Lawrence F. Silverman, a retired University of Colorado administrator and professor of Russian history, formerly of Boulder, died on Sept. 10 in Charlottesville, Va. He was 81.
Professor Silverman taught Russian history at CU-Boulder and held several other positions during his tenure with the university from 1970 to 1992. He was Vice President for Academic Affairs and Provost for the four-campus CU system in 1970-71. Silverman was then named the first chancellor of the University of Colorado at Colorado Springs, a position he held from 1971 to 1977. He also was a Distinguished Visiting Professor at the Air Force Academy in 1979-80.
Born in The Bronx, N.Y., in 1922 to Aaron and Rukhstia Silverman, Silverman served in the U.S. Army Air Corps from 1943 to 1945. He earned a bachelor's degree from the University of Missouri and a master's and doctorate in Russian history from Harvard University.
Prior to joining the CU-Boulder faculty, Silverman taught at the University of Tennessee in Knoxville from 1954 to 1970. He was an award-winning teacher, a Ford Foundation fellow, a recipient of the University of Colorado Medal and a consultant on Soviet affairs to the state department.
Professor Silverman was an avid philatelist and compiled an important collection of Russian zemstvo stamps. He also was a talented trombonist, playing in dance bands around the country, and was a founding member of the Comets Athletic and Social Club, a group of childhood friends who maintained close ties for seven decades.
Silverman married Libby Rubin in 1946 and they had two children, Matthew Silverman of Boulder, and Rachel Silverman Locke of Oakland, Calif., both of whom survive him. He had three granddaughters, Judith Silverman, Anna Silverman and Charlotte Locke.
Silverman and his first wife divorced in 1981. He married Grace Norman in 1987. A retired member of the faculty at Longwood University in Farmville, she is a resident of Charlottesville, Va.
A celebration of Professor Silverman's life was held at his home in Charlottesville on Sept. 13. The family requests that memorial contributions be made in his name to the History Department Gift Fund, Department of History, Campus Box 234, University of Colorado, Boulder, CO 80309.