Stephen Michael Pollock, known as Steve, passed away on Nov. 13. He is survived by his wife, Tina, and their three sons: Josh (married to Annette Sandretto) of Ann Arbor, Aaron (married to Emily Yu) of San Francisco, and Ethan (married to Amy Mendillo) of Providence, RI. The family also includes four grandchildren: Lucas, Zachary, Nadia, and Hannah.
Steve grew up in Brooklyn, New York, during the 1940s and ’50s, attending Madison High School. His father, Meyer, was a professional violinist who played with Toscanini and during Orson Welles’ famous War of the Worlds broadcast. His mother, Frances, taught music in the New York Public Schools.
Steve attended Cornell, studying the emerging field of engineering physics under adviser Hans Bethe. He later pursued graduate studies at MIT, where he met Tina. They married and enjoyed over 63 years together. After graduating, Steve worked at Arthur D. Little, Inc. before teaching at the Naval Postgraduate School in Monterey, California.
In 1969, Steve joined the University of Michigan faculty as a professor of operations and industrial engineering and became a fan of Wolverines sports. At U-M, he applied operations research and decision analysis to defense, criminal justice, manufacturing, epidemiology, and medicine.
He was a dedicated teacher and mentor, serving on the Army Science Board and advisory committees for the National Science Foundation. Steve was also president of the Operations Research Society of America and elected to the National Academy of Engineering. Despite his commitments, he always made time for family dinners at 5:30 p.m.
Steve continued as a professor emeritus at U-M and worked as a consultant into his 70s. He and Tina traveled extensively, visiting Italy, Portugal, Turkey, Morocco, and China. They cherished summers at their vacation home on Chappaquiddick, with Steve enjoying clamming and fishing.
Even as he faced dementia and Alzheimer’s in later years, Steve remained devoted to Tina and loved a good hamburger. In his memory, donations can be made to Central World Kitchen, the American Civil Liberties Union, or Planned Parenthood.
— Submitted by Muehlig Funeral Chapel
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