Jay Leavitt ’57

Jay Leavitt ’57, of Hendersonville, N.C.; Feb. 25. Just prior to his junior year at Brown, while a member of the cheerleading squad, he had a tumbling accident that caused him to break his neck and become a hemiplegic. Despite his disability and as a Fulbright scholar, he went on to attend the University of Italy at Pisa where he taught a numerical analysis course. He later taught in the mathematics department at the University of Minnesota and became an associate professor in their computer science department. In 1973, with the passage of Section 504 of the Americans with Disabilities Act, he became active as an advocate for the disabled. He served on several commissions for the disabled under then New York Gov. Mario Cuomo and was a member of the board of directors of Western New York Independent Living Center. He retired to North Carolina and underwent spinal surgery that left him a paraplegic. In his mid-70s, he passed the FINRA Series 65 Exam and created and published forecasting tools for stock market analysts while continuing to advocate for the elderly and serve on a state board addressing the needs of residents in long-term care facilities. He is survived by his wife, Virginia; a son; two grandchildren; a brother and sister-in-law and several cousins.