Lewis A. Levey Family Collection on Sports & Culture

The Lewis A. Levey Family Collection on Sports & Culture, donated by Levey (MBA’ 67) and his wife, Leslee (AB’ 67), forms the foundation of the WashU Libraries’ newest special collection. A voracious sports fan from an early age, Levey began collecting by saving ticket stubs, programs, and scorecards from baseball and basketball games he attended as a child. The collection focuses on the historical and cultural impact of sports in the United States and contains ephemera and artifacts that reflect the life of a devoted fan and the significance of sports in American society.

Over some 75 years, Levey has amassed an impressive, diverse collection of memorabilia from sporting events worldwide, including materials from virtually every sport imaginable. The collection includes a wide range of items – ticket stubs, books, autographs, artwork, and ephemera – that document Levey’s life as a collector, businessman, athlete, father, and enthusiastic fan. The collection includes thousands of autographed baseballs, bats, autographed photos, artwork, and all manner of other memorabilia and objects relating to sports.

Lewis Levey has long been interested in the history of sports and sports culture, and, over the years, he has focused on collecting materials that reflect those interests. The bulk of the Levey Collection centers on, but is not limited to, St. Louis and its surrounding region. The collection features both major- and minor-league teams, including long-forgotten teams that once played in his hometown and beyond.

Although the majority of the collection is related to baseball, it includes materials from all modern sports, including the Olympics, and items as mundane as souvenir plastic cups and as glamorous as commemorative Waterford crystal baseballs. Taken as a whole, the collection reflects the evolution and economic growth of sports since World War II and the significance of sports to the wider community.

The Lewis A. Levey Family Collection on Sports & Culture is organized by sport and includes materials dating from the early 1900s, primarily from the 1940s to the 2020s. Given its size and scope, the collection will take some time to process.