Full Name Eugene Levy | Succeeded by Joseph Holland Nationality American Name Eugene Levy | |
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Born December 1, 1926Brooklyn, New York ( 1926-12-01 ) Spouse(s) Geraldine Schack Levy (1950–his death) | ||
Eugene "Gene" Levy (December 1, 1926 – July 12, 1990) was a member of the New York State Senate for the 38th District covering all of Rockland County and parts of Orange County, New York. He was elected to the New York State Senate in 1984, where he remained for three terms.
Contents
- Early life
- Political career
- New York State Assembly
- New York State Senate
- Community Involvement
- Death
- Legacy
- References
During his undefeated political career, Senator Levy was elected into office 13 times. Before he was elected to the New York State Senate, Levy was twice elected as councilman of the town of Ramapo, New York. He held this position from 1964 to 1968. He then served in the New York State Assembly from 1969 until 1984.
Levy died of leukemia in July 1990. At the time of his death, he had been elected to the New York State Senate three times, and he was getting ready to run for a fourth Senate term.
Early life
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 restaurant when he was approached to run for the position of Councilman of the town of Ramapo, New York. He ran against incumbent Democratic Councilman James Izzo, and won by more than 1,500 votes. After his first term as Councilman, Levy successfully ran for re-election in 1967. Levy held the position until he was elected to the New York State Assembly in 1968.
Levy was a politically moderate Republican who described himself as "pro-choice and pro-death penalty". Throughout his career, Levy was involved in issues related to consumer protection, education, mental health, and the environment.
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 August 1973, Governor Nelson Rockefeller appointed Levy to the Temporary State Commission on Living Costs and the Economy.
Levy served on several committees during his time in the New York State Assembly:
During his time in the New York State Assembly, Levy helped pass legislation requiring that all New York counties employ full-time district attorneys. This legislation also established a minimum salary for district attorneys in counties with a population over 100,000 and lengthened the term of office for district attorneys in all counties.
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, including several bills that protected consumers, 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.
In 1988, Levy and 17 other GOP senators from New York officially endorsed George H. W. Bush for the GOP presidential nomination.
Community Involvement
Levy was especially involved in consumer protection, education, people with disabilities, and environmental issues. He was also active in issues related to veterans' affairs.
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:
During his political career, Levy received the following awards and recognition related to the causes he supported:
At the time of his death, Levy had been nominated by the West Hudson District Branch of the American Psychological Association for the APA's Jacob Javits Public Service Award for his involvement in mental health issues.
Death
Levy died of leukemia in Westchester County Medical Center, Valhalla, NY, on July 12, 1990. At the time of his death, Levy was getting ready to run for a fourth Senate term.
More than 2,000 mourners came to Levy's funeral service at Temple Beth-El in Rockland, 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.
Mario Cuomo, the governor of New York, called Levy a “great public servant” and noted Levy’s “efforts on behalf of those challenged with disabilities.”
On July 13, 1990, flags on all Rockland municipal buildings were flown at half-staff in memory of Levy. On the same day, U.S. Rep. Benjamin Gilman (R-NY) spoke to the House of Representatives in Washington, DC about Levy's death, calling Levy a "humanitarian" and an "outstanding public servant".
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:
Scholarships
After Levy's death, several scholarships were established in his name, including:
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."
Rockland Independent Living Center, Inc. gives an annual award called The Senator Eugene Levy Independent Living Award. The award is given each year to "an individual who advocates on behalf of persons with disabilities and promotes the philosophy of independent living".
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 Senator 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 College (New York) on May 19, 1991.
In 1991, a benefit was held for Senator 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.