Selma Levy was born in Plaquemine Louisiana to Simon C. Levy, M.D. and Lillie Silber Levy on December 3, 1903. She graduated from Plaquemine High School in 1921 and then attended Southwestern Louisiana Institute (now the University of Louisiana at Lafayette). While at S.L.I. she was the Secretary-Treasurer for the Sophomore class, President of the Pan- Hellenic Council in 1924, President of Foster Hall and on the Honor Council in 1924 & 1925, a member of Delta Kappa Gamma Sorority, Executive Council member, a member of the Attakapas Literary Society, and Editor in Chief of the L’Acadien Yearbook in 1925 & 1926. She graduated from SLI in 1926.

After graduation. Ms. Levy did graduate work at Peabody College in Nashville Tennessee. She also taught at SLI. She was married to Leo Edward Kahn and they had one child, Lilly Kahn Morrow. Later in life Ms. Levy helped her daughter operate Lily’s for Books, a Lafayette bookstore. Selma Levy passed away on March 27, 1983.