Rev. Dr. Russell Levenson, Jr. ’84 has carried the lessons he learned at Birmingham-Southern, and specifically from BSC President Emeritus Dr. Neal Berte, into his work as the fourth rector at St. Martin’s, the largest Episcopal church in the United States.

“Things I brought to the table that I learned at BSC were the importance of relationships,” Levenson says. “When I graduated from Birmingham-Southern, Dr. Berte awarded me with the President’s Student Service Award, one of my greatest honors to be quite honest. Dr. Berte was an incredible mentor and continues to be to this day. I’ve often said if I didn’t feel called to the ministry, I’d still be working at Birmingham-Southern.”

After graduating cum laude from BSC, he earned a master of divinity degree from Virginia Theological Seminary in 1992, and a doctor of ministry degree from Beeson Divinity School in Birmingham in 1997. Before arriving at St. Martin’s, Levenson served parishes in Alabama, Virginia, Tennessee, Louisiana, and Florida. He is the author of four devotional books: “Bits of Heaven,” “A Place of Shelter,” “Preparing Room,” and “A Path to Wholeness.”

Levenson has served at St. Martin’s since 2007. He co-officiated and offered a homily at the state funeral of President George H.W. Bush in Washington, D.C. and in Houston. Levenson also officiated the funeral of First Lady Barbara Bush in Houston. Levenson contributed to “Pearls of Wisdom: Little Pieces of Advice” by Barbara Bush, published in March 2020.

On October 2, 2017, Levenson returned to the Hilltop to deliver the homily at an interfaith ceremony held in honor of the 50^th anniversary rededication of Yeilding Chapel. As a student at BSC, he met his wife in Yeilding Chapel during a presentation given by Chaplain Rev. Stewart Jackson.

“If it weren’t for Birmingham-Southern College, I would not have met my wife, had my children,” Levenson says. He and Laura Norton Levenson, who attended BSC for two years before transferring to Auburn, have three children and two grandchildren.

Chosen in 2019 as a Distinguished Alumnus, Levenson wasn’t able to attend the celebratory event on campus. Unfortunately the plan to honor him on campus along with our 2020 recipients was canceled due to COVID-19. We look forward to honoring him alongside the 2020 and 2021 honorees in fall 2021.

This story was published in the Fall/Winter 2020 issue of ’Southern, BSC’s alumni magazine.

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