Samuel Levey ’55 died on December 28, 2015, in Sarasota, Florida.
(The following was published in the Press-Citizen on Dec. 30, 2015):
Samuel Levey, 83, of Iowa City died suddenly December 28, 2015, in Sarasota, Florida, following a vacation with his family to celebrate 50 years of marriage.
A funeral service will be held at 10 a.m., Thursday, December 31, 2015 at Agudas Achim Congregation, 401 Oakdale Blvd, Coralville, IA. His burial will take place in Agudas Achim Cemetery. In lieu of flowers, memorials may be contributed to MDAAP Foundation or Shulman Hillel University of Iowa. The MDAAP Foundation, 1211 Cathedral Street, Baltimore, MD 21201, supports Reach Out and Read, which promotes literacy in young children by distributing free books in pediatricians’ offices.
Sam was born July 11, 1932 in Capetown, South Africa the son of Harry and Esther (Turecki) Kushelowitz. The family emigrated to the United States in 1949. Sam graduated from Capetown High School. In the United States he earned degrees from Bowdoin College (BA), Columbia University (MA), and the University of Iowa (Ph.D.) He earned a post graduate degree from the Harvard School of Public Health.
He started his career as assistant professor of healthcare management at the University of Iowa in 1961. Later, he served in the Massachusetts Department of Public Health as deputy commissioner for nursing homes and long term care licensure and then as its first director of Medicaid. In 1969, Sam was invited to create a graduate program in healthcare administration at the City University of New York, which he chaired until he returned to the University of Iowa in 1977 to head the Graduate Program in Hospital and Health Administration (subsequently Health Policy and Management). In1991, he returned to full time teaching, retiring June 30, 2015, to become Professor Emeritus.
He was active in many professional organizations, including the American College of Healthcare Executives and was editor of their journal Hospital and Health Administration.
Sam enjoyed classical music, painting, travel, writing, and spending time with his grandchildren.
On December 26, 1965, Sam married Linda Anne Madison of Clifton, NJ. In addition to his wife, his survivors include three children, Eric (Michelle) Levey of Marriottsville, MD, Andrea Levey of Rockford, IL, Sara (Scott) Weisenberg of Chicago, IL., grandchildren Amanda and Jacob Levey, Sidney, Jared, and Evie Weisenberg, step-grandchildren Christopher and Alexis Missett, nephews Allen Madison and David Hertz, niece Janice Lamb. He was predeceased by his parents and sister Dorothea Hertz.