Obituary: Harold Levin, professor emeritus in Arts & Sciences, 90

Harold Levin
Harold Levin in the classroom (courtesy photo).

A memorial service is planned Nov. 18 at Washington University in St. Louis for Harold L. Levin, professor emeritus of earth and planetary sciences in Arts & Sciences, who died July 16, 2019, in St. Louis. He was 90.

Throughout his life, Levin was committed to unraveling the Earth’s secrets by examining microscopic ancient invertebrates from the Earth’s sedimentary layers to predict future changes and to expose the deleterious effects of climate change.

Levin joined the Washington University faculty in 1961. He taught and conducted research while concurrently serving as the coordinator of preprofessional studies in Arts & Sciences.

He was chair of the Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences from 1973-76. A prolific author, Levin wrote and illustrated numerous textbooks and laboratory studies in geology and paleontology, including 11 editions of the popular geology textbook “The Earth Through Time.”

He is survived by his wife, Kay; children, Linda, Stephen and Janet; and seven grandchildren.

The campus memorial service will be held from 4-6 p.m. Nov. 18 in the Women’s Building Formal Lounge on the Danforth Campus. RSVP to Katherine Totty by Friday, Oct. 18.

To read Levin’s full obituary, visit the St. Louis Jewish Light.

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