Please remember in your prayers William Silverman, professor emeritus of biology.
Silverman, 87, peacefully passed away at his home in Lauderdale, MN on Sunday, Sept. 22, 2019. Friends and neighbors will gather and honor Bill’s life on Sunday, Oct. 20, 2019 from 5:30-9 p.m. This Celebration of Life will take place in the Japanese Gardens at the Marjorie McNeely Conservatory located at Como Park in St. Paul, MN.
Silverman passionately believed in life long learning. Throughout his life his mission was to inspire curiosity, conversation and wonder about biology, botany and humanity. As a teacher, Silverman was committed to the need to educate, love and protect the diversity of life on planet Earth. He spent his life focused on the exploration and study of science and the human species’s responsibility for the preservation and protection of the diversity of all life on our planet. He nurtured this passion by dedicating his life to observing and studying nature, teaching, cultivating and tending his garden of native plants, orchids and bonsai and regularly exploring public libraries and parks with a wide spectrum of friends.
Silverman, the son of Samuel and Ida Silverman was born in Brooklyn, New York on March 3, 1932. After completing his undergraduate work at The City College of New York, Silverman moved to Minnesota to attend the University of Minnesota, where he received his Masters & PhD in biology. For 31 years he taught a wide range of biology and botany classes at the University of St. Thomas. As a teacher, friend and mentor, Silverman inspired hundreds of students at St. Thomas as well as many neighbors and friends.