supported musical groups, including the Kitchener-Waterloo Symphony Orchestra. His son John A. Pollock took over the role of 3rd generation president of Electrohome in 1972, and led the company into a number of different electronics businesses, primarily industrial. The most successful products during this period was a line of data, video, and graphics projectors. Electrohome eventually was dissolved in an orderly wind down in late 2008. At University of Waterloo, the engineering building CPH (Carl Pollock Hall) is named after him.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Pollock, Carl 1903 births 1978 deaths Businesspeople from Kitchener, Ontario Chancellors of the University of Waterloo Canadian radio executives Canadian television executives Officers of the Order of Canada University of Toronto alumni

See also

References