Dr. David J. Levine was named Program Director of Minimally Invasive Gynecologic Surgery at Mercy Hospital. He, along with his colleague, Dr. Richard J. Gimpelson, received the Center of Excellence in Minimally Invasive Gynecology (COEMIG) designation this past August.

David Fuselier, a member of Congregation B’nai El, was a recipient of the 2012 St. Louis Hospitality Hero Awards.  This program rewards exceptional service by the hospitality industry frontline employees who best exemplify our community’s ongoing commitment to great service.

Attorney Ken Rothman was recently honored upon his retirement from the Clayton firm of Capes, Sokol, Goodman + Sarachan, P.C. Considered one of Missouri’s foremost governmental law authorities, the former Missouri Lieutenant Governor has been Of Counsel at the law firm and concentrated his practice in the Administrative Law & Government Relations practice group.

With 15 locations and 84 volunteers, Rockin’ 4 Relief 2012 raised just over $19,387. All proceeds went to support BackStoppers, the families of police officers, fire fighters, EMTs, and paramedics killed in the line of duty. Started four years ago by Jennifer Rubin, 16, Rockin’ 4 Relief has raised over $44,718 in total, including a $13,000 donation from Oprah Winfrey.

Sam Fox is co-chairing a gala to celebrate Father Lawrence Biondi’s 25th year as St. Louis University’s president. Fox and co-chair, Peggy Ritter, were chosen because they “share SLU’s commitment to improving the community and the world,” according to news release from the university. The black-tie event will be held Saturday, May 4, at Chaifetz Arena.

Walter G. Shifrin, 78, was one of 22 honorees at the 10^th annual Ageless – Remarkable Saint Louisans Gala, held on Nov. 11^th.  Shifrin is owner of Shifrin & Associates, an environmental engineering firm he started in 1988. Shifrin commutes to his office daily, and continues to travel across the country to assess properties and supervise clean-up projects for his firm. Outside the office, he is a member of the St. Louis Symphony’s Facilities and Friends Committee and serves on the board of the Western Golf Association, where he is active in the Evans Scholars Foundation Program, which helps provide college scholarships to qualified golf caddies.

Rothman Furniture and Mattress announces the Grand Opening of its first dedicated mattress-only gallery.  Located at 11353 Olive Boulevard in Creve Coeur, the store opened on November 15th. Look for a “Women in Business” feature in the Dec. 19 Jewish Light on Janet Steinback, chair of the company’s board.

Clayton High School senior, Noam Kantor, has advanced to the “Top 32” round of the Bickel & Brewer/New York University International Public Policy Forum. Kantor and two other classmates submitted a research paper for the first round of the forum and competed against 213 teams from 30 countries. “To be listed in the top 32 teams in a worldwide competition is a testament to their admirable work ethic, their organization, their researching and persuasive writing skills, and the quality education provided in the School District of Clayton,” said Justin Seiwell, a speech and debate teacher at Clayton High. In addition to this accomplishment, Kantor achieved a perfect score on his ACT.

Louis and Evelyn Cohen have established the Evelyn & Louis Cohen Endowment for the Harvey Kornblum Jewish Food Pantry for the express purpose of buying food. The endowment from the Cohens came about as an outgrowth of a series of conversations with Barry Rosenberg, former Jewish Federation president and CEO, about how they could support the Jewish community on a permanent basis. The endowment is a permanent fund of the Jewish Community Foundation.

A memoir of the life of Felice Massie, a longtime resident of St. Louis, was recently published. “Felice’s Worlds: From the Holocaust to the Halls of Modern Art” was written by her son, Henry Massie. Among many achievements, Felice Massie endowed a program at the Scholarship Foundation, lectured on Spanish and art history at Washington University and assembled one of the country’s foremost collections of Abstract Expressionist art. Her husband, Edward Massie, was a notable St. Louis cardiologist.