Edith Rechter Levy

Edith Rechter Levy was inducted into the inaugural College of Applied Human Sciences Hall of Fame in the fall of 2025. She was previously inducted into the College of Human Resources and Education Hall of Fame in 2006.

Levy earned her bachelor’s degree in 1976 and a master’s degree in foreign languages in 1980 from West Virginia University, followed by a doctorate in educational administration from the College of Human Resources and Education in 1988. A native of Vienna, Austria, and a Holocaust survivor, she immigrated to the United States following World War II and settled in Morgantown in 1958.

She taught in the Department of Curriculum and Instruction at WVU and in the Department of Foreign Languages at both WVU and Fairmont State. In 1998, she was appointed executive director of the West Virginia Commission on Holocaust Education and later served as president of the West Virginia Holocaust Education Foundation. She developed statewide workshops and commemorative events, authored The Holocaust in Perspective, and created an accompanying teacher’s guide used in middle and high schools throughout West Virginia.

Levy was recognized by three West Virginia governors for her service and impact on education, receiving the Distinguished West Virginian award in 2002, a Commendation for Volunteer Service in 2003, and the Lifetime Achievement Award in 2005. Her work laid the foundation for statewide Holocaust education legislation and continues to influence classrooms across the state.

Levy passed away in 2023.