| April 17, 2001 |
Contact: Judith
T. Lunsford |
When staff members of Mercer University Ð Atlanta's Monroe F. Swilley Library describe Bunny Pollock as extraordinary, they are not just describing her sunny disposition or her 10 years of outstanding volunteer service at the library. The "extra" also represents her courage and determination to overcome personal adversity to make her efforts beneficial to others.
The petite, dark-haired Atlanta native talks in a tranquil voice, but with a broad smile. Her comments are marked with graceful hand gestures that still reflect her younger years of ballet training and teaching. "I wouldn't come here if I didn't enjoy the work and feel like I am doing something worthwhile," she stated.
Two mornings a week, she rides to Mercer's Cecil B. Day Graduate and Professional Campus with her husband, Dr. Stanley Pollock, professor at Mercer's Southern School of Pharmacy. Her library responsibilities include processing and shelving periodicals and journals, cleaning CDs and inserting security strips in materials. "I love being busy while I'm here," said Pollock, as she pushes a cart of materials toward her assigned space. "I even have my own desk." At lunch, her husband drives her back to their Tucker home.
While the 54-year-old enjoys her volunteer work, the road that brought her to Mercer was a difficult one to travel. In fall 1988, she was busy with a banking career and getting used to having her two daughters, Gwen and Michele, away at college. On the evening of Oct. 9, a drunk driver changed her life by crossing the median and hitting a car that landed on top of the Pollocks'. Bunny suffered a brain injury that left her in a coma for five weeks. She spent two years in rehabilitation. The results from her injuries, however, kept her from assuming her duties as assistant bank branch manager. "My former job required that I handle multiple tasks, and I no longer do well with that," she said.
To help his wife regain her independence and sense of safety, in 1991, Dr. Pollock approached Elizabeth Jackson, who then served as director of the School of Pharmacy's Naylor Educational Resource Center. "The Pharmacy School was getting ready to move from its Boulevard location to the Cecil B. Day Campus when Dr. Pollock asked about Bunny volunteering in the library," said Jackson, who is now associate director of the Swilley Library. "From the start, Bunny has been very efficient. When she comes in, she goes to work and gets it done. Almost every journal and periodical we have received during the past 10 years has been handled by Bunny."
When the Pharmacy School moved its library materials to the Swilley Library, Pollock moved, too. "It is good that I started at Naylor because it was small and I had an chance to get used to everything," she explained. "It was a bit overwhelming when I first came to Swilley. It seemed so huge, and I have problems sometimes with orientation. But, part of my therapy was to become independent and to feel safe, and being here has helped me."
Greeted with smiles and comments from both staff and students, Pollock takes a moment to speak to each one. She is known for her positive attitude and enduring cheerfulness.
"The University has benefited unbelievably from Bunny's work," said Swilley Library Director Judith Brook. "She provides a genuine service. Bunny is so conscientious and takes a lot of pride in what she does. She knows the students need the journals and periodicals so she makes sure they are processed and available to them."
When Pollock is away from the library, she enjoys reading a good romance and spends time doing water aerobics to help strengthen her muscles that were left weakened from the accident.
"I can't believe so much time has flown by," she said, reflecting on her past decade of service. "To be able to come here and do my work has been very important to me. The people are so wonderful. I love it here."
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