(The following news release featuring Barbara Sussman Levenson, class of 1953, was received from Oceanview Publishing on March 16, 2011)  3/23/11


Bexley Alum Barbara Levenson named recipient of the prestigious John F. Cosgrove Founder’s Award

MIAMI, FL. – Bexley alum and longtime Miami judge Barbara Levenson has been named the recipient of the 2011 John F. Cosgrove Founder’s Award.

Chosen by the Miami-Dade County Days 2011 Awards Committee as the recipient of the 2011 John F. Cosgrove Founder’s Award, Levenson will be presented with this prestigious honor at an awards luncheon on April 7, 2011 in Tallahassee, Florida during Miami-Dade County Days.

Established in honor of former late Representative John Cosgrove, the John F. Cosgrove Founder’s Award celebrates individuals who have made a tremendous impact in the community. Cosgrove, a South Florida native who served as a Florida Representative for 17 years, went on to become the founding father of the New Town of Cutler. A lawyer who devoted a lifetime of public service to the people of Florida, Cosgrove never shied away from a battle and went to Tallahassee to “do the people’s work.”

In 1989, Cosgrove was instrumental in establishing the foundation for “Dade Days in Tallahassee” to take place during the Florida Legislative session. A two-day celebration of the Miami-Dade community during the Florida Legislative Session, Dade Days, considered the premier event during the Session, includes more than 1,000 people representing over 200 organizations from both public and private sectors. This year’s Dade Days marks the event’s 23rd year.

A retired judge in the circuit court of Miami-Dade County, Barbara Levenson served as a prosecutor, and ran her own law practice focused on criminal defense and civil rights litigation. A celebrated mystery/suspense novelist, Barbara is the author of Fatal February and Justice in June. Barbara is a cum laude graduate of the University of Miami Law School, and has resided in Miami, Florida, for the past 35 years.

Barbara was instrumental in obtaining federal funding for the downtown metro mover. She co-chaired the policy council along with former Miami Mayor Maurice Ferre that was awarded the funds following a nationwide competition. While serving as a judge, she founded the Jobs Program that served as an employment bureau for offenders serving probation. She also established training programs for women inmates at the Women’s Detention Center.

“This award is especially meaningful to me, since I knew John Cosgrove and was privileged to observe his spirit of innovation. I have loved Miami and Dade County from the first day I came here, and still find it the best place to live and work,” Barbara stated.