Edward Silberman

Edward Silberman age 97 of Golden Valley, unexpectedly passed away July 5, 2011. Preceded in death by wife Idell and sister Esther Silberman. Survived by children Marilyn Condon, Cyril (Lorraine Lowe), Marc (Shuhsi Kao) and Sheldon (Melissa Cohen); grandchildren Scott (Laura) Condon, Stacy (Jeff) Glass, and Laura (Steve) Leventhal; great-grandchildren, Zachary, Maya, Alex Condon; Noah and Sky Leventhal; sister Clara Margolis; brother Orell Silberman; many loving nieces and nephews. Born in Mpls. and raised in Streeter, N.D., Ed had a passion for engineering before he even knew what it was. As a kid, he used to dream of building a canal from the Missouri River to his tiny hometown and he would practice redirecting water in the tracks of horse-drawn buggies in the alley behind his home. Ed called it “child’s play,” but it turned out to be a tiny likeness of the hydrology work that would dominate his 40-year career at the University of Minnesota’s St. Anthony Falls Laboratory (SAFL or later referred to as “the Lab”), serving as both its co-developer in 1946 and later its director from 1963 to 1974, where he harnessed the power of the Mississippi River for several decades. In 1935 and 1937, he respectively earned Bachelor’s and Master’s Degrees in Civil Engineering with High Distinction. He worked at several short-term projects in Minnesota, Kansas and Tennessee before taking employment with the U.S. Bureau of Air Commerce that later became the Civil Aeronautics Authority (CAA). His military career began in ROTC at the U of M. In May 1941, Ed was called to active duty as a First Lieutenant in the Coast Artillery Reserve and was relieved from active duty as a Major in the Corps of Engineers in January 1946, following the end of WWII. He served in the reserve long enough to reach retirement as Lt. Colonel. Following WWII, after a short stint with the CAA, Ed returned to the U of M in 1946 as a Research Associate at the Lab. He remained at the U for the remainder of his professional career, through the ranks of Assistant, Associate and Full Professor in 1957. In October 1963, he became Director of the Lab, a post he served until July 1974. Ed formally retired in December 1981, but continued as an Adjunct Professor until 1988. As Professor Emeritus, he maintained an office at the Lab and continued commuting every Wednesday to mentor graduate students and critique their presentations, until recent months. His rewarding academic life also entailed many outside activities including honorary and lifetime memberships in the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) and the Society of American Military Engineers (SAME.) As a Civil Engineering faculty member, he chaired numerous committees, and was active in organizing and participating in conferences internationally representing the Lab, professional societies and the U.S. Government. For the Bassett Creek Water Management Commission, he served as an Assist. Commissioner in 1973 and Commissioner in 1974, representing the city of Golden Valley on the Bassett Creek Flood Control Commission, now the Bassett Creek Water Management Commission. In 1975, Ed was elected treasurer of the Commission. In 1991, he was elected to the grade of Honorary Member of the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE), considered one of the highest forms of civil engineering peer recognition. For his lifetime accomplishments he was awarded the Charles W. Britzius Distinguished Engineer Award in 2008, given by the Minnesota Federation of Engineering to the engineer who best exhibits longstanding dedication and service to the field. Many of the 300 engineers who were there to honor him during the award presentation had been his students. In 2006, he organized Minneapolis North High School’s 75th Class Reunion. Throughout his lifetime, Ed was athletic in mind, body and spirit. In his college years, Ed played tag football, baseball and tennis, pool and chess. He also tutored college friends with their math, drawing and physics classes. He served as a Scoutmaster for many years. He and his wife Idell enjoyed travel spanning the globe, during their 60-year marriage. A recipient of seven joint replacement surgeries (including 3 hips, both shoulders and knees), Ed was an avid tennis player until the age of 91. He continued to play bridge and enjoy additional mind stimulation games including newspaper daily bridge clubs and New York Times crossword puzzles until his passing. Funeral service 1 PM THURSDAY, July 7 at BETH EL SYNAGOGUE, 5224 West 26th St., St. Louis Park. In lieu of flowers memorials are preferred to the Edward Silberman Fellowship Fund, Fund #7176, U of MN / SAFL, 2 Third Av. S.E., Mpls., MN. Shiva, 7 PM Thursday at 120 Westwood Dr. No., Golden Valley.