Deborah Stern Levin

Deborah Stern Levin, a long-term resident of Ithaca, died on October 5, 2024, at the

age of 101. Debbie died peacefully at her home in Eastwood Commons as was her wish.

Born on November 17,1922, in Baltimore, MD, Debbie was the second of two children, raised by

her mother after her father died when she was only three months old. From an early age it was

clear she was going her own way. Growing up in Baltimore in the Great Depression, among her

earliest memories are those of playing with her brother Ludwig, running around the

neighborhood with the boys, and spending summers at a Jewish camp in rural Maryland.

After graduating from high school Debbie attended the University of Maryland, College Park,

where she began her studies in Home Economics. It didn’t take her long to discover that this

was not her passion. So, after one semester, Debbie changed her focus of studies to the

sciences, where she was among very few women majoring in Bacteriology (Organic Chemistry).

Her studies were interrupted by WWII, when she worked for the war effort before returning to

complete her degree.

Debbie met Harry Levin shortly after Harry was discharged from the army. They met on a blind

date set by a friend who was dating Harry. Debbie didn’t particularly like the blind date, but there

was a spark with Harry. Apparently, the feeling was mutual. Harry asked Debbie out a couple

days later and they were married within three months. They were married for 47 years until

Harry’s death in 1993.

After Harry graduated from the University of Maryland the couple moved to Ann Arbor, MI,

where Harry attended graduate school in Psychology at the University of Michigan. Debbie

continued to work as a lab scientist until their first child, Lynn arrived, when she turned her

attention to raising a family. They moved to Cambridge, MA, where Harry had a postdoctoral

fellowship and where their son, David, was born. In 1955 they moved to Ithaca, where Harry

began his career at Cornell University and their third child, Rebecca came along. In 1958

Debbie realized a lifetime dream when they moved into an old farmhouse in Tompkins County’s

countryside, which she and Harry filled with antiques they collected, mostly from around central

New York.

Though Debbie was a wonderful cook and homemaker, she always had many passions. She

was an amateur birdwatcher and photographer and volunteered for many local causes. In the

late 1960s she returned to her deep passion for science education. With her friend Ilma Levine

Debbie developed science lessons for elementary school students that they would bring to local

schools with equipment and supplies transported in their car trunks. To continue their volunteer

work in science education Debbie and Ilma were asked by Beverly Martin, then principal of

Central School to design and run a science discovery room. Innovative for its time, the

pedagogical approach was hands-on, and child centered. They wanted students doing science,

stimulating their curiosity and conducting experiments. Their discovery room provided students

from kindergarten through sixth grade with opportunities to learn about surface tension by

playing with soap bubbles, to learn about chemistry with edible experiments, to discover

principles of physics through an annual egg drop contest, and to learn about animals and their

care through their “lending library” of hamsters and guinea pigs.

By the early 1980s Debbie and Ilma had outgrown the discovery room at Central School as they

wanted to engage students and schools throughout the area. In 1983 they created the Ithaca

Sciencenter, a volunteer-led and -run organization which they first operated out of a series of

borrowed spaces. With each move they increased their space to accommodate an ever-growing

collection of exhibits and to service more community members. They built a growing community

of volunteers, including Cornell and Ithaca College students, who were eager to spark an

interest in science among children.

In 1991, with momentum growing in Ithaca around the idea of a permanent child-focused

hands-on science museum Debbie, Ilma and the Sciencenter board negotiated with the City of

Ithaca to establish a permanent Sciencenter on the city’s northside using land that housed an

obsolete water treatment plant. They hired their first executive director, Charlie Trautmann, and

launched a successful capital campaign to build the permanent Sciencenter on the site. Guided

by architect and playground developer Bob Leathers, who engaged children in the design

process, over 2,000 community members from all backgrounds wielded saws and hammers to

build the Sciencenter with their own hands. Debbie and Ilma cut the ribbon at the grand opening

in May 1993.

The Sciencenter has thrived over the past 30 years, becoming a nationally recognized museum

and earning accreditation by the American Alliance of Museums. Realizing the co-founders’

vision, the Sciencenter welcomes 100,000 visitors annually (in a community of 30,000) and

serves 1.5 million people worldwide through traveling exhibitions and outreach programs. It

continues to engage community members through volunteer opportunities as well as

construction and mural projects. The Sciencenter is among the most popular options for

community service among students from local academic institutions. The Sciencenter is on

every list of “top 10” attractions in the area; often number one for children.

Debbie was an avid traveler. After spending a year in Florence, Italy, in 1961-62, Debbie and

Harry traveled worldwide. After Harry’s death Debbie continued to travel with friends and family

to destinations from Africa to South America to Australia and New Zealand. She traveled to

every continent except Antarctica. Well into her nineties Deborah remained an active volunteer

for many causes, including the League of Women Voters of Tompkins County, where she served

as a board member. In 2002 Debbie moved to Eastwood Commons, where she served on a

number of committees during her 22-year residency. A passionate environmentalist, she worked

with the Eastwood Commons community to initiate “curbside” composting for the condominium

community.

Debbie was predeceased by her husband Harry, her brother Ludwig and her son-in-law Mark

Lederer. She is survived by her children Lynn, David (Renee Gilbert-Levin), and Rebecca (Gary

Anderson); grandchildren Erica Gilbert-Levin, Emma Levin (Freddie Nicholas), Sarah Levin-Lederer (Sam Johnston) and Bernard Anderson (Sophia Finn); and great-granddaughters Kiyora and Aviana Nicholas.

Donations may be made in Debbie’s memory to the Sciencenter or the League of Women

Voters of Tompkins County. Arrangements have been entrusted to Bangs Funeral Home, online at www.bangsfuneralhome.com