Harburg, E. Y. Yip

E. Y. “Yip” Harburg Lyricist Edgar Y. Harburg, New York City, April 8, 1896; Beverly Hills, California, March 5, 1981. Born to immigrant parents, Harburg earned the Yiddish nickname “Yipsel” (meaning squirrel), which was subsequently shortened to “Yip.” He attended high school with Ira Gershwin, and the two worked together on the school newspaper. After he graduated, Harburg worked as a journalist in South America in the late 1910s, and then established an electrical supply business in New York…