Albert Silver was 'good as gold' for his community
By STEVE LEE
Published March 16, 2004
"Hey, Lee, you gotta help me out. Listen ..."
Then came the pitch from Al Silver.
The rest of the conversation really didn't matter. Whatever idea spewed from the straight-talking New Yorker would appear in print, and he knew it.
I never could turn down Al Silver.
Who could?
Silver, a World War II veteran raised on Long Island and who spent more than 30 years in Pasco County, died Saturday. He was 81.
Although Land O'Lakes is an unincorporated stretch of land in central Pasco, Silver embodied a spirit of community that has somewhat faded with the encroaching urbanization of the area.
Silver and his wife, Ida, settled in Lake Padgett Estates. They own A-OK Trophies, but their business is not so much making commemorative pieces of hardware as a symbol for promoting their town and making kids happy.
The Silvers championed youth sports, helped organize participants in holiday celebrations and local festivals, and even showed locals a thing or two about patriotism.
When a federal building in Oklahoma City was bombed in 1995, Al and Ida bought American flags to be hung on poles along U.S. 41 and State Road 54. The same flags came out for the Olympic torch run that passed through in 1996.
"If the community needed it, he was a bulldog," said Harry Wright, owner of Hungry Harry's Famous Bar-B-Que on U.S. 41. "That's why I loved him."
Before the St. Petersburg Times split its county coverage into west and east editions, the newspaper expanded here with the Central Times in 1994. Having lived in Land O'Lakes in the mid '90s and previously worked for two weeklies in the community, I sought out guys such as Silver.
He never disappointed.
Silver was all about making Land O'Lakes a better place. And when it came to kids, no one in my 14 years in the area did more.
His antique car shows raised money for charities such as Hospice. A recreational soccer tournament he started lured teams from other counties. And for more than two decades, no Little League ceremony took place without Silver.
Silver had a business to run, for sure. But on numerous occasions, trophies and plaques were donated.
Why? For the smiles on the kids' faces, of course.
That went to all the kids, not just the teams he sponsored.
"I don't care who they give me," Silver told me on Land O'Lakes Little League Opening Day in 1995. "I'll sponsor anyone as long as the kids go out there and have fun playing ball."
Silver figured the more kids playing sports, or getting involved in other activities such as dancing, the fewer would be in trouble or hanging out at the McDonald's, specifically the one at U.S. 41 and State Road 54 that longtime residents have referred to as "downtown Land O'Lakes."
Silver was not without his opinions and if you disagreed, watch out.
An avid Yankees fan growing up in New York, Silver longed to tell off cantankerous owner George Steinbrenner, the poster boy for skyrocketing salaries.
And Silver bristled when the Land O'Lakes Chamber of Commerce was renamed to include Central Pasco. He took that as a slap in the face to his community endeavors.
"He was a crusty, old guy, but good as gold; very opinionated but great with the kids," said local soccer coach Bruce Martin.
Former Land O'Lakes High principal Max Ramos recalled how Silver often provided more hardware for athletes than were ordered or paid for. That goes for the Flapjack Festival road races Ramos organized, too.
Perhaps nothing reveals more about the Silvers than their efforts to place Christmas decorations along the intersections of U.S. 41 and SR 54. The Silvers, you see, are Jewish.
"Here he was Jewish, and he did the Christmas stuff," Wright said. "He'll be missed."
Shalom, Al.
Reception planned in Silver's honor
LAND O'LAKES - The family of Al Silver, who died early Saturday, will hold a reception at 4 p.m. today at the Groves Golf & Country Club. The public is invited.
Mr. Silver, the longtime owner of A-OK Trophies Etc., was a prominent Land O'Lakes businessman and tireless promoter of area youth sports. He will be buried at 2 p.m. today at the Florida National Cemetery near Bushnell.
The Groves is on the east side of U.S. 41, 6 miles north of State Road 54. The reception will be in the ballroom at 7924 Melogold Circle. The family has asked that in lieu of flowers, donations be made to All Children's Hospital and the Make A Wish Foundation.
