Jeffrey Silverman and Amelia Pérez-Silverman met at Cal State LA’s old Physical Sciences Building (now the Student Services Building), in the room that was home to the Chemistry Club. They were engaged within months and married a year later in 1978.
Obviously, instant sparks flew that day at the Chemistry Club.
“There was chemistry right away,” Silverman concurred.
“No,” interjected Pérez-Silverman, shaking her head. “He chased me until I caught him.”
The distinguished Cal State LA alums returned to where it all started to celebrate with the Valentine’s Day weekend-themed Jazz at Lincoln Center performance at The Luckman on Friday, Feb. 13. The “Great American Crooners” concert relied heavily on love songs from the Great American Songbook, as popularized by such artists as Frank Sinatra, Ella Fitzgerald, Nat King Cole, and others.
The jazz band lineup featured trumpeter/vocalist Benny Benack III (DownBeat Magazine’s No. 1 Rising Star), pianist/vocalist Robbie Lee, and vocalist Shenel Johns. In between such classics as “Misty,” “I Only Have Eyes for You,” and “I’ve Got You Under My Skin,” the band members regaled the full-capacity crowd with stories about the songs and the artists.
Prior to the concert, The Luckman served light refreshments and spirits at the courtyard adjacent to the theatre. A romantic photo backdrop featuring bright red roses was made available to the Valentine celebrants.
“It’s the perfect place to celebrate Valentine’s,” said Silverman.
The couple is among Cal State LA’s most active and generous alumni. The two have sponsored the Pérez-Silverman Symposium every spring semester since 2021. The two-day event is dedicated to biodiversity, conservation, and ecological resilience in urban environments.
Last year’s symposium featured an on-campus bird tour led by Eric Wood, associate professor of avian and urban ecology; an oak-tree planting session; a seed-harvesting workshop; and a “Birds and Seeds” panel that explored connections between urban wildlife, native plants, and environmental resilience.
Silverman also chairs the Dean’s Board of Advisors for the College of Natural and Social Sciences (NSS). The Ronald H. Silverman Fine Arts Gallery is named after his father, a beloved Cal State LA alumnus, emeritus professor, and former chair of the Department of Art in the College of Arts and Letters.
Jeffrey was named the 2010 distinguished alumnus of NSS. In 2022, the university honored Ronald, Jeffrey, and Amelia with the Alumni Family Award.
Before the concert, the couple recalled their Cal State LA-inspired love story.
“It’s pretty nerdy,” Silverman said. “I was playing chess with my buddy, and she walked in with a friend. We started chatting, and we went on some outings with other Chemistry Club members.”
Silverman was a senior at the time, close to completing his Bachelor of Science in Biochemistry. Pérez-Silverman graduated a year earlier with a Bachelor of Science in Environmental Health Science but returned to Cal State LA to take more classes after finding the job market for environmental management was less than robust at the time.
“She had already graduated. She was just waiting for a husband to pop up, and one finally did,” Silverman joked.
Said Pérez-Silverman: “We never had any classes together, but we were both pursuing science and we had a lot of common interests.”
Silverman later received a Master of Business Administration from Claremont Graduate University. His career in biopharmaceuticals—Alpha Therapeutics, Grifols, and Celgene Americas—would take his family, which would grow to include daughter Sarah and son Noah, around the country, including stops in Chicago, San Diego, and various other stops in Southern California.
The couple currently resides in South Pasadena, in the 10th home they have shared.
Pérez-Silverman dedicated her professional life to education, teaching at the grade-school level.
“I kind of backed into teaching,” she said. “I became a mom, and we were moving around the country. It was a midlife career change, and it became my passion. And now our daughter is teaching in the classroom that I taught in in Pasadena.”
Pérez-Silverman is a first-generation college student. She and Silverman have not forgotten where their journey together began.
“Between us, I’m the more typical Cal State LA student, born and raised in East Los Angeles,” she said. “The opportunities my degree provided have been life-changing. Jeff and I have been blessed, and we want to give back, to be involved, to share our passion for the community, and to help students. I know what it’s like to work 30 hours and to carry a full load. That’s what I did as an undergraduate, and I understand that’s still typical of today’s Cal State LA student.&
Photo: Trumpeter and vocalist Benny Benack III, left, led the Jazz at Lincoln Center band during the “Great American Crooners” concert at The Luckman on Friday, Feb. 13. (Credit: Victor Peralta/Cal State LA)
Have a story to share?
Have a story worth sharing? Let us know what’s happening in your classroom, community, or career. We’d love to hear from you.
California State University, Los Angeles is the premier comprehensive public university in the heart of Los Angeles. Cal State LA is ranked number one in the United States for the upward mobility of its students. Cal State LA is dedicated to engagement, service, and the public good, offering nationally recognized programs in science, the arts, business, criminal justice, engineering, nursing, education, and the humanities. Founded in 1947, the University serves more than 22,000 students and has more than 260,000 distinguished alumni.
