- April 4, 2025
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Vice Mayor Mike Satterfield Mike Satterfield shared the histories of Eugene Pollard, Lillie Wade and the late Commissioner Willie Welch during a dedication ceremony Saturday, June 16, in the town of Oakland.
Family and friends gathered for the dedication of Pollard Park and the Masonic Hall cornerstone.
A few members — but not all — of the late Commissioner Willie Welch’s family, Shaquandra Turner, left, Willie Welch Jr. and Donna Welch Lewis, gathered under the pavilion named in their father’s memory in Oakland.
Sisters Betty Wade, left, Barbara Wade Massey and Katherine Wright stand by the dedicated cornerstone of the former Mount Herman Masonic Hall No. 45. The lodge was built on this land. Their mother was a Worthy Matron of the lodge.
Commission and staff members celebrate the opening of Pollard Park: Manager Dennis Foltz, left, Vice Mayor Mike Satterfield, Mayor Kathy Stark, commissioners Rick Polland and Joseph McMullen, Assistant Manager Steve Koontz.
The morning of Saturday, June 16, was full of dedications and unveilings in the town of Oakland.
A crowd gathered under the new Willie Welch Pavilion for the dedication of Pollard Park, on West Hull Avenue, and the old Masonic Lodge cornerstone.
Eugene Pollard lived most of his life in Oakland. He was a well-respected leader and resident and was active in his church, St. Paul Missionary Baptist Church, now Champions Cathedral, in Oakland. He owned various rooming houses, as well as two homes, in Oakland.
Pollard served as secretary of the Mount Herman Masonic Lodge No. 45.
The lodge, formerly located on Sadler Avenue, was erected in 1950, and Pollard was respected for his role in the lodge.
During the dedication of the park, the town unveiled the demolished lodge’s cornerstone, which was preserved and placed at the park’s south end.
