a lawyer in Pensacola, Levin nominated Nathaniel Dedmond to be the first African American as a member of the Escambia-Santa Rosa Counties Bar Association. Several lawyers in the association were offended by the nomination and had their wives call Marilyn, Levin's wife. They asked Marilyn how she would like to be sitting next to Nathaniel Dedmond's wife at a bar meeting. They were hoping to get Marilyn to go to Fred and have him drop the nomination. Instead, Marilyn replied: "Oh, yes, that will be fine." Levin commented that he had never been more proud of Marilyn. When the nomination came up for vote, the association voted against Levin's nomination. In 1999, Levin received recognition for his support of the African American community by being named a chief of the country of Ghana, and receiving a citation from the U.S. Congressional Black Caucus; which provides in part: "We of the Congressional Black Caucus wish to join with the distinguished world citizens and other leaders in congratulating you on your designation as a Ghanaian Chief. But more specifically, we wish to honor your lifelong contributions to bettering the lives of the people of Ghana and the people of America. Long before we became aware of your outstanding contributions in Africa, we knew of your work as a lawyer fighting on the side of underprivileged people in America. We thank you for that rich legacy. We are proud that the world community is now beginning to recognize your valuable service to it as well." Awards and honors Levin received the Perry Nichols Award in 1994, which is the highest honor bestowed by the Florida Justice Association, and is given in recognition of a person's lifetime achievements in the pursuit of justice. For the year 1999, The National Law Journal named Levin as the top civil litigator in Florida. This honor encompassed plaintiff and defense counsel. Levin also was named in the October 4, 1999, edition of The National Law Journal as one of the "Top Ten Litigators for 1999", which again included both plaintiff and defense counsel. In 1999, Levin was honored at the United Nations by being made a chief in the Republic of Ghana. This honor was bestowed on Levin because of his lifetime of dedication to equal justice for people of all races. At the same time, Levin received a citation honoring him by the United States Congressional Black