Arnold B. Silverman
November 19, 2020
ARNOLD B. SILVERMAN, of Murrysville, Pennsylvania
Born September 1, 1937 and died November 19, 2020. Arnie was the beloved husband of Susan L. Silverman for 60 years and the son of the late Frank E. and Lillian L. Silverman. He is survived by two sons, Michael E. Silverman of Cranberry Township, and Lee O. Silverman of Morgantown, West Virginia; a granddaughter, Rachael M. Silverman, and a grandson, Henry Jack Silverman, both of Fox Chapel, and a niece, Carol Goldstein (Bernard Nadel) of Los Angeles, CA. He was predeceased by sister, Janet Goldstein. He also leaves behind his beloved two therapy dogs, Polo and Pippa, which are of Shih Tzu breed, and who, over the years, have extended comfort and love to hundreds of hospital patients and students who have difficulty with reading.
Arnie received a Bachelor of Engineering Science degree from Johns Hopkins University in mechanical engineering in 1959. He was the managing editor of the Engineering School Magazine. He was named to the honor societies in political economy and psychology, and he received varsity letters in baseball and football along with receiving the varsity seal award for outstanding leadership in student activities. He also served as dormitory house president and was a member of Alpha Epsilon Pi fraternity.
Arnie was very active in Johns Hopkins alumni activities, including serving two terms on the University’s National Alumni Council, serving as an alumni member of the University Board of Trustees and a founding member of the Society of Engineering Alumni. He made major commitments of time and financial support to the University.
Arnie graduated from the University of Pittsburgh School of Law cum laude in 1962. At Pitt Law School, Arnie was elected to The Order of the Coif, and served as an editor of Law Review. He served as class president, was an officer of the Student Bar Association and was a member of Tau Epsilon Rho legal fraternity.
Following graduation from Pitt Law School, Arnie served as President of the University of Pittsburgh Law Alumni Association and served on the Law School’s Board of Governors for many years and he received the Law School’s Distinguished Alumni Award. In addition to many years of giving time and financial support to the Law School, he and his wife, Susan, created the Arnold B. and Susan L. Silverman Law School Endowment Scholarship.
He also served on the Board of Governors of the University of Pittsburgh’s General Alumni Association and was secretary of that Board.
In addition to the foregoing, he provided financial support to numerous organizations including the Pittsburgh Public Theatre, the Pittsburgh City Theatre, The University of Pittsburgh Athletic Department and Alumni Association, The Johns Hopkins University Engineering School and Athletic Department, charitable research organizations, and numerous Jewish charities.
In 1963, Arnie served in the United States Army at Fort Knox, Kentucky in the Judge Advocate General’s Office. He was selected by a panel of senior officers to receive the American Spirit Honor Medal which is given to the individual who best represents the “American Spirit, Honor and High Example to Comrades in Arms.”
During his career as an intellectual property attorney, Arnie was one of approximately 50 United States attorneys elected into membership of The British Chartered Institute of Patent Agents. He was a member of, and active in, a large number of technical and legal associations including The American Society of Mechanical Engineers, The American Society of Electrical Engineers, The American Chemical Society, The American Bar Association, The American Intellectual Property Law Association, The Pennsylvania Bar Association, The District of Columbia Bar Association, and The Allegheny County Bar Association. He served as president of the Pittsburgh Intellectual Property Law Association.
Arnie also authored over 95 published articles on various aspects of intellectual property law as well as sports, arts and entertainment law.
Arnie thoroughly enjoyed every aspect of his diverse and challenging legal practice which spanned 58 years from 1962 to 2020. In addition to being very talented and well regarded, he was a gentleman, devoid of ego, and had a huge work ethic. He enjoyed the challenges of the wide spectrum of technology, law and, to an extent, psychology involved in his day to day practice. He had an unquenchable thirst for knowledge. He felt equally as comfortable working on a patent for a mass spectrometer as protecting and enforcing trademarks for a number of professional sports teams, including a 35-year period in which he worked closely with Myron Cope to protect and enforce the trademarks for “The Terrible Towel” and many related products. He derived great satisfaction from mentoring young attorneys and having a role in their professional development. He also had a great and very spontaneous sense of humor. He enjoyed entering caption contests with the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette and The Week Magazine. Dozens of his captions were selected for publication in those publications.
Arnie’s maternal grandfather taught him to play chess at age four and mentored him for a number of years. At age of nine, he participated in the Junior Chess Championship Tournament for the State of Maryland which involved players up through the age of 18. He had nine matches against 18-year-old participants in that tournament and went undefeated in those matches. As a result, he became the Junior Chess Champion of the State of Maryland at the age of nine. He pursued this interest through college and thereafter.
He was a member of Mensa, Intertel, and the Duquesne Club. He was chairman of the Churchill Borough Civil Service Commission for over 20 years.
Arnie viewed with nostalgia experiences he had as a pitcher on his high school baseball team. Among the stories he enjoyed telling related to his having pitched the first four innings in a game in which his team won a lopsided victory. During those four innings he had an assist, a put out and 10 strikeouts. A sportswriter who attended the game wrote in the Baltimore News-Post that Arnie could throw hard enough to “throw a strawberry through the side of a battleship.”
Another experience he had related to Al Kaline, a Hall of Fame baseball player who went right from his high school team to the major league roster of the Detroit Tigers and had an illustrious All-Star career. Although Al consistently batted over 400 on his high school and sandlot teams, he was able to get only one hit in nine bats against Arnie.
In his personal life Arnie had a very diverse set of interests and activities throughout his lifetime which reflected the fact that he was a Renaissance man. He enjoyed Pittsburgh Public Theatre, Pittsburgh City Theatre, Point Park Theatre, opera, jazz, museums, boating on the Pittsburgh rivers, photography, travel, good food and fine wines. He particularly enjoyed vacationing in Longboat Key, Florida for 35 years and going deep sea fishing in the Gulf of Mexico. He enjoyed engaging in physical fitness including Pilates, weightlifting and, for a number of years, golf. He played tennis regularly from age 12 until his 80s, when, in 2017, cancer caused him to terminate that activity. He pursued enthusiastically both spectator and participant sports. He was an avid fan of the Steelers, Pirates, Penguins, Pitt football and basketball and Johns Hopkins baseball, football and lacrosse. Above and beyond everything else, he thoroughly enjoyed being with and doing things with his wife, children, grandchildren and other family members.
Due to the pandemic, a celebration of life service will be announced at a later date.
In lieu of flowers, contribution can be made to UPMC Hillman Cancer Center, 5515 Center Avenue, Pittsburgh, PA 15232.
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On behalf of Pizzeys Patent and Trademark Attorneys in Australia, I would like to express our deepest condolences and future best wishes to Arnies' family, friends and colleagues. We enjoyed working with him from afar.
By Justin Sweetman - November 26, 2020
To the entire Silverman family. I knew and was counseled by Arnie. I am truly grieved to learn of his passing and the loss to your family. A dear and knowledgeable man and good citizen. He will be missed by many.
By Russ Streiner - November 24, 2020
Dear Lee,
We are so very sorry to hear of your loss. Please know you all are in our thoughts and prayers.
With love,
Tracey and Lance Beckley
By Tracey Beckley - November 23, 2020
Dear Susan,
I am so very sorry for your loss. Arnie was a kind, wonderful and brilliant man. He was so good to Pitt. He was a great volunteer, a generously philanthropist and a kind man. He will truly be missed by many people.
You have my deepest sympathy.
By Al Novak - November 22, 2020
Our condolences to you and your family. Your father was a truly remarkable individual. We send you and your entire family our thoughts and prayers.
By Susan and David Hardesty - November 22, 2020
I did not know Mr. Silverman, but what a remarkable man, with a life well lived. You honor him with such a beautiful obituary. My sympathy to his family, friends, colleagues and community.
By Joyce Farmer Gruskiewicz - November 22, 2020
My heart goes out to Lee, Susan, and Michael. Arnie was an amazing person. So accomplished, yet so humble and caring about others.
By Amy Kuhn - November 22, 2020
Suzy and Family,
We are so sorry to hear of Arnie's passing. I have such fond memories of Arnie, both professionally and personally. Our prayers and sympathies.
By Pat and Peggy Viccaro - November 21, 2020
Deepest condolences and future best wishes. Such a lovely soul and mentor to so many.
By Elsie Spry - November 21, 2020
Lee, that was a brilliant and beautifully written obituary. Thank you for your grace and eloquence while you are grieving the loss of your father. I met Arnie in 1985, and we have maintained a 35 year friendship that I have always treasured. Many of your thoughts and memories about him are things that we have discussed over the years, but of course, many things that only a son would know. Arnie and I both enjoyed fine wine and dining, but truly, our greatest shared joy was our enthusiasm about everything Pitt!! Arnie and Susie and my family were both season ticket holders. My absolute favorite texts from him were during and after the Pitt games when he would send me lengthy “play by play “ texts. He absolutely loved analyzing the stats.. I was lucky enough to have met both Mike and Susie over the years. Sadly, over the recent years, his text messages changed to his battle with cancer, but they were always extremely positive and about how much he wanted to vanquish the evil invader. There are no words that can express to your family how heart broken I am for you. I will miss my dear friend very deeply. Love, Alison
By Alison Deramo - November 21, 2020
Dear Susie and family - I had the pleasure of working for Arnie over the last 8 months while
working remote for Eckert Seamans. He was a delight to work for and I loved hearing his stories
of the glory days. I never met Arnie in person. But I did have the pleasure of hearing his smiling
voice every day, many times a day. We were buddies. I will miss him dearly. I took a vacation
week just before Arnie fell ill. When I came back to work, he was in the hospital.
There is a hurt in my heart that I didn't get to talk to Arnie one last time. I will cherish my
experience working for him and feel honored that I can call him my friend. I hope your fond
memories get you through this difficult time. Respectfully and with great sorrow. Boo Connors.
By Kathleen (Boo) Connors - November 20, 2020
Dear Susan, I want to express my heartfelt sympathy to you and your sons and your dear brother Jay on Arnold's passing. As you know, I had the utmost respect for Arnold and and met him when I was about 21 years old. Please let me know if there is anything that I can do for you and your family.J
By Richard M. Gordon - November 20, 2020