Jean Silber knew exactly what it took to make things grow. An accomplished and well-known gardener, she was one of the driving forces behind the Cylburn Arboretum. An equally passionate philanthropist, she and her husband Sidney, who died in 2013, gave generously to the gardens of Goucher College, Parks & People, and the Baltimore Museum of Art.
Silber, who died on Nov. 21 at age 92, also was a generous supporter of Baltimore Curriculum Project (BCP) through The Jean and Sidney Silber Foundation. Since 2009, the Foundation’s gifts, which ranged up to $30,000, supported the general BCP Fund, helping BCP to grow and blossom into Maryland’s largest charter school operator.
Her connection to BCP had deep roots. George Hess, Co-Chair of the BCP Board of Directors, was a friend for 50 years. He helped to found BCP and served as its first Board Chair. Her reason for supporting Baltimore, her adopted hometown, was simple. “What are we here for, if not to help others?” she explained in a Baltimore Community Foundation profile.
“She wanted to help Baltimore become a better place,” Hess told the Baltimore Sun in her obituary.
Thank you, Jean, for nurturing BCP and making Baltimore a better place through the lives of our students and their families.
