Harvard’s Leverett House - Known for Its History and Personality

Harvard graduate David Witkin is the CEO of Beryl Capital Management, a merger arbitrage hedge fund, and the vice president of the Redondo Beach Unified School District school board. While a student at Harvard, David Witkin played for the university’s championship baseball team and lived at Leverett House.

Established in 1930, Leverett House is the largest residential house at Harvard. The house is located on the north bank of the Charles River and is known for its quirky personality and enthusiastic house committee, claiming to possess more house pride than any other residence on campus.

Leverett House is made up of recently renovated McKinloch Hall, Leverett Towers, and overflow housing in DeWolfe apartments. Upperclassmen who reside in Leverett House are reported to comment on the spaciousness of the student accommodations and the views of the river that can be captured from many student suites. The house also offers numerous places to study and a library that can also be used as a theater. The word "leveret" also means “young hare,” which has inspired a rabbit motif that appears everywhere in the house and infuses the community's culture.

The house is named for Harvard president John Leverett who presided over the university from 1708 to 1724. President Leverett was an outspoken leader in the liberal movement of the Congregational Church and is credited with founding the liberal tradition of Harvard University. During his tenure he improved the quality of instruction at the institution and maintained Harvard’s prominence as rival Yale University grew in popularity. Some of the house's well-known guests include W. B. Yeats, T. S. Eliot, Robert Frost, and Malcolm X.

Harvard Alumni Who Played in the MLB

The CEO of Beryl Capital Management, David Witkin also serves Redondo Beach Unified School District as board vice president, in which role he helps provide oversight for a $90 million budget. David Witkin graduated from Harvard University and was a member of the school's Ivy League baseball team.

Since 1879, more than a dozen Harvard Crimson alumni have played in Major League Baseball (MLB). Below are three notable players. 

1. Jim Tyng - Harvard started its baseball program in 1871 and Tyng debuted for the team two years later. In 1879, the pitcher became the first ever Harvard alumnus to appear in a MLB game when he did so for the Boston Red Stockings. He played just three games and allowed 35 hits in 27 innings.

2. Tony Lupien - A veteran of six MLB seasons, Lupien played 614 games between the Boston Red Sox, Philadelphia Phillies, and Chicago White Sox. He retired in 1948 with a career batting average of .268 to go along with 18 homeruns and 230 runs batted in (RBI).

3. Frank Herrmann - A native of Rutherford, New Jersey, Herrmann is the most recent Harvard alumnus to play for an MLB team. The pitcher made his big league debut in 2010 as a member of the Cleveland Indians and later joined the Philadelphia Phillies. In his four-year MLB career, he pitched 135.1 innings and allowed 151 hits, while striking out 86 batters.