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May 28, 2009
The Writing Center Awards $5,650 to Mortimer Levitt Writing Contest Winners
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CONTACTS:
Lewis Frumkes, Director of The Writing Center, (212) 774-4810 / lfrumkes@mmm.edu
Megan Youngblood, Communications Specialist, (212) 517-0658 / myoungblood@mmm.edu
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Standing L-R: Samantha Joergens, Gabrielle Venito, Katherine Sparks, Julia McGill, Julia DeLorenzo, Thomas Hoffman and Lewis Frumkes; Sitting L-R: Alexa Breslin, Melissa Yocum, Christopher Lehmann-Haupt and Mimi Levitt.
| (New York, NY) The Writing Center at Marymount Manhattan College held an awards dinner for the winners of the 2009 Mortimer Levitt Writing Contest on May 21, 2009. The contest, sponsored by Mrs. Mortimer Levitt, invited high school students and Marymount Manhattan College students to submit a 500-word essay on the topic of “green.” Winners in separate high school and college divisions received cash awards.
In the high school division, Julia DeLorenzo from Bishop Kearney High School in Brooklyn, N.Y., placed first, winning $2,500. Second place and $1,000 was awarded to Samantha Joergens from Hunterdon Central Regional High School in Flemington, N.J. The third place winner, Professional Performing Arts School student Katherine Sparks, received $500. Julia McGill and Tyler Burr, who are also students at the Professional Performing Arts School in New York City, tied for fourth place and each received $250.
Marymount Manhattan College winners included communication arts major Melissa Yocum ’10, first place ($500); communication arts major Thomas Hoffman ’11, second place ($300); psychology major Gabrielle Venito ’10, third place ($250); and communication arts major Alexa Breslin ’09, fourth place ($100).
Mimi Levitt, co-founder of the Mortimer Levitt Foundation, was in attendance. She and her late husband, Mortimer, of 65 years created the foundation in 1966 to donate funds to institutions that support the performing arts. Mr. and Mrs. Levitt launched the Mortimer Levitt Writing Contest with The Writing Center at Marymount Manhattan College ten years ago.
The awards dinner featured American journalist Christopher Lehmann-Haupt as its guest speaker. Lehmann-Haupt drew upon his career as the Daily Book Reviewer for The New York Times to encourage students to continue writing. Lehmann-Haupt said that as a teenager, he didn’t even like to write or read “real” books. His obstinacy couldn’t deter him from his own fate because, as Lehmann-Haupt pointed out, he was born into a family of writers. In 2000, he assumed the job of Chief Obituary Writer for The New York Times. After retiring in 2006, Lehmann-Haupt continues to write for The Times. He is currently teaching at The Journalism School, Columbia University. Lehmann-Haupt will be The Writing Center’s 2010 writer-in-residence.
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