On 8/29/2012 12:46 PM, Just Plain Jack wrote:
> Is he still around?
>
David M. Silver, 68, a retired attorney, was a confidant of Virginia
Heinlein's in the final years of her life,
and spent many hours chatting with
her on the internet about Robert A.
Heinlein's works and legacy.
"When I was eleven in 1954,� Mr.
Silver said of his introduction to
Heinlein�s books, �bored tearless one
smoggy summer with the books in
the children's library in Los Angeles
that I was �allowed� to read, a librarian handed me a copy of Rocket Ship
Galileo, classified as a �juvenile,� for
ages twelve and above, told me to
take it home and ask permission
from my parents before reading it. I
did, and my dad gave me permission.
I heard him tell my mother it was the
first juvenile he'd ever looked at, or
heard of, that had a Jewish boy as
one of the principal characters. I read
it, loved it all (and could have cared
less that one of the boys was Jewish � that was only normal I
thought), and returned it to the
librarian the next day. She issued
me a �juvenile� card with a pass to
any adult science fiction as well,
and I then proceeded to read every
Heinlein, juvenile or not, in the
library within a week or two.
"I've never stopped reading Heinlein
since."
Mr. Silver became SecretaryTreasurer of THS in the early
months of its existence, and along
with Ginny Heinlein and founding
president William H. Patterson, Jr. ,
was one of those largely responsible for turning the new Society into
a long-term viable entity dedicated
to furthering the legacy of Robert A.
Heinlein.
In 2001, at the "MilPhilCon" Philadelphia Worldcon, Mr. Silver accepted
Robert Heinlein's "RetroHugo" for Best Novella, awarded to
"The Man Who Sold the Moon". Mr.
Silver succeeded Mr. Patterson as
President/Chairman of THS in September of 2003.
"Any time a member of your founding generation retires, it is a
milestone", said board member Geo
Rule. "David and his wife Andrea
gave generously of their time and
resources from the earliest days of
the Society, and we appreciate the
role they've played in allowing the
Society to celebrate its 10th anniversary this year."