At the beginning of this school year, our dear friend Earl Silbert passed away leaving behind a legacy of extraordinary dedication and service to The Fishing School and his community.
Mr. Silbert was close friends with our founder, the late Mr. Tom Lewis, and began his service on our board around the turn of the century. His leadership came at a time when our organization was growing and seeking ways to expand the services provided to our families. He was integral to our transformation into an award-winning organization that has touched the lives of thousands of children and their families throughout the District of Columbia. Mr. Silbert was known for his integrity, his compassion, and his unwavering commitment to philanthropy; Board Chair Erik Causey remembers him fondly: “Earl was a beacon of grace and knowledge during his time on the board. We will miss him dearly.”
Perhaps best known as lead prosecutor for the Watergate case, Mr. Silbert’s 60-year esteemed legal career includes almost twenty years in government in the Department of Justice and the U.S. Attorney’s Office, as well as serving as the U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia. He received numerous accolades throughout his career: Washingtonian magazine twice named him to its list of Washington’s top lawyers; he was named Washington, DC Super Lawyer and listed among the Top 100 Super Lawyers in the Washington area; and he was called “one of the most revered lawyers in Washington, DC” by the Journal of the American College of Trial Lawyers, among other important distinctions. In 2018, for our annual event, the DC Council passed a resolution recognizing his commitment to students in Ward 7 & 8 through his work with our organization. Mr. Silbert’s life-long commitment to creating a better world for all extended from the courtroom to the classroom.
As the initial prosecutor in the Watergate investigation, Mr. Silbert was used to high-profile cases. However, he felt the need to step out of the courtroom and volunteer his leadership skills to help increase access to educational opportunities for students in Washington, DC, and joined our board in the late 1990s. During his time as a board member with TFS, we have grown immensely, tripling the number of students we serve, expanding our budget, and adapting our services to provide programs directly in our school communities. We are grateful for his constant positivity and support during his time with us.
Fellow board member Terry Lineberger, who similarly served for a long period on our board, shared the following thoughts about Mr. Silbert:
“Sometimes when you reflect back on people, you remember the good and the bad: with Earl, I just can’t think of any ‘bad’. They say you may not remember what a person said, but will always remember how they made you feel – Earl always made me feel valued, welcome, and important; he was always happy to see and converse with me. He loved interacting with the kids and never missed a volunteer opportunity to do so.
I have nothing out warm, glowing memories of my 20 years interacting with him!”
We cherish his memory and all he has done for our students.