Eugene Levy (politician)

Levy was born in Brooklyn, New York, on December 1, 1926. He graduated from Spring Valley High School in 1944. During his high school career, Levy played basketball and football, and ran track. After high school, Levy served for two years in the Navy Medical Corps; he returned to New York in 1946 after receiving an honorable discharge. Levy attended NYU and Queens College, but left to help with the family business, the Plaza Restaurant in Spring Valley, New York. Levy married Geraldine (Schack) Levy in 1950. They had two children, William Levy and Felicia Alice Levy. The family home is located in Montebello (formerly Suffern), New York. ==Political career==

In 1963, Levy was working in the family owned restaurant when he was approached to run for the position of Councilman of the town of Ramapo, New York. After his first term as Councilman, Levy successfully ran for re-election in 1967. New York State Assembly Levy, a Republican in a heavily Democratic county, ran successfully for State Assembly in 1968. Levy was a member of the New York State Assembly from 1969 to 1984, sitting in the 178th, 179th, 180th, 181st, 182nd, 183rd, 184th and 185th New York State Legislatures. During his time as Assemblyman, he became the Republican minority assistant whip. In 1970, Levy helped secure funding for the construction of interchange 14B on the New York State Thruway on Airmont Road in Ramapo. In 1971, Levy helped defeat a bill that would have allowed the Department of Health to close Haverstraw Rehabilitation Hospital. The hospital was later renamed Helen Hayes Hospital, in honor of actress and philanthropist Helen Hayes MacArthur, the "First Lady of American Theater". New York State Senate Levy was elected to the New York State Senate in 1984. He was a member of the New York State Senate from 1985 until his death in 1990, sitting in the 186th, 187th and 188th New York State Legislatures. He successfully sponsored and cosponsored more than 280 pieces of legislation, children, and the elderly. Levy sponsored legislation that raised the minimum age for correctional officers in New York from 18 to 21. He also sponsored legislation to protect consumers from "embarrassing" and "threatening" debt collection practices. Levy sponsored several bills related to mental health, including bills to establish new state hospitals for the mentally ill; to develop comprehensive requirements for staffing inpatient wards at adult psychiatric centers; bills to protect patient confidentiality and patients' rights; housing programs for homeless; AIDS care; education for handicapped children. The committees that Levy served on during his time in the New York State Senate included consumer protection; banks; commerce; economic development and small business; education; environmental conservation; mental hygiene; tourism; recreation and sports; and transportation. He was also a member of a Special Task Force on Drunk Driving. ==Community Involvement==

Levy was especially involved in consumer protection, education, people with disabilities, and environmental issues. In 1969, Levy helped found Camp Venture, Rockland County's first day camp for mentally handicapped children. Levy helped the camp obtain matching funds from the State Department of Mental Hygiene. In 1983, after the death of his 24-year-old daughter Felicia in an automobile accident, Levy contributed funds donated in her memory to help with the construction of a new dialysis center at Good Samaritan Hospital in Suffern, New York. The waiting room at the facility is named for Felicia. A portrait of Felicia hangs in the waiting room. Levy helped raise funds to establish the JCC Rockland, which opened in 1988. Levy held a variety of positions and memberships in community organizations throughout his political career: ==Death==

Levy died of leukemia in the Westchester County Medical Center in Valhalla, NY, on July 12, 1990. At the time of his death, Levy was getting ready to run for a fourth state senate term. came to Levy's funeral service at Temple Beth-El in Spring Valley, New York. During the service, a group of Clarkstown police officers gave a final salute, and a color guard of Jewish war veterans placed an American flag on Levy's casket. Members of the Ancient Order of Hibernians Rockland Pipe and Drum Corps played bagpipes as they escorted the senator's motorcade from the temple. The Levy family received a condolence letter from then-President George H. W. Bush. On July 13, 1990, flags on all Rockland municipal buildings were flown at half-staff in memory of Levy. On March 6, 1991, the New York State Assembly adopted Legislative Resolution 409, "Commemorating the Life and Achievements of the Honorable Eugene Levy". Levy was also honored by the New York State Senate. On March 12, 1991, the New York State Senate adopted Legislative Resolution 523 in Levy's honor. ==Legacy==

Landmarks Several landmarks and buildings throughout Rockland County are named in honor of Levy, including: • Senator Eugene Levy Memorial Park in Ramapo, New York. The park was dedicated on September 3, 1995. The dedication included two color guard salutes and a flag-raising ceremony. The park also contains a plaque that Levy's son Bill inscribed to memorialize his father. • Senator Gene Levy Municipal Plaza in Spring Valley, New York. • Senator Eugene Levy Education Center, East Ramapo Central School District Board of Education, Ramapo, New York. A museum case inside the building holds a display of several photos, trophies, and other mementos of Levy's life and accomplishments. The museum case also houses the Levy Trophy, which is awarded to the winner of the Eugene Levy Memorial Game, an annual football game between the Ramapo and Spring Valley high school varsity football teams. The school district also retired Levy's high school basketball and football jersey numbers, which were 16 and 42, respectively. • A meditation bench at the New City County Courthouse War Veterans' Memorial. An inscription on the bench reads, "Let this memorial stand as a tribute to the compassionate leadership of Senator Eugene Levy." The bench was dedicated in 1990, on Veteran's Day. • A plaque at George Washington's Headquarters, The Dewint House in Tappan, New York. The plaque, which rests under a flowering Kwanzan cherry tree, reads, "Dedicated Oct. 11, 1992 by Athelstane Lodge #839 F & AM. In memory of Worshipful Eugene Levy. Past Master; New York State Senator." • The Senator Eugene Levy Memorial Center, Camp Venture, Stony Point, New York. Levy's daughter Felicia, who died in 1981 at age 24, is also commemorated at Camp Venture. • The Sen. Eugene Levy Respite Apartment, Rockland Association for Retarded Children (ARC), Suffern, New York • The Jawonio Sen. Eugene Levy Home, an independent living facility for mentally challenged adults in Montebello, New York. • A plaque and memorial tree at the Nanuet Public Library in Nanuet, New York. The plaque, which was dedicated on October 14, 1990, reads, "In memory of Senator Eugene Levy." In 1969, Levy conducted the ribbon-cutting ceremony for the dedication of the library. • The Village of Chestnut Ridge, New York named its meeting room after Levy. Scholarships After Levy's death, several scholarships were established in his name, including: • The Senator Eugene Levy Scholarship, which is rotated among senior high schools in Rockland County, New York • The Senator Eugene Levy Memorial Award at Suffern High School • The Eugene Levy Memorial Scholarship at Dominican University (New York) • The JCC Scholarship Fund • The Alumni of Spring Valley Senior High School offers two college athletic scholarships to graduating seniors in Levy's honor. Posthumous Honors On July 30, 1990, the senator's home village of Montebello, New York, named December 1, Levy's birthday, as "Gene Levy Day". The library at Church of the Presentation in Upper Saddle River, New Jersey, created a living memorial for Levy with funds donated in his memory. The funds were used to purchase a volume of children's Bible stories. The New York Library Association passed a resolution honoring Levy's contributions at its October 1990 conference. On February 7, 1991, Meals on Wheels of Rockland County dedicated the Eugene Levy Memorial Room at its facility in Nanuet, New York. Levy was posthumously awarded an honorary Doctor of Laws degree from Dominican University New York on May 19, 1991. In 1991, a benefit was held for Levy by the Helen Hayes Tappan Zee Playhouse in Nyack, New York. During the benefit, Levy's widow, Geraldine Levy, was presented with a seat plaque that was to be installed in the theater. In 1992, the PFC Frederick Hecht Post No. 425 of the Jewish War Veterans established the Eugene Levy Humanitarian Award. The Rockland Symphony Orchestra performed a concert in memory of Levy on March 29, 1992. New York composer Arthur Cunningham wrote a piece titled "Suncatcher" for the occasion. In 1994, The Senator Eugene Levy Memorial Fund of the Leukemia Society of America was established and cosponsored by Rockland radio station WRKL and the Clarkstown South High School Future Business Leaders of America. To launch the fund, the two groups held a fundraiser called "Pennies for Patients." The goal of the fundraiser was to collect one million pennies during the month of April 1994. On April 18, 2004, Levy was posthumously inducted into the Association for Retarded Children (ARC) of Rockland's 50th Anniversary Hall of Fame, for his support and involvement in causes related to people with disabilities. Certificates of Merit from the New York Senate, New York State Assembly and the Town of Ramapo, Rockland County accompanied this honor. ==References==