This article originally provided by The Charleston Gazette

June 18, 2007

Si Galperin, former state senator, dies

By Jim Balow
Staff writer

Si Galperin Jr., a longtime activist and state legislator from the 1960s to the early ’80s, died Sunday of complications following a stroke. He was 75.

Friends and colleagues of Galperin remembered him Sunday as a staunch Democrat who continued to lobby for environmental issues until recently.

“He was always a champion of liberal causes and dedicated to the land and people,” said former Rep. Ken Hechler, D-W.Va.

“I’ve known Si ever since he was in the state Senate,” Hechler said. “He joined other people in banning strip mining in a number of counties in West Virginia.”

Simon Hirsch Galperin Jr. was a lifelong resident of Charleston. He attended Stonewall Jackson High School and Cronbrook Academy and earned a B.A. degree in business from Washington and Lee University.

He joined the family business, Galperin Music, after serving in the Navy during the Korean War. But during his military service he found his real vocation, an interest in government, he told Gazette reporter Sandy Wells in a 2004 interview.

He entered politics shortly after the assassination of President John Kennedy and was first elected to the Legislature in 1966. He served two terms in the House of Delegates and two more in the Senate.

Galperin ran unsuccessfully for Congress in 1980 after the death of John Slack, losing to John Hutchinson. He also lost a bid for Kanawha County assessor in 1988.

Following his years in the Legislature, Galperin worked with the state Association of Realtors and the Real Estate Appraiser Licensing and Certification Board. But he continued to lobby for environmental and open-government causes with groups like the W.Va. Citizen Action Group and Common Cause.

During the 1980s, WVCAG gave out an annual Si Galperin Award to honor those who opposed special-interest legislation.

Former WVCAG Director Norm Steenstra, now the group’s legislative coordinator, said Galperin’s death was not unexpected, as he had been ill in recent days.

“I don’t think there was a more decent and honorable man in politics than Si,” Steenstra said. “I was lucky enough to work on the Clean Elections bill with him. During this past legislative session, he was still quite active. He was just a heckuva guy.”

Galperin also opposed mountaintop removal mining in his later years, Hechler said. The Ohio Valley Environmental Coalition gave him its Laura Forman Passion for Justice Award three years ago for those efforts.

“We will miss him as a strong advocate of environmental protection,” Hechler said.

Galperin is survived by his wife, Maureen Supcoe Galperin, two sons, several stepchildren and their families.

Visitation will be from 6 to 8 p.m. Monday at Barlow-Bonsall Funeral Home at 1118 Virginia St. East in Charleston. The funeral service will be held at 3 p.m. Tuesday at the funeral home.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Schoenbaum Family Enrichment Center, 1701 5th Ave., Charleston, WV 25312 or Social Action Committee at Temple Israel, 2312 Kanawha Blvd. East, Charleston, WV 25311.

To contact staff writer Jim Balow, use e-mail or call 348-5102.

Click here to read Galperin's obituary.