62 | AUGUST 19 • 2021
Looking Back
From the William Davidson Digital Archive of Jewish Detroit History
accessible at www.djnfoundation.org
Memories of Sen. Carl Levin
T
his will be the second week in-a-row that
I write about a legend. Sen. Carl Levin
passed away on July 29 at the age of 87.
Few people have had the impact that Levin
had upon America. Shortly after his death, there
were numerous articles in national media that
related his many accomplish-
ments and, more important, told
of his personal integrity and his
love for Detroit and Michigan.
The longest serving senator in
Michigan was also one of the
hardest working senators with
admirable intellectual skills.
From his election to the
Detroit City
Council and retirement as a
U.S. senator, Levin’s career
can be followed in the pages
of the William Davidson
Digital Archive of Jewish
Detroit History. Enter “Carl
Levin” into the search box
and you will see that he is
cited on nearly 1,500 pages
in the Archive. Those pages
demonstrate Levin’s contri-
butions to the well-being of
our nation and state while in
Washington, D.C. They also
show he was often “on-the-
ground” in Michigan, wheth-
er speaking at a synagogue
or traveling to the Upper
Peninsula to meet with constituents. He contin-
ued to make presentations and attend communi-
ty events until shortly before his death, all while
he was waging a four-year battle with cancer.
I cannot do justice to his accomplished career
in this brief column. I relate two personal sto-
ries, instead.
My first meeting with Sen. Levin was in
2009, when I was director of the Walter Reuther
Library at Wayne State University. I was nom-
inated for Archivist of the United States that
year. I was honored to be nominated, but this
meant that I needed support in Washington.
Eugene Driker made the contact with Levin for
me (for which I am still grateful). Soon, I had
an appointment to meet the senator. I’ll admit, I
was nervous. I was meeting a legend. Would he
support me?
Levin warmly received me like I was a
V
.I.P
. But he treated everyone like that. I was
impressed with how intently he listened. One
of the best moments of my career came when I
knew he would support me. His eyes sparkled
and he simply said, “Okay. Let’s get to work.
” In
the end, I was not selected for the position, but
the fact that Carl Levin actively supported me
was a great reward and a great honor.
Our paths crossed again a few years
later, after he retired from public ser-
vice. Levin placed
his archives, more
than 1,200 boxes of
papers and numer-
ous digital files,
with the Bentley
Historical Library
at the University of
Michigan. Although
I spoke with Carl sev-
eral times by phone
as he periodically sent
records to the Bentley,
I spent one Saturday
with both him and his
daughter, Kate, review-
ing his archive. It was a
most engaging day.
“I’m still a lawyer at
heart,
” Levin said, as he proceeded to grill
me about every detail regarding the future of
his archive at the Bentley. It gave me a taste of
how Levin handled his duties as a
senator. He would leave no question
unanswered.
Carl Levin was a mensch of the
highest order. I am particularly
grateful to have known him. He
will be greatly missed, especially
by me.
Want to learn more? Go to the DJN Foundation archives,
available for free at www.djnfoundation.org.
Mike Smith
Alene and
Graham Landau
Archivist Chair
Memories of Sen. Carl Levin
an appointment to meet the senator. I’ll admit, I
was nervous. I was meeting a legend. Would he
and he simply said, “Okay. Let’s get to work.
” In
I spoke with Carl sev-
as he periodically sent
records to the Bentley,
with both him and his
daughter, Kate, review-
ing his archive. It was a
“I’m still a lawyer at
me about every detail regarding the future of
his archive at the Bentley. It gave me a taste of
senator. He would leave no question
Go to the DJN Foundation archives,