Helen Phillips Levin (March 26, 1924 – January 6, 1985) was an American social worker and disability rights activist based in Los Angeles.
Helen Phillips Levin | |
|---|---|
| Born | Helen Adele Phillips March 26, 1924 Minneapolis, Minnesota |
| Died | January 6, 1985 Bel Air, California |
| Occupation | Social worker |
| Known for | Disability community leadership |
Early life and education edit
Helen Adele Phillips was born in Minneapolis, Minnesota, the daughter of Jay Phillips and Rose Ebin Phillips. Her parents were Russian Jewish immigrants.[1][2] She completed a Master of Social Work (MSW) degree at the University of Southern California in 1981.[3]
Career edit
Levin worked at a suicide prevention hotline in Los Angeles, and read books for blind students. She was a major early benefactor of the Westside Center for Independent Living (WCIL), and served on its board. She also served on the architectural barriers committee of the Los Angeles City Council for the Handicapped.[4]
Personal life and legacy edit
Helen Phillips married Jack I. Levin in 1941.[5] They had two sons, Thomas and John. She survived polio in 1951, when her sons were young; she spent almost a year in an iron lung during her recovery, and used a wheelchair.[6] She died in 1985, at her home in Bel Air.[4]
Her family established several scholarships in her name, including the Helen Phillips Levin/Hebrew Union College Scholarship, and the Helen Phillips Levin Dean's Leadership Scholarship at the University of Southern California's School of Social Work.[3] In 1983, the WCIL, now known as the Disability Community Resource Center, named its building the Phillips Levin Building, for Helen Phillips Levin.[7][8]
References edit
- ^ "Phillips". Star Tribune. 1992-03-01. p. 28. Retrieved 2020-07-26 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Rose Ebin Phillips". Pioneer Press. October 7, 2002. Retrieved July 26, 2020.
- ^ a b Gallo, Eliza. "Disabled Student Scholarship Inspired by Alumna" USC News (February 12, 2014).
- ^ a b Gindick, Tia (1985-01-10). "Helen Levin; Quadriplegic Who Worked to Help Others". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 2020-07-26.
- ^ "Miss Helen Phillips and Jack Levin Exchange Vows". The Minneapolis Star. 1941-07-07. p. 17. Retrieved 2020-07-26 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ Gindick, Tia (May 9, 1983). "Neither Polio nor the Doldrums Have Slowed Down Helen Levin". The Los Angeles Times. p. SD-C1 – via ProQuest.
- ^ "History". Disability Community Resource Center. Retrieved 2020-07-26.
- ^ "On View". The Los Angeles Times. 1983-05-27. p. 89. Retrieved 2020-07-26 – via Newspapers.com.
