Marilyn Levy
Marilyn Levy (April 3, 1922 – June 19, 2014) was an American chemist and inventor based at Fort Monmouth. She was awarded the United States Army's Meritorious Civilian Service Award in 1971.[1]
Marilyn Levy | |
|---|---|
![]() Marilyn Levy, from a 1962 publication of the United States federal government | |
| Born | April 3, 1922 New York City |
| Died | June 19, 2014 Red Bank, New Jersey |
| Occupation | Chemist, inventor |
| Known for | Photographic research for United States Army |
| Honours | Meritorious Civilian Service Award (1971), Army Research and Development Achievement Award (1973) |
Early life
Marilyn Levy was born in New York City, the daughter of Moses (Morris) Levy and Rachel (Rae) Levy. Both of her parents were also born in New York. She attended Hunter College High School and Hunter College, completing a bachelor's degree in chemistry in 1942.[2] She pursued graduate studies in chemistry at the Polytechnic Institute of Brooklyn.[3]
Career
Beginning in 1953,[4] Levy worked as a chemist at Fort Monmouth,[5] where she "received international acclaim as a pioneer and as an expert in photographic research".[6] She held more than twenty patents on film developing processes.[1][7][8] She was head of the Photo Optics Technical Area (POTA), Combat Surveillance and Target Acquisition Laboratory, and the first woman in the United States Army Electronics Command (ECOM) to reach grade GS-15.[3][9] She retired in 1979.[10]
In 1971, Levy received the Army's Meritorious Civilian Service Award.[4][6] In 1973, she received the Army Research and Development Achievement Award.[11] She was nominated twice for the Federal Woman's Award, but did not receive that honor. She was a member of the Royal Photographic Society, the American Chemical Society,[12] and Society of Photographic Scientists and Engineers.[3][13] She served on the editorial board of the Journal of Applied Photographic Engineering and Photographic Science and Engineering.[2]
Patents
Marilyn Levy patented several photographic processes, methods, and materials during her work for the American military, including:
- Photothermographic substance (filed 1955, granted 1956), with Heinz Schulze[14]
- Sensitizer for photothermographic substances (filed 1956, granted 1956)[15]
- Monobaths containing sodium polyacrylate and polyvinyl-pyrrolidone (filed 1961, granted 1965)[16]
- Viscous processing solution (filed 1961, granted 1966)[17]
- Photographic processing apparatus (filed 1964, granted 1966), with Seymour L. Hersh[18]
- Image forming material and method of forming an image therefrom (filed 1969, granted 1971)[19]
- Color printing method (filed 1971, granted 1972)[20]
- Curve analysis method in color photography (filed 1975, granted 1976)[21]
- Filter pack correction method in color photography (filed 1975, granted 1979), with Milan Schwartz[22]
- Reconnaissance/surveillance system utilizing color signature of target (filed 1977, granted 1979), with Vincent W. Ball[23]
- Method and apparatus for manufacturing masked motion picture film for simulated target practice (filed 1979, granted 1981), with Seymour L. Hersh[24]
Personal life
A longtime resident of Little Silver, New Jersey, Levy died in 2014, aged 92 years, in Red Bank, New Jersey.[25]
References
- "Army Awards Miss Levy Meritorious Civilian Medal". Asbury Park Press. 1971-06-13. p. 70. Retrieved 2021-08-24 – via Newspapers.com.
- New Jersey in Focus: Inventors and Innovators in Monmouth County (PDF). Monmouth County Archives. October 2017. pp. 94–95.
- "ECOM's 'First Lady' GS-15; Marilyn Levy Climaxes Research Career". Army Research and Development News Magazine. 16: 24. July 1975.
- "High Honor Goes to Miss Levy". The Daily Register. 1971-06-29. p. 8. Retrieved 2021-08-24 – via Newspapers.com.
- "Four of Fort Monmouth's Many Inventors". Civil Service Journal. 3: 26. October 1962 – via Internet Archive.
- "Women in Army Science... Women's Lib in Army Labs Long Predates Modern Movement". Army Research and Development News Magazine. 13: 38. September 1972.
- "Fort Employees Get 2 Patents for Photography Development". Asbury Park Press. 1979-05-20. p. 43. Retrieved 2021-08-24 – via Newspapers.com.
- Beardsley, Frank (1972-06-18). "Woman Speeds Color Print Processing". Asbury Park Press. p. 48. Retrieved 2021-08-24 – via Newspapers.com.
- "Chemist Earns GS-15". Asbury Park Press. 1975-06-25. p. 60. Retrieved 2021-08-24 – via Newspapers.com.
- "Retired Scientist is Honored". The Daily Register. 1979-09-27. p. 23. Retrieved 2021-08-24 – via Newspapers.com.
- "Three ECOM Employes Get Army Achievement Awards". The Daily Register. 1973-11-13. p. 12. Retrieved 2021-08-24 – via Newspapers.com.
- Benjock, Mary Lou (1965-10-24). "Women Rank High at Army Command". Asbury Park Press. p. 17. Retrieved 2021-08-24 – via Newspapers.com.
- "Names in the News". Signals. 21: 78. April 1967.
- , "Photothermographic substance", issued 1955-03-08
- , "Sensitizer for photothermographic substances", issued 1954-07-28
- , "Monobaths containing sodium polyacrylate and polyvinyl-pyrrolidone", issued 1961-05-26
- , "Viscous processing solution", issued 1961-07-06
- , "Photographic processing apparatus", issued 1964-05-05
- , "Image forming material and method of forming an image therefrom", issued 1969-11-02
- , "Color printing method", issued 1971-04-15
- , "Curve analysis method in color photography", issued 1975-03-04
- , "Filter pack correction method in color photography", issued 1975-03-04
- "Reconnaissance/surveillance system utilizing color signature of target". Marilyn Levy, Vincent W. Ball, US Department of Army. 1977-08-22. Cite journal requires
|journal=(help)CS1 maint: others (link) - , "Method and apparatus for manufacturing masked motion picture film for simulated target practice", issued 1979-05-18
- "In Memoriam: Marilyn Levy" (PDF). The Two River Times. July 4, 2014. p. 9. Retrieved August 24, 2021.
