Irving R. Levine facts for kids

Irving Raskin Levine (born August 26, 1922 – died March 27, 2009) was a well-known American journalist. He worked for NBC News for a very long time, reporting from over 24 countries during his 45-year career. He was the first American television reporter allowed to work in the Soviet Union. Levine also wrote three non-fiction books about life in the USSR, and all of them became bestsellers.

Early Life and School

Irving R. Levine was born in Pawtucket, Rhode Island. He went to Brown University for his college education.

His Career as a Reporter

Levine started his journalism career in 1940 at the Providence Journal newspaper. He even wrote obituaries (news about people who had passed away). During World War II, he served in the Army Signal Corps.

After finishing graduate school at the Columbia University School of Journalism, Levine began working for the International News Service. He reported on the start of the war in Korea in 1950. Soon after, he started working for NBC News as a correspondent (a reporter who sends news from a distant place).

In 1955, Levine made history by becoming the first American TV reporter allowed to work in the Soviet Union. He had gone there with some American farming experts and ended up staying for four years to report on the country. While there, he faced challenges and was even followed, but he bravely kept reporting the news.

He later became the head of NBC's office in Rome, Italy, where he worked for almost 12 years. He also reported from Vienna, Austria, and Tokyo, Japan. His reports from Europe included big events like the building of the Berlin Wall in 1961 by East Germany, the important Vatican II meeting that started in 1962, and the invasion of Czechoslovakia by the Soviet Union in 1968. He also reported on how people in Italy reacted when President John F. Kennedy was assassinated in 1963.

When Levine returned to the U.S. in 1981, he became NBC's main economics reporter, working from Washington, D.C. He was the first full-time reporter for the network focused only on economics. TIME magazine called him a "pioneer" for his work in reporting on economics on television.

As a national reporter, Levine was known for how he ended his reports, slightly emphasizing his middle initial, "R." He also always wore bow ties when he was on TV. People knew him for his excellent grammar and clear speaking. He even appeared on fun TV shows like Saturday Night Live and Murphy Brown, where he made fun of himself. He was also interviewed by famous talk show hosts like David Letterman and Jay Leno. His last interview before he retired was with fellow journalist Tom Brokaw.

After retiring from NBC in 1995, Levine became a dean (a leader) at Lynn University's School of International Communication in Boca Raton, Florida. He retired from that role in 2004.

Family Life

In 1957, Irving Levine married Nancy Cartmell Jones. They had three children named Daniel, Jeffrey C. B., and Jennifer J. Levine.

Irving R. Levine passed away in Washington, D.C., on March 27, 2009, at the age of 86, after an illness.

Books He Wrote

• Main Street, U.S.S.R. (1959) – This book was named one of the New York Times "Top 100 Books of the Year."