Kate’s Corner: Ordinary People, Extraordinary Stories

If you’ve had the pleasure of meeting resident, Deborah Levenson, than you’ve likely been exposed to a colorful conversation. The 80-year-old retired radiographer is mostly known for her rainbow-colored hair, a fitting look for her vibrant and friendly personality. While it’s fairly common to see streaks of purple, pink, and even teal on the manes of youngsters’ today, Levenson is a pioneer of the trend, and started coloring it a solid shade of purple back in 2013. It all started when she was prepping for a trip to California and she went to see her hairdresser.

If you’ve had the pleasure of meeting resident Deborah Levenson, then you’ve likely been exposed to a colorful conversation. The 80-year-old retired radiographer is mostly known for her rainbow-colored hair, a fitting look for her vibrant and friendly personality. While it’s fairly common to see streaks of purple, pink, and even teal on the manes of youngsters today, Levenson is a pioneer of the trend, and started coloring her hair a solid shade of purple back in 2013. It all started when she was prepping for a trip to California and she went to see her hairdresser.“My hairdresser had always suggested I put a streak in my hair, and so I decided to be a diva and I went with my favorite color…purple,” she said.

The little splotch of color that she started out with matched the various shades of purple that she wore regularly and still wears today. Over the years, the simple streak transformed into a prism of colors on her head, making everyone do a double-take.

When asked about her reasoning for the bold fashion statement, Levenson says, “I would’ve never done this when I was younger, but at 80 years old,  I can do anything and I like being unique. I never liked being different, and now I do, so I’ll keep doing it.”

On any given day of the week you can find Levenson chatting up fellow residents at local hotspots like the Winthrop Book Depot, Center Café and Prince falafel.

Now at 80 and carefree, the lover of all things purple never strays away from being unique, while brightening up the day of everyone in her path.

“I like to talk to a lot of people, I chat with everybody,” said Levenson as she displays a purple and orange manicure, ready for Thanksgiving Day.