Yahuda Lev was known to all as Yogi, much to his religious parents total displeasure.
Yogi was a member of Niles West in-crowd, at least from my perspective, as I was one of the nerdballs of epic proportions at West.
While Yogi ran with the coolest guys and girls there, he liked me for some reason and invited me to a number of pizza outings on Friday nights after basketball games. During one such outing, Yogi and I created the best baseball player ever and named him ....KONG DOBI....a mutant from King Kong and Larry Dobi. Our other creations also resulted in laughs to the point of loss of consciousness.
Yogi always made me feel like a million bucks and a friend.
Thank you Yogi.
I do not know what Yogi did after high school, but he had the quick wit of a Robin Williams.
i do not think I am the most qualified to write this memorial but I probably know more about Yogi then most of you. Yogi was voted the most popular student of our 8 th grade class at Lincolnwood school. He was voted the best dressed, the best at sports, the best looking, ect. He was smart, funny, and everyone's best friend. I personally didn't think he was a good dancer in 7 th grade. He could count but had no great moves.
When Yogi got to high school at 14 he had to start over like the rest of us. He was no longer the most popular 8 th grader. Yogi had to establish himself all over again. So Yogi joined cross country, student council, track, the homecoming committee, and also became a National Meritt winner. I'm not sure who he dated but I know it wasn't me.
in 1964 after graduation Yogi went to the U of Illinois with several of his Lincolnwood buddies. He roomed with one(I think). Yogi was enrolled in premed. Yogis father, who always pressured him and threatened him, was upset that Yogi liked literature. His father with drew all monies involved with Yogis education and Yogi dropped out of Illinois.
I was on the reunion committee in 1974 and as a group we tried to find Yogi. We couldn't find him and eventually we heard he had passed away. There were rumors that he was in jail, that he was on drugs, that he hung with the wrong people. Let's just call them rumors. However, know one knows for sure what happened. For sure I don't know. I just know that we were in shock about Yogi. He will always be remembered as Mr. Wonderful.
I know that Yogi died before he reached his 30 th birthday and he was always well liked. Yogi I miss u and am sorry I won't be able to dance with you again. We all love you. Sharry Falcon
One of my biggest disappoinments about my post high school years is the loss of contact that I thoight I would have with the incomparable Yogi Lev. In 1960 he was kind enough to befriend a poor young boy from Fairview School and introduce him to the glamour that was Lincolnwood. Nobody I knew was more clever; nobody I knew was a more appreciative audience. He was a character out of a great novel that was never written. He oozed charisma. We spent a lot of time cruising in his mother's white Plymouth Valiant with the push button gears. He called it a "Vagrant." Times with him were so much fun, so many laughs. He was way ahead of his time in so many ways, but that can be a dangerous place to be. He was a dancer and adventurer extraordinaire. To sit and talk with him now as two 67 year olds would have been quite an experience. He is someone I think about and will never forget.
I knew Yogi and wanted to share this memory. Our senior year, several of us formed on a basketball team. (This was not the high school team.) Yogi and Steve Hirshstick come to mind. Anyway, we signed up to play in the Bnai Brith/CYO tournament. The way this worked was that the Jewish teams played a separate tourament and the Catholic teams played a separate tournament. Then the winners of each division played for the championship .
One Sunday, I remember, we had a game at a gym on Devon Avenue in Chicago. When we arrived to play our game within the Bnai Brith division, we went to the registration table. They asked a few questions and then the official asked what high school we were from. Without hestitating, Yogi said: "Brother Rice".
When I think back on my high schools days, this story always makes me smile.
Richard Zaitlen
Yahuda Lev was known to all as Yogi, much to his religious parents total displeasure.
Yogi was a member of Niles West in-crowd, at least from my perspective, as I was one of the nerdballs of epic proportions at West.
While Yogi ran with the coolest guys and girls there, he liked me for some reason and invited me to a number of pizza outings on Friday nights after basketball games. During one such outing, Yogi and I created the best baseball player ever and named him ....KONG DOBI....a mutant from King Kong and Larry Dobi. Our other creations also resulted in laughs to the point of loss of consciousness.
Yogi always made me feel like a million bucks and a friend.
Thank you Yogi.
I do not know what Yogi did after high school, but he had the quick wit of a Robin Williams.
PS. I am no longer a nerdball of epic proportions
Richard "Zaitz" Zaitlen
Sharry Rugendorf (Falcon)
Hi Everyone reading this memorial.
i do not think I am the most qualified to write this memorial but I probably know more about Yogi then most of you. Yogi was voted the most popular student of our 8 th grade class at Lincolnwood school. He was voted the best dressed, the best at sports, the best looking, ect. He was smart, funny, and everyone's best friend. I personally didn't think he was a good dancer in 7 th grade. He could count but had no great moves.
When Yogi got to high school at 14 he had to start over like the rest of us. He was no longer the most popular 8 th grader. Yogi had to establish himself all over again. So Yogi joined cross country, student council, track, the homecoming committee, and also became a National Meritt winner. I'm not sure who he dated but I know it wasn't me.
in 1964 after graduation Yogi went to the U of Illinois with several of his Lincolnwood buddies. He roomed with one(I think). Yogi was enrolled in premed. Yogis father, who always pressured him and threatened him, was upset that Yogi liked literature. His father with drew all monies involved with Yogis education and Yogi dropped out of Illinois.
I was on the reunion committee in 1974 and as a group we tried to find Yogi. We couldn't find him and eventually we heard he had passed away. There were rumors that he was in jail, that he was on drugs, that he hung with the wrong people. Let's just call them rumors. However, know one knows for sure what happened. For sure I don't know. I just know that we were in shock about Yogi. He will always be remembered as Mr. Wonderful.
I know that Yogi died before he reached his 30 th birthday and he was always well liked. Yogi I miss u and am sorry I won't be able to dance with you again. We all love you. Sharry Falcon
.
Jack Kristof (Kristof)
YOGI WAS COOL.... I AM SORRY TO HEAR OF HIS PASSING
Stuart Joel Hertzberg
One of my biggest disappoinments about my post high school years is the loss of contact that I thoight I would have with the incomparable Yogi Lev. In 1960 he was kind enough to befriend a poor young boy from Fairview School and introduce him to the glamour that was Lincolnwood. Nobody I knew was more clever; nobody I knew was a more appreciative audience. He was a character out of a great novel that was never written. He oozed charisma. We spent a lot of time cruising in his mother's white Plymouth Valiant with the push button gears. He called it a "Vagrant." Times with him were so much fun, so many laughs. He was way ahead of his time in so many ways, but that can be a dangerous place to be. He was a dancer and adventurer extraordinaire. To sit and talk with him now as two 67 year olds would have been quite an experience. He is someone I think about and will never forget.
Robert Nadler
I knew Yogi and wanted to share this memory. Our senior year, several of us formed on a basketball team. (This was not the high school team.) Yogi and Steve Hirshstick come to mind. Anyway, we signed up to play in the Bnai Brith/CYO tournament. The way this worked was that the Jewish teams played a separate tourament and the Catholic teams played a separate tournament. Then the winners of each division played for the championship .
One Sunday, I remember, we had a game at a gym on Devon Avenue in Chicago. When we arrived to play our game within the Bnai Brith division, we went to the registration table. They asked a few questions and then the official asked what high school we were from. Without hestitating, Yogi said: "Brother Rice".
When I think back on my high schools days, this story always makes me smile.
Bob Nadler