Levitt: Delphos people make it easy to give

Tri-county Man of 2008

By Jim Metcalfe, The Delphos Herald
Published:  Tuesday, January 1, 2008 (2 years, 2 months ago)
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levitt.jpgMost humanitarians do not boast of their work.
They prefer to be behind the scenes as much as possible.
They are genuinely surprised when the accolades come their way.
That describes Gary Levitt, The Delphos Herald’s 2008 Tri-County Man of the Year.
“I’m very surprised. I know Esther Bielawski nominated me last year and this year but you never expect it. I try to work behind the scenes as much as possible,” he began. “I have received other awards, like the Jefferson Award but I never felt I deserved them. It spurs me to do more and be more creative.”
This volunteer spirit was instilled in Levitt by his parents — Meyer and Mildred Levitt, both deceased — growing up in the Big Apple.
He was born Jan. 25, 1950, and was an only child.
“Dad was an attorney and accountant; he loved the theater and acting. He spent a lot of time as a volunteer there,” he said. “He was a Cubmaster and a Mason, as am I. Mom was a teacher; she also did a lot of volunteer work.
“I grew up in Brooklyn and Long Island; both my wife, Fran, and I are from Brooklyn. I always loved music and played several instruments — I wasn’t very athletic at all. I attended Denison here in Ohio (Granville) for a year before I had to finish at Hofstra due to health issues in the family.”
He earned a bachelor of arts degree from Hofstra in psychology and education; later, he received a master of science degree from Dayton in educational administration.
When he arrived in the Tri-County area in 1976, he had been married for two years. He was in the midst of nine years of service for the Department of the Army and US Army Reserve as a first sergeant in Co. D, 983rd Engineer Battalltion and as an Army Reserve civilian technician, ending it on April 15, 1978.
“We originally lived in Spencerville for a time before moving to Delphos; it was a culture shock, to say the least, coming from New York. Ever since I got to Delphos, I wanted to be involved; I saw some things that needed done and set about coming up with the ideas,” he explained. “The people here care about what they have, so it was pretty easy getting things done.
“I had opportunities here I never would have had in New York. Our children were born and raised here. I wanted to show my children what was shown me by my parents: give back more than you take. I have found that out here: I have gotten back far more than I ever put in. I became involved in whatever my kids were. For example, our son, Greg, was an Eagle Scout.”
Greg (Becca)  is a pharmacist in Black Lake near Columbus. Their daughter, Sara Levitt, is a teacher in the Whitehall system (Canal Winchester), as well as teaching English as a second language to Spanish-speaking students at night with the Columbus Literacy Council.
“I am about to become a grandfather in February. My grandson will be named Jeremy Bettis Levitt — after the Pittsburgh Steelers running back,” he continued. “I am a  Pittsburgh fan except when they play Cleveland; I have to remain loyal to Ohio.
“I have a residence in Dublin and an apartment in Elida while I’m working on the postal museum.”
That museum seems like a perfect fit for Levitt. He began working for the United States Postal Service on April 15, 1978, in the Lima and surrounding areas, eventually becoming Delphos Postmaster March 6, 1993. He was promoted to the Dublin position in June of 2004 and retired in February of 2007.
Along the way, he earned numerous awards and served in various ways within the service. After promotion to postmaster, he worked in various ways for the National Association of Postmasters of the United States, such as: serving on the national executive board for two years; national vice president (areas 9 and 10) for two years; and chairman of the ethics committee.
The idea of a museum germinated around the time the post office celebrated its 60th anniversary on Nov. 11, 1993.
He recounted that 8 months before then, he had visited the National Post Office Museum in Washington, D.C.
“I never collected anything as a child. As postmaster for Delphos, I liked the community to see what’s going on,” he recalled. “Father Chris Vasko, head of the Delphos Canal Commission, has a vast amount of knowledge about the city’s history and I found myself rummaging through a lot of files and photos we had here. We found the original blueprints, construction photos and just a lot of stuff in the archives and articles printed in The Herald.”
All of this, with the help of the National Museum and numerous suggestions, resulted in the putting together of a museum at the post office.
“I have been in contact with the National Museum and they’ve been a big help. After a year and a half seeking permission, the museum opened in 1995; we had a lot of trial and error putting it together,” he said.
The exhibits began to show signs of wear in the museum closed in 1999, only to re-open in 2001 featuring the Walter W. Wolery stamp exhibit. According to Levitt, individuals like Wolery and businesses remain generous.
“Two years ago, we simply started running out of room at the post office and began looking for a new space. When the former Eagles building came up for auction, we got it for a reasonable price — around $300,000,” he explained. “We had to do a lot of repair and replace work — I anticipate it will cost $150,000 to update the building before we can open. In contrast, it would cost a million dollars to build new.
“We go from 2,000 square feet to 11,000. We’re starting from scratch again. It took us two years to get the original museum open; I hope it doesn’t take this long. I’m expecting a 2009 opening. Money will dictate if that can happen or not. We got some help through the city’s revitalization program. We’re also organizing fundraisers and the people have stepped up.
“The Delphos Postal Museum is a big project for me and I hope for Delphos. I hope this museum helps further the development of the city. I’d like to see it become a tourist attraction. There are old businesses closing shop but new businesses coming in to take their place. It’s sad to see the old go but it’s exciting to see the new.”
Levitt remains active in the Delphos Rotary and the Delphos Club, as well as his congregation, Temple Beth Israel in Lima.
He has been a member of the Scottish and York rites of the Masonic organization for 25 years. He has been involved with local organizations such as the Optimist Clubs of Lima and Delphos Allen County American Red Cross; assistant Scoutmaster for the Boy Scouts of America; Delphos Area Chamber of Commerce; United Way of Greater Lima; Allen County Convention and Visitors’ Bureau; the Economic Development Council of Delphos; and Delphos Area Senior Citizens; serving in various capacities in each organization.
He was even involved with local media during the 1990s and this decade as a weekly columnist for The Herald and the “Post-It Notes” for WDOH.
For Levitt, his achievements are more from teamwork than individual action.
“I had so much support. If there was something I wanted to do for the city, there was someone there to support it, whether it was the paper or the Chamber or some other organization or businessowner,” he concluded. “If I had the idea, Delphos ran with it. The more that got done, the more I was inspired. I got the credit; others did the work.
“In the end, the enthusiasm of this community and its residents inspired me and still does. They made it easy to get things done and make things better.”

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