Leonard H. Lavin (October 29, 1919 – August 2, 2017) was an American businessman, racehorse owner and breeder, and philanthropist, who, in 1955 founded the Alberto-Culver Company."Our Story"
- Alberto-Culver release He served as chairman emeritus of the company and was a director of the international manufacturer/distributor of personal care and household/grocery products. Lavin was also a director of Histogen, a

regenerative medicine Regenerative medicine deals with the "process of replacing, engineering or regenerating human or animal cells, tissues or organs to restore or establish normal function". This field holds the promise of engineering damaged tissues and organs by st ...

company based in

San Diego, California San Diego ( , ) is a city on the Pacific coast of Southern California, adjacent to the Mexico–United States border. With a population of over 1.4 million, it is the List of United States cities by population, eighth-most populous city in t ...

Background

Lavin studied at the

University of Washington The University of Washington (UW and informally U-Dub or U Dub) is a public research university in Seattle, Washington, United States. Founded in 1861, the University of Washington is one of the oldest universities on the West Coast of the Uni ...

, then served in the US Navy for four years. In 1947, he married Bernice Weiser (1925–2007), who went on to become an executive of Alberto-Culver and played an important part in the company's success.

Philanthropy

Among their philanthropic activities is the Bernice and Leonard H. Lavin Endowed Scholarship for Inner City Chicagoland Students at

Lewis University Lewis University is a private Lasallian university in Romeoville, Illinois, United States. It enrolls around 6,600 students in more than 80 undergraduate programs, 35 graduate programs, and accelerated programs for working adults. It is al ...

Romeoville, Illinois Romeoville is a village in Will County, Illinois, United States. The village is located southwest of Chicago on the Gateway Wetlands, directly west of the Des Plaines River. Per the 2020 census, the population was 39,863. It is located in the s ...

, the Lavin VentureStart programs in the

Entrepreneurial Management Center The Fowler College of Business is the business school of San Diego State University (SDSU), a public research university in San Diego, California. History The Fowler College of Business was established as the College of Business Administrati ...

San Diego State University San Diego State University (SDSU) is a Public university, public research university in San Diego, California, United States. Founded in 1897, it is the third-oldest university and southernmost in the 23-member California State University (CS ...

, and the Leonard and Bernice Lavin Entrepreneurship Program at the University of Washington.

Thoroughbred racing

Since the 1960s, Lavin was involved in

horse racing Horse racing is an equestrian performance activity, typically involving two or more horses ridden by jockeys (or sometimes driven without riders) over a set distance for competition. It is one of the most ancient of all sports, as its bas ...

. He owned Glen Hill Farm in

Ocala, Florida Ocala ( ) is a city in and the county seat of Marion County, Florida, United States. Located in North Central Florida, the city's population was 63,591 as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, up from 56,315 at the 2010 census and making ...

, where he bred

Thoroughbred The Thoroughbred is a list of horse breeds, horse breed developed for Thoroughbred racing, horse racing. Although the word ''thoroughbred'' is sometimes used to refer to any breed of purebred horse, it technically refers only to the Thorough ...

s. In 1994 he was voted the Thoroughbred Owners and Breeders Association's Florida Breeder of the Year award. Among his best-known horses are

Relaunch Relaunch (March 16, 1976 – November 5, 1996) was an American Thoroughbred racehorse and sire. Background Relaunch was a gray horse bred in Kentucky by Three Chimneys Farm & Taylor Made Farms. During his racing career he was owned by Glen Hill ...

, an outstanding sire whose daughter One Dreamer won the 1994

Breeders' Cup Distaff The Breeders' Cup Distaff is a Weight for Age Thoroughbred horse race for fillies and mares, three years old and up. Known as the Breeders' Cup Ladies' Classic between 2008 and 2012, it is held annually at a different racetrack in the United Stat ...

, In 2015, he was awarded the Eclipse Award Of Merit, a lifetime achievement award. Lavin is the author of ''Winners Make It Happen: Reflections of a Self-Made Man''.

Awards

Lavin was inducted as a laureate of

The Lincoln Academy of Illinois The Lincoln Academy of Illinois is a not-for-profit, non-partisan organization dedicated to recognizing contributions made by living Illinoisans. Named for Abraham Lincoln, the Academy administers the Order of Lincoln, the highest award given b ...

and awarded the Order of Lincoln (the state's highest honor) by the Governor of Illinois in 1997 in the area of business and industry.

Death

He died in August 2017 at the age of 97 from complications of pneumonia.Glen Hill Founder Leonard Lavin Passes Away
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References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Lavin, Leonard H. 1919 births 2017 deaths United States Navy personnel of World War II American racehorse owners and breeders Businesspeople from Chicago Eclipse Award winners Philanthropists from Illinois Military personnel from Illinois 20th-century American businesspeople 20th-century American philanthropists Deaths from pneumonia in the United States 21st-century American Jews