Harvey Lipman enjoyed all sports, but it was soccer that became his passion.
He played at his high school in Evanston, Ill., as well as at Knox College. In graduate school, he became a soccer referee, something he did more than 30 years, said Camellia Lipman, his wife of 21 years.
“The sport was taking off and he wanted to be a part of it in some way, to help popularize it,” she said. “He didn’t think he had the aggressiveness needed to be a coach, so he stayed on the refereeing side.”
Wherever he lived, Dr. Lipman got involved with soccer. That included stops in Oregon and Ohio before Atlanta in 1992. Here, he worked mostly high school games and some youth league matches.
Off the field, he was involved, too. He was a past chapter secretary for the Georgia Soccer Officials Association, a high school referees’ group. He taught courses for the United States Soccer Federation.
Dr. Harvey Bennett Lipman, 57, of Lawrenceville died Aug. 30 of cancer at Emory University Hospital. A memorial service will be at 7:30 p.m. Wednesday at Congregation Dor Tamid in Johns Creek.
A Chicago native, Dr. Lipman earned a bachelor’s degree in mathematics at Knox College (1974). At Oregon State University, he earned a master’s degree (1976) in math and a doctoral degree (1979) in statistics. He was a member of the American Statistical Association.
Dr. Lipman taught at colleges in La Grande and Portland, Ore. He also was a math professor at Marietta College in Marietta, Ohio, where he met his wife. They married in 1988.
Four years later, the couple moved to Atlanta. Dr. Lipman became the statistician for the Centers for Disease Control. He worked even during cancer treatment.
“He never stopped one bit,” said Dr. Marty Cetron, the CDC’s director for global migration and quarantine. “He was working on an important project the last week of his life.”
It is the same tenacity he applied to the sport he loved.
“He didn’t let his cancer define him,” his wife said, “and continued to work and be involved in soccer till the very end. And I mean that literally.”
Recently, Andy Green of Woodstock and Dr. Lipman co-taught a course in Peachtree City. Green admired him.
“He was solid with his understanding of the laws of the game,” he said. “For the entry-level course, especially the youth, he understood how to explain to people clearly what they were walking into — the game, the emotionally-charged environment and sometimes the irrational people.”
Irate fans didn’t faze this referee.
“He did not get into any negativity,” his wife said. “He enjoyed the game and enjoyed being able to referee too much.”
Outside soccer, Dr. Lipman acted in plays and theater. He performed as a cello soloist for synagogues. And he sang in the choir at Congregation Dor Tamid.
Additional survivors include his mother, Joy Lipman and a sister, Sarah Lipman, both of Chicago; two brothers, Marc Lipman of Fort Wayne, Ind.; and Mayer Lipman of Nashua, NH.
About the Author
The Latest
Featured
