One day as the Allied Navy and the Imperial Japanese Navy were engaged in heavy naval combat, Mr. Silver and his crew members observed two disabled American
PT Boats.

He and his crew navigated their LCM, (joined by another LCM), out to the disabled vessels and the battle, ran cables underneath the two vessels and successfully towed both vessels out of harms way.

Mr. Silver landed on the Philippine Islands thirty days before General MacArthur did. His mission was to assist the Filipino Guerillas in establishing listening posts in Mindanao in preparation for the impending troop landings. Mindanao was fully occupied by the Japanese.

On December 30th, while preparing for a planned landing at Mindoro on the Western end of the Philippine Islands, Mr. Silver and his crew observed a 200' long "PT Tender", (munitions supply ship for PT Boats), that had been struck by a Japanese Kamikaze aircraft. The ship was on fire and was adrift approximately 300 yards off-shore. The craft was also fully stocked with torpedoes and other highly explosive munitions. Mr. Silver and his crew navigated their LCM, (joined by another LCM), out to the burning ship. He and his crew boarded the highly volatile vessel and rescued over 100 injured Sailors.

In early 1945 General Douglas MacArthur personally awarded Irving Silver with The Bronze Star Medal for "Heroic achievement in connection with military operations against the enemy." General MacArthur also awarded Mr. Silver a Battlefield Commission from the enlisted rank of Corporal to the commissioned rank of Captain.

Hasbrouck Tavern

Also in early 1945 after returning from WWII, Mr. Silver took out a bank loan for $3500.00, purchased a business license in Albany, NY and opened Hasbrouck Tavern in Woodburn, NY.

It was a small building that he built by hand and was located out in the woods in Sullivan County, NY. He purchased an old Chevy for $35.00, painted "Hasbrouck Tavern - Dine and Dance" across the back and parked it in front of the tavern.

Mr. Silver stated, "The Tavern was my first experience with successful marketing. We hung posters and handed out flyers all over the place that read, 'Hasbrouck Tavern - Come and see the Hillbillies Square Dance.' New York people from the Bronx and Brooklyn had no idea what square dances were, but they were curious."

On opening night, the Silvers could not accommodate all of the people that showed up.

Car Sales

Later that year he and his bride of four years Ronnie, left upstate New York and traveled to Atlanta, Georgia. For a while he was in the jewelry business before he decided that he didn't want to travel anymore. Given his long time love for cars, Mr. Silver wanted to sell them.

Mr. Silver went to several dealerships in and around Atlanta in search of a sales position. He stated that he had a difficult time landing a job until Lander Motors decided to "give him a shot." He began to speak about his early experiences at Lander when he was asked, "Why was it so hard to land a job at a dealership?" Mr. Silver replied with a chuckle, "I was the first Jewish car salesman ever in the history of Atlanta."

1946 - In his first 22 months as a salesman at Lander Motors in Atlanta, Irving Silver sold 235 new cars, 15 trucks and 70 used vehicles. (Good thing the folks at Lander decided to "give him a shot").

In 1949, he became the first auto salesman in Atlanta to earn over $50,000 per year.

Over the next few years he became the number one salesman in the country for Dodge and Plymouth.

In the 1960's he was the number one Nash Rambler salesman in the country and became a member of the Chevrolet "Legion of Leaders."

In the late 1980's he became the number one Jaguar salesman in the WORLD, selling over 837 Jaguars in less than 3 years... a record that has never been broken.

Due to an injury Mr. Silver "retired" from Troncalli in 1989. At 78 years of age, he was back in the saddle in 1995 returning to work at Troncalli.

Mr. Silver had a top earning of $21,000.00 in a single day. (Commission, not sales).

Mr. Silver is the founder of the first Automotive Sales Institute which was accredited by the State of Georgia, he led the board for over 47 years.

He was also director of the Antique Automobile Club of America - Southeastern Region.

Irving never looked back. Over the years he would sell cars to the sons, daughters and grandchildren of his customers dating back to 1949. He personally sold over $100 million worth of automobiles before he stopped keeping track.

Charlie Troncalli, head of Troncalli Jaguar, Lincoln-Mercury and Saab wrote: "...he has more than earned the title of 'legend.'" A Jaguar trade publication often referred to him as "Sterling" Silver.

Irving the Inventor

To top it all off, in 1965 Mr. Silver had an idea for an invention. The turbine operated wet/dry shaver. He holds the patent on it. Due to the fact that his shaver is turbine operated, it sucks the cut whiskers into a canister which means they won't float around in outer space. Today, every time astronauts inside the Space Station shave, they utilize Mr. Silver's shaver.