In Memoriam: Len Levin
By Jacob Pomrenke
Few research articles published by SABR over the past half-century were not improved by Len Levin’s eagle eyes. As the lead copy editor for countless projects since he joined SABR in 1977, he served as a proofreader for thousands of biographies, game stories, journal submissions, and book essays.
Levin brought his real-world experience as a journalist and teacher to the baseball research community and made an outsized impact. He liked to say his job as an editor was to “make bad stories good and good stories better.” Working behind the scenes with first-time authors and award-winning veterans, he treated everyone with the same level of professionalism and respect — but he never failed to correct any mistakes he spotted along the way.
His name appeared on the cover of dozens of SABR Digital Library books as an associate editor. He read nearly every one of the Games Project’s first 5,000 stories before publication. He even wrote a handful of articles himself, although he preferred his more familiar role in the background.
He also served two terms on SABR’s Board of Directors, organized many Southern New England chapter meetings and one national convention in his home of Rhode Island, and was recognized with SABR’s highest honor, the Bob Davids Award, in 1997.
Levin died peacefully at a hospice care facility at the age of 95 on April 6, 2026.
One of Levin’s most lasting contributions was his role in creating and editing the first SABR convention journal in 1984. The convention was held that summer in Providence, Rhode Island, to coincide with the 100th anniversary of the first World Series. A vintage game between teams of SABR members dressed as the Providence Grays and New York Metropolitans was staged at Pawtucket’s McCoy Stadium. Levin led an effort to republish a series of articles from the Providence Journal documenting the early history of major league baseball in the city. The journal, titled Days of Greatness: Providence Baseball, 1875-1885, was given out as a souvenir to attendees, beginning an annual tradition that continues to this day.
Born March 4, 1931, in Providence, Rhode Island, Leonard Irving Levin was drawn to journalism from an early age. He grew up in Pawtucket and held leadership roles for his high school and college newspapers, earning his bachelor’s degree in history from Providence College and a master’s degree in journalism from Boston University.
He went to work for the Pawtucket Times, where he helped cover the aftermath of the infamous robbery of a Brink’s Company building in Boston. He later joined the Providence Journal, where he met his wife Linda, a reporter and photo editor who went on to become the journalism department chair at the University of Rhode Island. They had two daughters, Sara and Rachel. Both Len and Linda trained generations of future journalists around the world, and they were each elected to the New England Newspaper Hall of Fame in 2022.
Len spent more than 30 years as a copy editor at the Journal from 1963 to 1996. He also served as New England Chapter president of the Society for Professional Journalists and taught journalism courses at the University of Rhode Island. After leaving the Journal, he worked for 12 years with the Quincy (Massachusetts) Patriot-Ledger. In 2013, Levin was hired as the grammarian for the Rhode Island Supreme Court, editing the judges’ opinions and fixing any errors or typos. He continued working diligently on many projects into his nineties.
The Levin family will hold a private burial service; a larger memorial and celebration of life will be planned later this year. More details will be shared as they are finalized.
Originally published: April 7, 2026. Last Updated: April 6, 2026.