Memorial for former U.S. Sen. Carl Levin postponed due to COVID-19

Plans for a memorial for former Sen. Carl Levin, who died in late July, will be postponed due to coronavirus concerns, according to the Levin Center at Wayne State University Law School. 

Levin was the longest-serving U.S. senator in Michigan history and was the former chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee. He had been receiving treatment for lung cancer when he died at age 87. 

The resurgence of COVID-19 due to the spread of the delta variant has forced organizers to delay the event, the Levin Center said in a statement Wednesday. Levin was chairman and a distinguished legislator in residence at the Center. 

"In the weeks since the passing of Senator Carl Levin, there has been a tremendous outpouring of loving memories and tributes about Carl and the impact he’s had on us as individuals, Michiganders and Americans," the statement read. 

"We will continue to monitor developments and public health guidance with the hope of announcing memorial details in the near future. Although it is disappointing to have to postpone, we think it is worth waiting to create an in-person event that honors Carl’s legacy of bringing people together."

Michigan's COVID-19 hospitalization and new infection numbers have been trending upward for a month. The state has reported 10,807 new cases over the last week, up 14% from the 9,467 cases disclosed over the previous seven-day period.

Levin was Michigan's first Jewish senator and served in the chamber for 36 years beginning in 1979. He was known as a passionate advocate for Detroit's automakers, the Great Lakes, and tax fairness and ethics reform.  

He enjoyed a reputation as a fair dealer, a watchdog against fraud and waste, and a tough interrogator of some of the nation's largest financial institutions after the Great Recession. He was dubbed "Mr. Integrity" by now-Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-New York, when he retired in 2015.

"As wonderful as Carl was to work with, I would not want to be a witness in front of him when he was grilling people on abusive practices in the industry," said U.S. Sen. Debbie Stabenow, D-Lansing, who served with Levin for 14 years. 

"Carl Levin was never about being rude, or calling people names. ... But he was tough and informed and on point, and really showed how it’s possible to maintain respect and integrity and be very tough in protecting consumers and taxpayers."

As a member and longtime chairman of the high-profile Armed Service Committee, Levin earned a reputation for targeting Defense Department waste and cost overruns, while advocating for Michigan's military families and bases.

As chairman, he ordered the 2007-08 investigation by the committee into the abuse of detainees in U.S. military custody that found officials at the top of the Bush administration bore blame for the use of harsh interrogation techniques.

Levin also chaired the Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations of the Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, the premiere investigative body in Congress, where his team's probes — burnished by original research — probed offshore tax havens, money laundering, abusive credit card practices and multinational corporations gaming the tax system.

As chairman, he ordered the 2007-08 investigation by the committee into the abuse of detainees in U.S. military custody that found officials at the top of the Bush administration bore blame for the use of harsh interrogation techniques.

Levin also chaired the Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations of the Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, the premier investigative body in Congress, where his team's probes — burnished by original research — probed offshore tax havens, money laundering, abusive credit card practices and multinational corporations gaming the tax system.

The Levin Center requested people share memories, stories, photos and videos of their memories of the former senator for potential inclusion in a montage to be shown at the memorial. Materials can be sent to Levin.Family@wayne.edu. 

rbeggin@detroitnews.com