Harris Harold Levee (Age 97) ON September 2, 2016 of Gaithersburg, MD. cherished husband of 74 years to Pearl Rosner Levee, loving father of son Stephen Levee (Pat), daughter Leslie (James) Weightman, beloved sister to Rhoda Aiello, adored grandfather of Karen Paris, Eric (Rebecca) Suissa, Josh Levee, Colin (Cyndi) McHugh, Valerie (Michael) Gormley and special great grandfather to 10 great grandchildren. He was also Uncle and great Uncle to many nieces and nephews. Hal was born on August 9, 1919 in Brooklyn, NY to Joseph George Levee (Brooklyn born) and Stella Segal from Edinborough, Scotland. He grew up assisting his father, Joe, as a plumber's assistant and worked in a sheet metal shop. He attended PS 206 and Brooklyn Tech High School. In 1939 he enrolled as a mechanical engineering student in The Cooper Union for the Advancement of Science and Art before he was drafted into the Army in 1943. As a standout, he was selected from basic training to work on the Manhattan Project at the University of Chicago in Enrico Fermi's lab (1943-1945). After the war, he graduated from the Illinois Institute of Technology with a degree in Mechanical Engineering (1948). He moved back to New York in 1950 to design and manage the electrical power plants for Gibbs and Hill including plants in Deepwater at the I-95 Delaware River Bridge, as well as plants in Italy and India. Hal was the project manager and the very first person to test the prototype for the first nuclear submarine, the Nautilus, a project for which Admiral Rickover was known. Hal and Pearl moved to Wash. D.C. in 1967 when he became Executive VP of the Norair Construction companies. He was selected to Mayor Walter Washington's EEO Task Force and served as an Arbitration Judge involving Construction issues. He founded Halco Engineering in 1974 . Projects included water and waste-water treatment plants, the fountain on the East side of the White House and many of the Metro Station projects during their original construction phase. 1977-Served as President of the Mechanical Contractors DC Association. 1980-84 served as President of the Sea Colony Condo Building Association. In 1990 he became Chief Estimator of Joshua Construction, his son's mechanical contracting firm until 2007, retiring at 88 years old. He and Pearl traveled extensively and actually went around the world in 80 days. Hal loved all sports and was a natural athlete who played tennis until his mid-80's and golf until age 95. He was a national handball champion in his youth. Hal was an avid bridge player as well. He was a voracious reader and learned Italian as well as Spanish. Interviews of his work on the Manhattan Project are available on the Atomic Heritage Foundation website and the World War II Library in New Orleans. A funeral service will be held at Temple Beth Ami at 2:00pm on Sunday, September 4th. with interment at 3:30 pm at Judean Gardens on Georgia Av in Olney, MD. The family will welcome guests following the funeral at the home of Steve and Pat Levee 9411 Overlea Dr Rockville with services at 7:00pm. Shiva will be held Monday night at his home at 120 Chevy Chase ST #406 Gaithersburg on Monday with services at 7:00 pm. Donations in his memory can be made to The Hebrew Home of Greater Washington, The Cooper Union for the Advancement of Science and Art, or the Illinois Institute of Technology in Chicago.

Funeral Service

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Beth Ami 14330 Travilah Road Rockville, MD, 20850