North Fork Pioneer Honored for Lifetime of Public Service

SOUTHOLD, NY — Voices filled with emotion and tears of gratitude, family, friends, and the many colleagues whose lives she's touched came together Thursday night to honor longtime community servant Merle Levine, 92,who was presented with the second annual 2016 Helen Wright Prince Award by the Southold Anti-Bias Task Force.

Levine, a past principal of Northport High School who's blazed a bright trail on the North Fork as president of the North Fork Reform Synagogue, president of Community Action of Southold Town, one of the founding members and pillars of the Southold Anti-Bias Task Force, and a foreign policy speaker for the League of Women Voters, has crusaded tirelessly for years, fighting for social justice and an end to racism and intolerance.

Levine was honored Thursday night at a ceremony at the Peconic Recreational Center on Peconic Lane.

Southold ABTF member Leroy Heyliger kicked off the night by explaining that the Helen Wright Prince Award, created in memory of a woman who created the migrant labor camp school in Cutchogue, is meant to honor those who dedicate lives to "promoting diversity, unity, and fairness in our towns."

Levine, he said, has been a tireless champion for the disenfranchised and spent a lifetime dedicated to volunteerism. Reciting the words of Dr. Martin Luther King, in the letter from Birmingham jail, he said, "Change never comes about on the wings of inevitability, but only through constant struggle."

Southold Town Supervisor Scott Russell presented Levine with a proclamation.

Russell said while words such as "tireless, caring, with an undying commitment to others" are used often in reference to Levine, and right along with it, he'd like to add the word "persistence. Because of your unwillingness to yield, to accept things the way they are, and your absolute commitment to push forward and overcome obstacles in your way. That's what makes all the difference in this community," he said.

Today's world, Russell said, is rife with bitterness, racism, distrust and hatred dominating headlines. But Levine has shone a light into that darkness. "We'll do better as a nation because of people like you," Russell said.

Presenting the proclamation to Levine in acknowledgment of her award, the supervisor said, "I can't think of a better recipient."

Keynote speaker Reverend Dr. Marvin Dozier read a letter to Harriet Tubman from Frederick Douglass dated 1968.

While often it is not possible to see the forest for the trees, of Levine, he said, "Merle Levine, to me, has become like my spiritual redwood," a visionary leader who has led people to climb the highest tree so that they might find their path.

Remembering their days on the ABTF, Levine, he said, fought for a hate crime bill, held Freedom Rides with students, railed against bias incidents in schools, and worked hard for the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990; she also worked with former Mayor David Kapell on First Nights in Greenport, to ring in a bias-free new year, he said.

"Merle climbed the highest tree. She is a true and real servant leader," Dozier said."Merle is one of the most humble persons I have ever met. We simply say to Merle, 'Thank you.'"

Levine's daughter Deborah Laurel spoke of her earliest memories of her mother, folding brochures for Adlai Stevenson.

During her work at Northport High School, she "advocated for programs that would make sure no child was left behind," Laurel said.

Her mother, she said, also helped to create the Women in Conversation group on the North Fork, was the diversity chair for the American Association of University Women, and is a principal and organizer for lifelong learning at Peconic Landing, where she lives.

She worked to help residents of Church Lane when the zoning on the street was in discussion, she said.

"She has set the bar so high," Laurel said.

Denis Noncarrow, president of CAST, said Levine led with her heart, teaching everyone to open their minds and hearts to the Latino population. "We're the blessed ones. They're here to work hard, to raise their families like we would do if we were in that situation. God bless Merle, for teaching us this," he said.

Other friends read letters and spoke of her passion for her work, her compassion, deeply rooted sense of justice and fairness, her deep ties to her friends, and her loyalty to the community.

Liza Coppola, who worked with Levine at CAST, said her familiar words echo forever: "Carry on."

Levine, she said, encouraged her to continue to pursue her college education. "I love you. God bless you," she said.

Arthur Gibbons, a friend from Peconic Landing, moved the group in attendance to tears as he sang "Sunrise, Sunset" from "Fiddler on the Roof" and the audience joined in.

Steve Levine, Merle's son, was moved by the outpouring of love and respect. "It's just astoundingly beautiful," he said. "I'm just so proud of you, Mom. I love you."

Sonia Sparr, co-chairperson of the Southold ABTF said the group carries on Levine's legacy and works today with schools and the community to tackle issues such as bullying; she displayed walls of posters kids had created in that effort. Levine's fight, she said, must still be waged.

"Unfortunately, the job is not done yet," she said.

Levine, after the heartfelt messages of love and thanks from so many, spoke to her sea of supporters. "What I'd like to say is thank you, for giving me a life that was worthwhile. You gave me a tremendous gift."