Linda Morton Cowin

By CHRIS MCBRIDE Staff writer

Leavittsburg native Linda Morton Cowin, now a Cortland resident, fell in love with the idea of becoming a steward for the history of Leavittsburg and has spent countless hours working toward making her hometown better.

For her efforts, Morton Cowin was named one of this year’s Community Stars. The program, co-sponsored by the Tribune Chronicle and Trumbull 100, recognizes the brightest examples of community service and the people who do those good deeds.

Morton Cowin connects her fascination with history with an experience she had 14 years ago when looking through artifacts she saw during an open house for a local museum put on by the former Leavittsburg Improvement Association, now called the Leavittsburg Heritage Association. Today,

Morton Cowin serves as a volunteer for the LHA, where she curates and maintains artifacts, coordinates community events and manages the organization’s Facebook page.

“I went to it and I was hooked from all of the memorabilia from the schools and pictures of old Leavittsburg,” Morton Cowin said.

To help raise funds for the Heritage Museum, Morton Cowin co-chairs the annual Leavittsburg Heritage Trunk sale, which gives residents a place to set up a one-day garage sale in the parking lot of the old high school. Her charitable efforts for the musuem led her to organzing a clothing shed that generates $800 in annual revenue.

If you’re ever paying a visit to the Trumbull County Fair, Morton Cowin can be seen at the Leavittsburg display, where she spends eight hours or more each day of the week selling candy and sharing local history to those that stop by.

Her generosity and love for history extends to neighboring communities as well, as she teamed with the Vienna Historical Society president — also a 2023 Community Star — to help reopen a historical church.

While she may not be one for the spotlight, Morton Cowin’s leadership has placed her at the forefront of several community intiatives.

In 2000, Morton Cowin was the first community member to be elected to the Greater Warren Community Credit Union, a community chartered credit union that supports residents and local organizations. During her time with the credit union, Morton Cowin helped establish a children’s program that taught the importance of savings and the banking process.

Her nominator, LaBrae Superintendent Anthony Calderone, called her an “example of what it means to be a Community Star.”

Calderone added: “Her service is never a one-off but rather, it’s underscored by a lasting commitment and pursuit of excellence. The communities that she serves are truly blessed to have her as a passionate and engaged commu nity member.”

Cowin was also a part of a team that helped secure a grant for the Ohio Historical Maker that com memorated the P&O Canal that ran through Leavittsburg. A dedica tion maker was put up in 2016.

Morton Cowin is also ac tive at North-Mar Christian and Missionary Alliance Church, where she serves on the Fellowship Committee. She also can be heard on Sundays in the church choir and in the sing ing group, Singers Together, who performed with the Youngstown Symphony in 2018. Morton Cowin is now working with a group to have a barn quilt placed in Leavittsburg. The quilt will be a 6-foot x 6-inch painted quilt that will be displayed on a local building. The group is hoping to incorporate aspects of Leavittsburg’s history by including the P&O canal, railroad, Meadowbrook Farm and the Leavittsburg dam. cmcbride@tribtoday.com