EDWARD M. LEVIN

LEVIN EDWARD M. LEVIN Ed Levin died in Washington, DC, on May 3, 2015. Family and friends remember Ed's vibrant smile, how joyful, loving and generous he was, and his indomitable spirit as cancer took its toll. He was funny, courageous, insightful, outspokenly progressive, and dedicated to public service and public interest law. Born in 1934 in Chicago, Ed graduated from the University of Illinois and Harvard Law School before serving two years in the US Army. In private law practice in the 1960s, he drafted the first state law in the nation to protect natural areas as dedicated nature preserves and was appointed as an initial member of the Illinois Nature Preserves Commission, a model for similar commissions across the country. He also drafted the first federal tire recall legislation, at the request of law school roommate and friend Ralph Nader. Ed held positions with the State of Illinois and in the Chicago offices of HUD before moving with his family to Washington, DC, in 1979, to be Chief Counsel of the Economic Development Administration. Recognized as a leading authority on the law of federal grants, Ed taught courses in grants law and ethics for a dozen years after retiring from government service in 2001. He was a founding director of the national Appleseed Foundation (1993) and the DC Appleseed Center for Law and Justice (1994), and remained active in both organizations, as well as Public Citizen, the ACLU, and DC Vote. He is survived by Margot Aronson, his wife of 22 years; sister, Elinor Epstein of Glenview, IL; sons, Daniel (Cari), Evanston, IL and John (Anne), St. Paul, MN; stepchildren, Jeffrey Aronson (Eunice), Derwood, MD, Stephanie Loayza (Carlos), Woodbine, MD and Alexandra Aronson, Silver Spring, MD; nine beloved grandchildren; and former wife, Joan Davis Levin of Chicago, IL. A memorial celebration of his life will take place at 2 p.m. on May 30 at the River Road Unitarian Church, in Bethesda, MD; a second remembrance will be held on June 20 in Skokie for Chicago-area friends and family. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Appleseed Foundation.