Sol Levin, an advocate for affordable housing, died Feb. 22 at the University of Wisconsin Hospital and Clinics in Madison after a brief illness. He was 70.
Born in Milwaukee, he graduated in 1948 from North Division High School and in 1953 from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. He married his high school sweetheart, Rosalind Weigler, in 1952, and they remained in Madison.
His passion was to create and promote affordable housing. In 1964, he was appointed executive director of the Madison Redevelopment Authority. Before leaving public service in 1978, he served as secretary of the Madison Housing Finance Committee, and director of the Department of Housing and Community Development.
He worked professionally in the non-profit sector in Madison as executive director of Project Home from 1986-93 and housing development coordinator for Independent Living, Inc., from 1993-95. He also was the executive director of Madison Area Community Land Trust, which he founded in 1990.
Although he officially retired in 1996, he continued as executive director of the land trust as a full-time volunteer until February 2001, when, according to his family, “he retired again.”
His interests included music, gardening and spending time with family and friends. He was a member of Beth Israel Center in Madison.
In addition to his wife, he is survived by sons Dan (Kathy) Levin of Madison, Jim ( Burr Nelson) Levin of Columbia, Mo., Bruce (Meiqing) Levin of Sunnyvale, Calif., and Mark Levin of Madison; brother-in-law Jordan (Patti) Weigler of Milwaukee; and four grandchildren.
Rabbi Kenneth Katz conducted the funeral on Feb. 24. Burial was in Forest Lawn Cemetery in Madison.
Contributions to Beth Israel Center, Jewish Social Services of Madison, or the Madison Area Land Trust would be appreciated by the family.
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