Tyler

By CINDY MALLETTE
Staff Writer

Tomas Glover Pollard, an East Texas native, former Texas state senator and contributor to Tyler’s growth and expansion, will be the third person honored in the city’s Half-Mile of History program.

Pollard was born in Martin’s Mill on May 9, 1895. He attended Athens High School and earned a law degree from the University of Texas in Austin. He was elected to the Texas House of Representatives in 1919 at the age of 26.

In 1922, while still serving in the state capitol, Pollard moved to Tyler with his family. He served two terms in the House of Representatives before he was elected to the state Senate, where he served for another decade. He was elected President Pro Tempore of the 40th State Legislature, then served as chairman of the Finance Committee when he was only 33 years old.

Barbara Holly, planning director for the city of Tyler, said Pollard’s enduring legacy is a bill he sponsored that appropriated funding for education in rural communities. That bill led to the creation of Texas State Technical College, now Texas Tech University.

“There’s a lot of support for him, educationally,” Ms. Holly said.

She said Pollard contributed as much to Tyler as he did the state of Texas. Seeing a need for a local state bank, he obtained a charter and helped open the city’s first state bank, Tyler Guarantee Bank. He also contributed to the area’s oil and gas industry, authoring the Oil and Gas Pipeline Bill and the Gas and Market Demand Conservation Statutes. These bills helped small oil and gas companies compete against larger companies.

“He’s done a lot of really good things for the area,” Ms. Holly said.

Pollard died in 1962, and his family has continued to contribute to the city, honoring his legacy, Holly said. Mayor Barbara Bass asked members of Pollard’s extended family to stand up and receive recognition at the City Council meeting on Wednesday.

“We’re very proud of the Pollard family and all they’ve given to our community,” Ms. Bass said.

The Half-Mile of History program was launched in February as a result of recommendations from the Tyler 21 Plan to promote and display aspects of Tyler’s history. The program is a permanent, outdoor half-mile heritage trail that surrounds the downtown square.

Stone monuments are embedded into the sidewalk along the Half-Mile of History in honor of people, places or events significant to Tyler’s history.

Individuals may submit nominations for the program by visiting the city of Tyler Web site, www.city-oftyler.org and going to the Planning and Zoning Depart-ment’s page, or by calling 903-531-1175.