Irene Sue Pollin (; June 29, 1924 – July 28, 2020) was an American sports executive and philanthropist. Pollin was born in

St. Louis, Missouri St. Louis () is the second-largest city in Missouri, United States. It sits near the confluence of the Mississippi and the Missouri Rivers. In 2020, the city proper had a population of 301,578, while the bi-state metropolitan area, whic ...

on June 29, 1924. She married

Abe Pollin Abraham J. Pollin (December 3, 1923 – November 24, 2009) was the owner of a number of professional sports teams including the Washington Capitals in the National Hockey League (NHL), the Washington Mystics in the Women's National Basketbal ...

in 1945 and moved to

Washington, D.C. ) , image_skyline = , image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, ...

In 1963, Pollin's 16-year-old daughter Linda died from a congenital heart defect, and she suffered from depression for several years. Pollin decided to return to school, earning a bachelor’s degree in anthropology from American University in 1971 and a master’s degree in social work from the

Catholic University of America The Catholic University of America (CUA) is a private Roman Catholic research university in Washington, D.C. It is a pontifical university of the Catholic Church in the United States and the only institution of higher education founded by U. ...

in 1974. Pollin started a counseling practice at

Washington Hospital Center MedStar Washington Hospital Center is the largest private hospital in Washington, D.C. A member of MedStar Health, the not-for-profit Hospital Center is licensed for 926 beds. Health services in primary, secondary and tertiary care are offered to ...

and published two books on counseling. In 1999, Pollin started a foundation called Sister to Sister, dedicated to teaching women about heart-disease risk. In 2008, Pollin donated $12 million to

Brigham and Women’s Hospital Brigham and Women's Hospital (BWH) is the second largest teaching hospital of Harvard Medical School and the largest hospital in the Longwood Medical Area in Boston, Massachusetts. Along with Massachusetts General Hospital, it is one of the two fo ...

to establish the Linda Joy Pollin Cardiovascular Wellness Program. In 2012, a $10 million donation to

Hadassah Medical Center Hadassah Medical Center ( he, הָמֶרְכָּז הָרְפוּאִי הֲדַסָּה) is an Israeli medical organization established in 1934 that operates two university hospitals in Jerusalem – one in Ein Karem and one in Mount Scopus –, ...

established the Linda Joy Pollin Cardiovascular Wellness Institute. In 2013, she donated $10 million to the Johns Hopkins University Hospital center for the prevention of heart disease, and she also gave $10 million to establish the Linda Joy Pollin Women’s Heart Health Program at

Cedars-Sinai Medical Center Cedars-Sinai Medical Center is a nonprofit, tertiary, 886-bed teaching hospital and multi-specialty academic health science center located in Los Angeles, California. Part of the Cedars-Sinai Health System, the hospital employs a staff of over 2, ...

. Pollin became the majority owner of the

Washington Wizards The Washington Wizards are an American professional basketball team based in Washington, D.C. The Wizards compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference Southeast Division. The team plays ...

and the

Washington Mystics The Washington Mystics are an American professional basketball team based in Washington, D.C. The Mystics compete in the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) as a member club of the league's Eastern Conference (WNBA), Eastern Conference ...

after her husband's death in 2009. They had previously also owned the

Washington Capitals The Washington Capitals (colloquially known as the Caps) are a professional ice hockey team based in Washington, D.C. The team competes in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Metropolitan Division in the Eastern Conference, a ...

. Pollin would turn the franchises over to

Ted Leonsis Theodore John Leonsis (born January 8, 1957) is an American businessman, investor, filmmaker, author, philanthropist, and former politician. He is a former senior executive with America Online (AOL), and the founder, chairman, and CEO of Monument ...

who would go on to form

Monumental Sports & Entertainment Theodore John Leonsis (born January 8, 1957) is an American businessman, investor, filmmaker, author, philanthropist, and former politician. He is a former senior executive with America Online (AOL), and the founder, chairman, and chief executive ...

. In 2016, Pollin published an autobiography, ''Irene and Abe: An Unexpected Life''. Pollin died on July 28, 2020, at her home in

Amherst, Massachusetts Amherst () is a town in Hampshire County, Massachusetts, United States, in the Connecticut River valley. As of the 2020 census, the population was 39,263, making it the highest populated municipality in Hampshire County (although the county seat ...

. She is survived by two sons,

Robert Pollin Robert Pollin (born September 29, 1950) is an American economist, and self described socialist. He is a professor of economics at the University of Massachusetts Amherst and founding co-director of its Political Economy Research Institute (PERI ...

and James Pollin.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Pollin, Irene American sports executives and administrators Women sports executives and administrators 1924 births 2020 deaths American women philanthropists Philanthropists from Washington, D.C. Writers from St. Louis 20th-century American philanthropists 21st-century philanthropists Washington Capitals owners Washington Wizards owners Washington Mystics owners American University alumni Catholic University of America alumni 20th-century women philanthropists 21st-century women philanthropists