By SEAN BARKER
Sports Editor
New Haven (Conn.) Register

Story posted on Aug. 8, 2008

Hal Levy

Hal Levy, executive sports editor for the Shore Line Times for the past 29 years, died July 24 after a courageous battle with liver cancer. He was 61.

Levy was a past president of the Connecticut Sports Writers' Alliance, a member of numerous halls of fame involving Connecticut high schools and was responsible for compiling points for the state's football playoff system for several years.

More than 300 people turned out to a gathering in his honor in the month before his passing, raising more than $8,000 to help Levy with medical expenses.

His chain of weeklies served as a springboard for many journalists in the state, including Dom Amore of the Hartford Courant.

"Simply, I would not have become a sports writer if Hal didn't believe I could," said Amore, who worked for Levy in 1982-84. "Hal had a unique way of recording play-by-play for football, using a legal pad and making five columns, for rushes, passes, penalties, kicking plays and the time. I covered Super Bowls still using Hal's system."

Wrote Mike DiMauro, assistant sports editor and columnist for The Day of New London, "He taught me every detail about this business. Always interview the visiting coaches and players first because they'll be on the bus and headed home if you don't. Criticism is fine. Just have a solution, too. Always buy a hot dog, never buy a program. The first paragraph of the story is the most important. "Grammar" isn't the person who sleeps next to grandpa. So learn it. Know when it's "who" and "whom."

• • •

The Northeast region of the APSE will meet Nov. 9-10 at Marist College in Poughkeepsie, N.Y.

The conference will have a strong focus on producing better copy, from writing good stories, to editors working in the development of those stories, and copy editing.

For more information please contact Sean Barker at apsenortheast@gmail.com.

• • •

The Connecticut Sports Writers' Alliance recently held its fifth Bo Kolinsky Scholarship golf tournament.

Since the passing of the longtime high school sports editor at the Hartford Courant, his family and several sports writers from the state have helped to raise nearly $100,000 for the scholarship.

The renewable scholarship is presented to a high school senior who plans to pursue a career in print sports journalism.

• • •

The New Haven Register is working with Connecticut OTB for a Saratoga Challenge that ensures the newspaper can donate $1,000 to charity.

Three writers were given a fictional bankroll to place bets each day. Their picks, along with a brief explanation, appear each day.

Each writer is playing for a separate charity selected by the newspaper.

There is also an online element where readers can make their selections for the chance to win prizes.

Sean Barker is the chair of the Northeast Region. You can reach him at (203) 789-5700 or via e-mail at sbarker@nhregister.com.

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