Case alum, Major League Baseball Hall Of Fame honoree Hal Lebovitz passes
Western Reserve grad also was a member of the Case Reserve Athletic Club Hall of Fame
October 19, 2005 | For more information: creg.jantz@case.edu 216-368-6517
Hal Lebovitz, a 1938 graduate of Adelbert College (M.A. in 1942) who was honored by the Major League Baseball Hall of Fame as a sportswriter, died October 18 in University Hospitals of Cleveland, where he was being treated for cancer. He was 89.
Lebovitz, who was also inducted into the Case Reserve Athletic Club Hall of Fame in 2000, played varsity basketball at Western Reserve University (WRU) and then coached the WRU freshman team upon his graduation in 1938. Lebovitz was also the sports editor of the Reserve Tribune and features editor for the Reserve Red Cat while a student at WRU.
"The Case community has lost a remarkable man," said Case Athletic Director Dave Diles. "Although my opportunities to know Hal were limited, at my introduction to our university five months ago, I found him to be a distinguished person and a man of exceptional professional accomplishments. We extend our thoughts, prayers and condolences to his family and friends."
Lebovitz had worked as a sportswriter for well over 50 years. The longtime Cleveland-based scribe began covering baseball in 1946 with the Cleveland News, and covered the Cleveland Indians as the paper's beat writer from 1950 until the News folded in 1960. Lebovitz then moved to the Cleveland Plain Dealer, covering baseball until 1964, when he became the paper's sports editor, a position he held for over 20 years.
Lebovitz has been inducted into 11 halls of fame. One of his most prestigious honors came in 1999 when he won the J.G. Taylor Spink Award, which honors a baseball writer for meritorious contributions to baseball writing. He received the award and a certificate during the Major League Baseball Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony in Cooperstown, N.Y.
About Case Western Reserve University
Case is among the nation's leading research institutions. Founded in 1826
and shaped by the unique merger of the Case Institute of Technology and Western
Reserve University, Case is distinguished by its strengths in education, research,
service, and experiential learning. Located in Cleveland, Case offers nationally
recognized programs in the Arts and Sciences, Dental Medicine, Engineering,
Law, Management, Medicine, Nursing, and Social Work. http://www.case.edu.
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