Richard F. Zirk (1936 – April 26, 2014) was an American heavyweight weightlifter who won a silver medal at the 1961 World Championships. A resident of

Fairfield Township, Essex County, New Jersey Fairfield is a township in far northwestern Essex County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, the township's population was 7,466, reflecting an increase of 403 (+5.7%) from the 7,063 counted in the 2000 Census, w ...

, Zirk graduated from Grover Cleveland High School (since renamed as

James Caldwell High School James Caldwell High School is a four-year comprehensive public high school serving students in ninth through twelfth grades in West Caldwell, in Essex County, New Jersey, United States, operating as the lone secondary school of the Caldwell-We ...

) in 1954, which inducted him into its hall of fame in 1997.Current JCHS Hall of Fame Inductees
James Caldwell High School, modified April 9, 2018. Accessed March 28, 2019. "Richard Zirk 1954 1997" After retiring from competitions Zirk worked for the

Verona Public Schools The Verona Public Schools is a comprehensive community public school district that serves students in pre-kindergarten through twelfth grade from Verona, in Essex County, New Jersey, United States. The Verona Public Schools (VPS) consist of si ...

. He was married for 57 years to Lorraine Zirk (née Korlishin), and had three children: Richard Zirk, Deborah Ruggieri, and Karen Summers.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Zirk, Richard 1936 births 2014 deaths American male weightlifters James Caldwell High School alumni People from Fairfield Township, Essex County, New Jersey Sportspeople from Essex County, New Jersey 20th-century American people 21st-century American people