Erwin Alpern

He was a devoted and loving husband to his wife, Adell Hardin Alpern since 1949, and is lovingly remembered by his daughter Darien (Stephen) Arnstein in St. Louis and his two grandsons, Jonathan and Benjamin Arnstein in New York City. Erwin’s two siblings, Shirley Lebow Hellman and A. Melvin Alpern, predeceased him. Erwin and Adell moved to St. Louis in 2007 to be closer to family, but they always remained connected to their Oklahoma City roots.

Erwin Alpern was born July 24, 1918, in Pittsburgh, PA, the eldest son of Nathan Alpern and Elizabeth Abramson Alpern. His family moved to Oklahoma City in 1927, and Erwin attended Wilson grade school, Harding Junior High and graduated from Central High in 1936.

He graduated from the University of Oklahoma in 1940 with a BS degree in Business Administration, and received his law degree from Yale Law School in 1946. Erwin was admitted to the Oklahoma Bar in 1942 and received his certificate as a Certified Public Accountant in 1949. He has been a long-standing member of the Oklahoma and American Bar Associations and the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants.

He entered the US Army in June, 1942 and served until 1946 in the Army Finance and Army Air Corps when he was discharged as a 1st Lieutenant. He was recalled to service in 1950 during the Korean War and served as an instructor in the Army Finance department until discharged in 1952.

In 1946 he joined T. Dwight Williams and Co., certified public accountants, and in 1947 opened his own law office. Erwin practiced as an attorney with Delmer L. Stagner until 1966 when he went to Washington, D.C. as assistant to the Federal Co-Chairman, William M. McCandless, of the Ozark Regional Commission. He returned to Oklahoma City in 1969 and practiced law and then became of counsel with the firm Spradling, Alpern, Friot and Gum through 2005. Erwin’s ethics, integrity and dedication were his hallmark; he served as a role model for many young attorneys with his high standards for legal work.

A life-long member of Emanuel Synagogue, where he was a member of the Board of Directors for many years, and served as a Trustee of the Endowment Fund and as a member of the board of Trustees of the B’nai B’rith Hillel Foundation Endowment Fund. He was a past president of the Oklahoma City Jewish Community Council, president of the Oklahoma City B’nai B’rith Lodge, chairman of the Oklahoma City unit of the American Jewish Committee, and president of the Oklahoma City chapter of the Zionist Organization of America.

Funeral Services will be held on Tuesday, May 26th at 11:00 a.m. at Emanuel Synagogue, with Burial Service to follow at Emanuel Hebrew Cemetery. Contributions are requested to Emanuel Synagogue Endowment Fund, 900 N.W. 47th Street, Oklahoma City 73118.