Herbert "Herb" W. Pollack

Herbert W. Pollack passed away on April 26, 2020, at the age of 93 in Lincoln, MA. He was the founder of Parlex Corporation headquartered in Methuen, MA. Herb was born on March 27, 1927 in Brooklyn, NY, the son of Shirley & Benjamin Pollack. He attended The City College of New York (CCNY), until he enlisted in the US Navy during WWII. After his discharge, he returned to CCNY to complete his Bachelor of Electrical Engineering in 1950.

Shortly after graduation, he joined the Department of Electrical Engineering at New York University, where he worked in electronic research and concurrently obtained a Master of Electrical Engineering degree. During this time, he was also an adjunct lecturer at NYU and the Polytechnic Institute of Brooklyn, now a part of NYU. In 1955, he joined Polarad Electronics Corp. in New York as a senior engineer and quickly became a Vice President and Member of the Board of Directors. In 1965, Herb and his family moved to New England where he joined Sanders Associates, now BEI, in an executive capacity. He left Sanders and founded Parlex Corporation in 1970.

Parlex was known worldwide for its development of advanced technology to design and manufacture custom flexible circuits. In recognition of his work, Herb was elected a Fellow of the Institute of Electronic & Electrical Engineers (IEEE). Parlex was twice honored by Forbes as one of the 200 best managed small companies in America. He served as Chairman of the Board for 35 years and CEO for 30 years, before retiring at age 78. During his career, Herb served as Chairman of the New York Section of the Institute of Radio Engineers and President of the Institute of Printed Circuits (IPC). Throughout his life, he also prioritized philanthropy. He served on the Board of Directors of the Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary for 12 years and was a Trustee at the time of his death. He was an alternate member of the Board of Governors of Technion University in Haifa, Israel, as well as a board member of the New England and Southern Palm Beach County chapters of the American Technion Society. He was elected an Honorary Fellow of Technion in 2004. Herb and his wife Sandy were also involved in the Boston Lyric Opera, DeCordova Museum, Massachusetts General Hospital, Combined Jewish Philanthropies and Temple Isaiah in Lexington, MA.

After moving from Woodbury, NY in 1966, Herb and Sandy resided in Lexington, MA for 45 years before moving to Lincoln, MA in 2012. They also previously owned homes in Boca Raton, FL and Falmouth, MA.

Herb leaves behind his beloved wife of over 70 years, Sandra "Sandy" (Rosenthal) Pollack. He will be dearly missed by his two daughters, Jill Kutchin of Andover, MA and Mindy Pollack-Fusi of Bedford, MA, his granddaughters Melissa Serotkin and Julie Kutchin, his step granddaughter, Gina Fusi, his son-in-law’s Ed Kutchin and Steve Fusi, his sister-in-law Geri Pollack, and his niece and two nephews.

In lieu of flowers, remembrances may be made to Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary, 243 Charles Street, Boston, MA 02114.

Funeral services were held privately.