George Pollard | Portrait artist, 88
George Pollard, 88, whose portrait subjects included Presidents Harry Truman and John F. Kennedy, Pope John Paul II, and Muhammad Ali, died in his sleep Thursday at his home in Kenosha, Wis., his wife, Nan Pollard, said.
Mr. Pollard, who grew up on a farm near Sheboygan, attended art schools in Milwaukee and Pittsburgh before he enlisted in the Marines in World War II and served 39 months in the South Pacific.
Truman reacted to a Pollard portrait by remarking, "Young man, I think you flattered me just right," Nan Pollard recalled.
His other subjects included musician Ray Charles, Green Bay Packers greats Bart Starr and Brett Favre, and baseball's Nolan Ryan. He was the official portrait artist for the Milwaukee Bucks and Milwaukee Brewers for 25 years.
- AP