The Randolph Society Foundation Board on April 15 announced that Barbara Leavitt Brown, a trailblazing educator and public servant, will be inducted into the 2022 class of honorees.
Born in Red Bud in October 1954, she was the first daughter of James and Colleen Leavitt, who had deep roots in southern Illinois. On the Leavitt family farm in Ellis Grove, Brown grew up with two older brothers, John and Carl, and four younger sisters, Shelby, Joann, Karen and Rebecca. Education was important in the Leavitt household, and Brown grew up to be a standout student with varied interests, nurturing a love for learning that would last for the rest of her life.
For more on Brown, please see this week’s print edition.