By Marie Silverman Marich.
It has been about a year since Syd Silverman, our family’s beloved patriarch and long-time publisher of Variety, departed this earth. To say that Dad has been greatly missed would be an understatement. Here are some thoughts (taken from the eulogy I delivered at his memorial service) on the wonderful man I was lucky and proud to call my father.
For many people, Variety was a family. Dad was well-known for never breaching a confidence, and he heard plenty over the decades. He never wanted to embarrass or humiliate anyone. The few times he had to let someone go, Dad did it quietly and without drama or hysteria.
He was no drama king himself, but Dad was surrounded by drama at work. Variety could be a pretty dramatic place, populated as it was by some very talented and eccentric people for whom the office was a home away from home.
Dad enjoyed those Sunday lunches at the Gaiety delicatessen and Tuesdays at Balan Graphics where Variety was printed. Laying out the paper in the morning and putting it to bed late at night were part of his job for many decades. He never seemed to get tired of it. In fact, the later it got, the more energized Dad got.
My husband Bob, our son Nick, and I were privileged to have spent both quality and quantity time with Dad in in the last two months of his life. Though frail at age 85, he was still Dad, tall and slim with those grasshopper legs and always dressed impeccably. He might not have said much, but he was always listening.
Throughout his long life, Dad was known as the quintessential gentleman. And I do believe that he is dwelling in the house of the Lord forever with Mom and his cherished loved ones.
In conclusion, I will close these reflections with words from Shakespeare’s “Hamlet” that always make me think of Dad: “Good night, sweet Prince, and flights of angels sing thee to thy rest…”
