Irving Liberman
LIBERMAN: Irving Liberman, Ph.D., age 86, of Pittsburgh, died suddenly on Monday, Nov. 6, 2023. Modest and unassuming, one would never guess Dr. Irv Liberman was a researcher at the Northrop Grumman (previously Westinghouse) Science and Technology Center in Churchill, where he performed important research and development on lasers and optical systems. His work has contributed greatly to our nation’s defense, as it relates to military systems, fusion energy and miniature atomic clocks. Irv was born in 1937 in the Bronx, New York. His parents, Jewish immigrants from Poland, were David Schor, a skilled operator in the garment industry, and Pauline (Szapszewicz) Schor, a homemaker and talented seamstress. Yiddish was the language of the home. David died of an acute infection in 1938 in the days before penicillin became readily available. Pauline remarried, and Irv and his older sister Helen were adopted by their stepfather, Abram Liberman. When Irv was 3 years old, much to his mother’s chagrin, he took apart a Big Ben alarm clock. Much to her surprise, he put it back together again. Whenever he received a new toy, he had to take it apart to see how it worked even before he played with it, demonstrating his curiosity and engineering skills that would lead to his rewarding career. Irv earned his bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering from the College of the City of New York. He then attended Northwestern University where he earned both his master’s and Ph.D. degrees in electrical engineering. These were the days when corporations visited campuses across the country to recruit top technical talent. Westinghouse came calling, and in 1963 Irv began his career, which would span 35 years, in the company’s R&D Center in Pittsburgh. In 1993 Irv Liberman was named one of R&D’s 50 Stars to Watch. Irv married Lois Hrabar in 1970. They lived in Pittsburgh except for a six-year stint in New Mexico beginning in 1974, when Irv was on loan from Westinghouse to Los Alamos National Laboratory. There he lent his expertise to the lab’s hydrogen fusion research. Over the years of his successful career, Irv worked with many Department of Defense agencies, including the Army, Navy, Air Force, Defense Applied Research Agency and Central Intelligence Agency. He generated eight patents, published more than 50 articles on laser technology, was responsible for managing 25 scientists and technicians, and held both Top Secret and Q (atomic) government clearances. After retiring in November 1998, Irv became a volunteer at the Parkinson Foundation of Western Pennsylvania. He was elected treasurer in early 2000 and helped build a strong and healthy organization so that it can continue serving the needs of this community in the coming years. Irv kept active by walking and biking, playing tennis and bridge, and attending opera, ballet and the symphony. He enjoyed investment research and was a founding member of a 42-year-old stock club called Quantum Jumpers. He is survived by Lois Liberman, his wife of 53 years, his sister Helen Gritz, his sister-in-law Rose Hrabar, his nephews David Gritz, Philip Hrabar, Brian Hrabar and Geoffrey Hrabar, his niece Linda Gritz, many grand-nieces and grand-nephews, one great-grand-niece, and one great-grand-nephew. Funeral on Saturday, Nov. 11 at Monongahela Cemetery of North Braddock, 1111 Fourth Street, North Braddock PA 15104, 11 a.m. to 12 noon, visitation in chapel interment at the grave following visitation. Arrangements entrusted to the Thomas L. Nied Funeral Home, Inc., 7441 Washington Street, Swissvale. Donations can be made in Irv’s memory to a charitable organization of your choice. niedfuneralhome.com PJC
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