One might easily assume and with good reason that Silver Lake got its name from its shimmering waters, particularly if gazed upon at dawn's early light. Not so! Although it makes a lot of sense, Silver Lake is the namesake of one Herman Silver, a German Jewish immigrant who rose to prominence in Los Angeles to become the President of the Los Angeles City Council and Acting Mayor in 1896, re-elected in 1898, and President of the Los Angeles Water Commission in 1902 among other achievements. Herman Silver's fascinating life story is one that every Silver Laker should know, along with dozens if not hundreds of others that could be lost forever if we do nothing to preserve their memory.
To that end, the Silver Lake Branch of the Los Angeles Public Library is hosting an initial community meeting for the purpose of exploring the possibility of starting an historical society for Silver Lake. All Silver Lake should take pride not only in who we are today, but the people and circumstances that caused Forbes' Magazine to name Silver Lake "the hippest neighborhood in America". The meeting will consist of a power point presentation followed by open discussion. Please bring a pen and something to write on, as all participants will be invited to fill out a questionnaire and participate in the organizing effort. The meeting, which is open to the public will be held in the community room of the Silver Lake Library on Tuesday, November 13, 2012 beginning at 6 p.m. Interested persons should reserve early as space is limited. Reservations may be made by sending an email to Lisa Palombi, Silver Lake Library Librarian at lpalombi@lapl.org or Michael Locke at mjlocke@pacbell.net or by calling (323) 644-3338 and leaving a message.
Herman Silver is pictured in an old photo provided by Los Angeles Archivist Hynda Rudd (Ret.)