2020 Levittown School District Hall of Fame Inductees

Phillip Margolin

Alumni Award

Levittown Memorial

Mr. Phillip Margolin has had a long and diverse career. After graduation from Levittown Memorial, Phillip attended American University (1965), served in the Peace Corps from 1965-1967, then attended Law School at NYU (1970).

Mr. Margolin worked in private practice from 1972 - 1996, specializing in criminal and appellate work. He also clerked for the Oregon Court of Appeals. Although he published his first book in 1974, it was not until 1996 that he became a full time author. Since then he has published over 20 novels, all of which have been placed on the New York Times bestseller list. In addition to that distinction, Mr. Margolin's novels have been critically acclaimed and adapted for the screen ( The Last Innocent Man ) and mini-series ( Gone but not Forgotten) . His short stories, "The Jailhouse Lawyer" and "The House on Pine Terrace" were included in the anthology The Best American Mystery Stories for 2009 and 2010.

In addition to his tremendous success as an attorney and an author, Mr. Margolin is committed to giving back to the education field. From 1996-2009 he served as the President and Chairman of the Board of Chess for Success , a non-profit charity that uses chess to teach elementary and middle school children study skills. After a brief hiatus, he once again serves on that Board. From 2007 - 2013, he was on the Board of Literary Arts, which sponsors the Oregon Book Awards, the Writers in the Schools program and Portland Arts and Lectures.