Harrisburg, PA — Barry Lefkowitz, 66, a longtime publicist and executive in harness racing and a driving force in the resurgence of the United States Harness Writers Association as the current Chair of the Board and immediate past president, and through his efforts involving the Dan Patch Awards banquet, passed away overnight after battling cancer for the last year.
Mr. Lefkowitz had recently attended the Dan Patch banquet and USHWA’s annual meetings held in Orlando, Fla., where he had actively taken part in the group’s activities. He also had just been named to the Screening Committee for candidates for the sport’s highest honor, the Hall of Fame.
Mr. Lefkowitz received an early education in harness racing publicity from a “Who’s Who” of the industry’s publicists and marketers centering around Monticello Raceway in the Catskills of New York, then worked at Jackson Raceway (MI), Roosevelt Raceway in his native New York City (where he handled the many complex tasks of having everything ready for the world-famous Roosevelt International Trot as a showcase event), Scioto Downs (OH), Batavia Downs (NY), and Windsor Raceway (Ontario). He then went into the insurance industry as his primary occupation and did very well in that field.
As first the treasurer and then president of USHWA, he was a spearhead in the association’s financial rejuvenation, reaching out to horsemen throughout North America to assist in keeping the annual Dan Patch Awards banquet as a major event on the harness calendar. Few could resist the pitch of a person who made every deal a win-win proposition with his combination of personal rapport and demonstration of the solid investment in the sport that a sponsorship of a Dan Patch weekend event could be.
In the recent past, Mr. Lefkowitz continued “growing” the sport’s history by leading a two-year pursuit which culminated in gathering all of the available information about the horses and humans picked as top of their age-sex-gait divisions, including Trotter-Pacer-Horse of the Year, for every year of racing since awards were inaugurated in 1948. He also was a prime mover in the digitization and restructuring of the Communicators Hall of Fame when that area of the Harness Racing Museum was running out of allotted room.
“Barry was a vital part of harness racing and the United States Harness Writers Association for many years. His dedication to the organization is one of the major reasons it is in the position it is today,” said Michael Carter, president of the United States Harness Writers Association. “Barry’s infectious smile, wit, and personality will be sorely missed by everyone.”
He is survived by his sister, Helaine Beeber. He was preceded in death by his parents, Rudolph and Marilyn.
In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center (www.mskcc.org).