Irvin was in charge of a machine that put powder into bullets. He was the only one who could fix the machine when it broke down. He would make the machine stop if someone needed a family kept from the transport. Once the person’s family was safe, the machine worked again.
Irvin was also a contact for the underground during the war years.
Irvin had his place in this history because of his survival, dedication to his family, and for inspiring the design for the Tennessee Holocaust Survivors’ Memorial. The memorial now resides at the Gordon Jewish Community Center in Nashville, where his youngest son brought the inspiration to life in October 2005.
