Paul Laurence Levingston
Paul "Triple T" Laurence Levingston II died Sunday, Feb. 13, 2011. He was 67.
Mr. Levingston was born Oct. 31, 1943, in Warsaw, N.C.
He received a bachelor’s degree at North Carolina Central University, a master’s degree at Murray State University and was a doctoral candidate in psychology at MU.
His wife, Myrteen, said the Levingston family lived in Columbia from 1975 to 1984, and he worked at MU in the office of minority students and helped incoming freshmen.
"He tutored student athletes, including Ricky Frazier," his son, Deon Levingston, said.
Mr. Levingston completed all the classes for his doctorate but did not finish his dissertation because he was offered a deputy director position at Atterbury Job Corps Center in Edinburgh, Ind.
"We stayed in Columbia a few years after he took that job, and he commuted back and forth while my brother and I were in Rock Bridge High School because we liked Columbia so much, and my dad really liked us growing up there," Deon Levingston said.
Mr. Levingston also served in the Army during the Vietnam War.
Mr. Levingston worked for many years as a teacher and counselor for the Job Corps program in Morganfield, Ky. He also worked as a center director in Edinburgh, Ind., and was a faculty and administration member at Martin University.
He was a friend, mentor and counselor to countless people while working with at-risk youth in Job Corps, Indiana Public Schools and several other programs, including Project Impact and Giant Steps.
"His whole life he was a teacher/counselor. After the Atterbury job he worked with prisoners on death row, so he spent his whole life counseling," Deon Levingston said.
His son, Paul Levingston III, said, "He had an incredible sense of humor and was very encouraging. Some of my friends in Columbia thought of him as a dad."
"He was one of the most open and trusting human beings I ever had the fortune to encounter. He tried to lead by example and love us whether we were successful or not; he was more worried with making sure we were good people," his son, Luttrell Levingston, said.
Mr. Levingston is survived by his wife, Myrteen Coleman Levingston; three sons, Deon Levingston and wife, Angela, Paul Levingston III and wife, Crystal, and Luttrell Levingston and wife, Christine; a sister, Arlene Stokes; and seven grandchildren.
Visitation will be from 5 to 8 p.m., Thursday at Lavenia, Smith & Summers Home for Funerals, 5811 E. 38th St., Indianapolis. Another visitation will be from 9 to 11 a.m. Friday at Light of the World Christian Church, 4646 Michigan Road, Indianapolis.
Services will follow the visitation at Light of the World Christian Church.
Condolences can be posted at laveniasmithsummers.com.
Contributions can be sent to the Healthwell Foundation, P.O. Box 4133, Gaithersburg, MD 20878.
