Irving W. Zirbel, ’81, died December 20, 2016, a few
weeks before his eighty-ninth birthday. Irv and his
brother Harold were All-State football players in high
school, and both received scholarships to play at Marquette.
Irv graduated from Marquette University with
dual majors in philosophy and zoology in 1950. Two
years later he graduated magna cum laude from Marquette
Law School. Growing up during the Great Depression,
Irv began working at a very young age. At age
eight, Irv began selling magazines door to door. He then
advanced to cemetery worker/grave-digger, to welder, to
Harley Davidson assembler, to the high paying commission
job of Canada Dry Beverages route driver. Irv
married his high school sweetheart, Audrey Sandbecka,
and they were together sixty-two years until her death
in 2012. In his career, starting as a Judge Advocate in
the United States Air Force, Irv tried over 400 cases
to verdict. He argued more than 15 cases before the
United States Supreme Court, Federal Court of Appeals,
and the Wisconsin Supreme Court. Irv was not
simply a JAG officer. He was a lecturer in law at the
Air War College, and the Air Command & Staff College.
He retired from the Air Force as a Major. Irv was
survived by his two children and three grandchildren.
Rita Silverman, Past President (1982-83) Leon Silverman’s wife of sixty-five years, passed
away on June 9, 2022 at the age of ninety-four. Coincidentally, the date of her death was
Leon’s birthday – it would have been his one hundred and first had he not passed in 2015.
But maybe not a total coincidence. Barbara Joseph believes that Rita let herself go that
particular day so she could celebrate Leon’s birthday with him. Rita was born in 1927 in
Merthyr Tydfil, South Wales where she enjoyed a happy childhood surrounded by a large
extended family. She met Leon when she was sixteen and he was stationed in South Wales,
where the Army had sent him to learn Russian; the Jewish soldiers were invited to attend
services and stay with local families for the Jewish holidays, and Leon luckily drew Rita’s
family. They stayed in touch as Leon went on to his further service as a member of the
Greatest Generation and Rita went on to College in London. Rita and Leon were married
in the historic Merthyr Tydfil Synagogue in Wales on August 14th, 1949. They moved to
New York shortly after their marriage and began their journey together.
As Leon excelled in his practice, Rita earned her master’s degree in American History
at CW Post in 1978. She was involved with the League of Women Voters and her local
synagogue, a devoted Mets fan, lover of music, theater, art, bourbon, and the New York
Times. Rita loved everything to do with the Supreme Court Historical Society and the
American College. Rita made sure her family celebrated all the holidays together, and she
was a fearless host in her beloved Great Neck home of sixty-three years. Rita and Leon enjoyed
many travels and cruises, often traveling with Rita’s English cousins. Rita especially
enjoyed all of the close friends she made at the College, many of whom she kept in touch
with until her death. Jackie Lafite relates that “Rita and Leon were two of our favorite
friends in the ACTL. They spent many fun weekends in our home in Metairie and in
Mandeville. Rita and I played a lot of fun bad bridge together. Once we played at least six
hands and finally realized we had played all six minus one card which was sitting on the
floor under the table!!!! Not easy to play bridge minus a card.” Well, if Rita was a card short
of a full deck, no one ever noticed. She was a delight. She will be missed, by her daughters
Susan (Michael Braun) and Jane (Daniel Hess) and her grandchildren Jonathan and
William Braun and Emily and Jesse Hess. And she will be missed by her College family.
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