CARL SILVER’S LEGACY: PROSPERITY, CHARITY
Related: MEMORIES | BIOGRAPHY | OBIT | CLAY JONES
BY BILL FREEHLING
Friends, family members and colleagues remembered Carl David Silver Wednesday as a hard-charging businessman with a heart of gold, and a man who did more than perhaps any other individual to put the Fredericksburg region on the map for economic development.
Silver died late Tuesday night at Mary Washington Hospital following a long illness. He was 86.
As word spread Wednesday about Silver’s death, hundreds of calls, text messages and emails from well-wishers flooded the cellphone of Jud Honaker, who heads the commercial division of the Fredericksburg-based real estate development firm Silver formed a half-century ago.
That outpouring of support made it obvious to Silver’s son, Larry, that Beth Sholom Temple in Stafford County—where Carl Silver and his wife of 62 years, Maxine, have worshipped for many years—wasn’t nearly big enough for the large number of people expected to attend a public memorial service Friday morning. They reserved the Fredericksburg Expo & Conference Center for the 11 a.m. tribute, which will be followed by a burial in Oak Hill Cemetery.
Carl Silver had his detractors, mostly people who complained about the way he helped turn a once-rural area into one of the faster-growing regions in the country. But the people who knew him best said just about nobody did more to bring prosperity to the region, or gave more back with the vast riches obtained.
“It’s hard to find an institution he didn’t support,” said Larry Silver, Silver’s only surviving child and CEO of the Silver Cos.
Indeed, the region is full of examples of Silver’s public charity. He gave 30 acres on State Route 3 in Spotsylvania County for a cancer center, donated $2 million to the Moss Free Clinic, gave 38 acres in Celebrate Virginia South for the now-bankrupt slavery museum, and made many land gifts to local governments.
But that was just the more visible side. Honaker, who went to work for the Silver Cos. in 1986, estimates that 99 percent of Carl Silver’s charitable giving was never known to the general public.
He’d give generously to people who needed money for food, medicine or shelter without asking any questions or expecting anything in return, Honaker said.
“He just loved helping people,” Honaker said.
Silver, who was consistently listed as one of Virginia’s wealthiest individuals, loved making money as much as he enjoyed giving it away. Honaker said his former boss had “focus like I’ve never seen” and an indefatigable work ethic.
That drive came from a childhood spent growing up poor in Tappahannock during the Great Depression, said Larry Silver. He started his first business at the age of 16 as a dump truck contractor before enlisting in the Army after graduating from Tappahannock High School.
Silver returned to Tappahannock after being wounded in action in Germany during World War II. He quickly entered the used-car business there before deciding Fredericksburg would be a more lucrative market.
He moved to the city in 1947, and over the next 20 years built a large used-car operation on Princess Anne Street before starting the Fredericksburg Auto Auction.
By the mid-1960s, Silver had decided there was more money to be made in real estate than in selling cars. He started buying land along the Interstate 95 corridor and eventually developed retail centers, including the Four-Mile Fork Shopping Center, Amaret Shopping Center, Westwood Center, Westwood Office Park, Westwood Village, Gateway Village Shopping Center and Aquia Towne Center.
In the 1990s, Silver tackled the project for which he is probably best known: Central Park in Fredericksburg, where the main road is named after its developer, and later Celebrate Virginia.
“He just had a lot of foresight,” Larry Silver said.
That foresight enriched not only Silver himself but the entire city. The Rev. Lawrence Davies, who was Fredericksburg’s mayor for 20 years ending in 1996, said Silver helped the city “re-establish ourselves as the hub of economic activity.”
Silver gave generously to politicians, both in his own name and through his numerous subsidiary businesses. Donations to candidates for state office totaled nearly half a million dollars from the late 1990s through this fall’s election. He gave to Republicans and Democrats alike, seeming at times to target the candidate most likely to win.
Silver’s nonstop work ethic led to many late nights and weekends at the office. But Larry Silver said his father always made time for family. Young Larry started tagging along with his father on business trips at the age of 5, and later became his partner.
“I followed him everywhere and loved him,” Larry Silver said.
A lot of other people felt the same way. Larry Silver said he and his mother were with Carl Silver when Silver died Tuesday night at Mary Washington Hospital, where Silver had been for about 10 days.
When he started going through his father’s things afterward, Larry Silver found letters from people that had been helped over the years. Like Honaker’s, his phone rang off the hook all day Wednesday from people wanting to pass along their respects.
A sampling of comments made to The Free Lance–StarWednesday reflects some of the sentiment toward Silver from those who know him.
Area developer Hugh Cosner: “He made the town. He saved the town. He brought the town back to life.”
Business associate Gary D. Rappaport: “Carl Silver to me is the most dynamic, generous and caring man that I have ever met.”
Larry Silver said his father probably had a bigger economic impact on the Fredericksburg region than anybody since George Washington. His effect on economic development is perhaps how Silver will most be recalled in the region. But those who knew him best will remember him just as much for his caring, honest and generous ways.
“He was a wonderful man,” Honaker said.
Bill Freehling: 540/374-5405
bfreehling@freelancestar.com
LOCAL Trade Technologies ™ - Empowering LOCAL ECONOMY around the world! ™
"i Love AMERICAN Made",
"Support "MADE IN USA" Jobs & Economy!",
iloveamericanmade.com,
iloveamericanmade.info,
iloveamericanmade.net,
iloveamericanmade.org,
"Made in Canada News", news.reallymadeincanada.com,
"Made in Canada Submissions", submissions.reallymadeincanada.com,
"Made in USA News", news.reallymadeinusa.com,
"Made in USA Submissions", submissions.reallymadeinusa.com,
"Canadian Beauty Pal", canadianbeautypal.com,
"Canadian Camping Pal", canadiancampingpal.com,
"Canadian Fishing Pal", canadianfishingpal.com,
"Canadian Garden Pal", canadiangardenpal.com,
"Canadian Handcrafted Boats", canadianhandcraftedboats.com,
"Canadian Health Pal", canadianhealthpal.com,
"CANADIAN MILITARY \$PENDING", canadianmilitaryspending.com,
"Canadian Politics Pal", canadianpoliticspal.com,
"Canadian Real Estate Pal", canadianrealestatepal.com,
"Canadian RV Pal", canadianrvpal.com,
"Canadian Travel Pal", canadiantravelpal.com,
"Canadian Website Pal", canadianwebsitepal.com,
"Download To Print", downloadtoprint.com,
"Empowering LOCAL ECONOMY around the world!", "Empowering sustainable, universally fair, LOCAL ECONOMY around the world!",
"GHOSTS on Video", ghostsonvideo.com,
"GHOSTS Recorded on Video", ghosts.recordedonvideo.com,
"i LOVE Made in Canada", ilovemadeincanada.com,
"LOCAL Trade Technologies", localtradetechnologies.com,
"MEMORABLE Gift Ideas", memorablegiftideas.com,
"PROTECTING Made in Canada",
"QUESTIONS for Canadians", questionsforcanadians.com,
"REALLY made IN Canada", reallymadeincanada.com,
reallymadeincanada.info,
reallymadeincanada.net,
reallymadeincanada.org,
"REALLY made IN USA", reallymadeinusa.com,
reallymadeinusa.info,
"Recorded on VIDEO", recordedonvideo.com,
"San Diego DUI Attorney Details", sandiegoduiattorneydetails.com,
"SOCKS Shopping Online", socksshoppingonline.com,
"VERIFIED Canadian", verifiedcanadian.com,
"VERIFIED USA", verifiedusa.com,
"REALLY Made In Canada Project",
"110% Canadian-made",
"Sorting hosers from the posers",
are trademarks of LOCAL Trade Technologies. UNAUTHORISED USE, DISTRIBUTION AND/OR PUBLICATION IN ANY MEDIA FORMAT OF THESE TERMS IS STRICTLY PROHIBITED.
Privacy Policy - Contact Us
Copyright © LOCAL Trade Technologies ™ 1985-2010. All rights reserved.
NO PORTION OF THIS WEBSITE MAY BE REPRODUCED WITHOUT PRIOR WRITTEN CONSENT.
RE: Fair Dealing / Fair Use: This site may contain copyrighted material the use of which has not always been specifically authorized by the copyright owner. We are making such material available in our efforts to advance understanding of environmental, political, human rights, economic, democracy, scientific, and social justice issues, etc. We believe this constitutes a 'fair dealing' / 'fair use' of any such copyrighted material as provided for in Canadian, US, and International Copyright Law.
