The quote was exaggeration. "In a lot of ways, Bill Levitt is Alta." But it also held a lot of truth.

It comes from a profile of the longtime owner of the Alta Lodge that The Tribune published in 2005, shortly after he announced he would not seek a 10th term as the skiing hamlet's only mayor in modern times. When that was written, Levitt was 88 and had been the town's highest elected leader for 34 years. He decided it was time to hang up his political cap.

Nevertheless, when he died this week at 92, we suspect many Utahns thought of him as the political personification of Alta.

The reasons stem not just from his longevity. He is widely credited with keeping a lid on residential development at the resort, thus preserving much of its charm and, more importantly, its open spaces. Bill Levitt is one of the reasons why Alta never became Snowbird or Deer Valley. It has remained a modest place that has catered primarily to local skiers in winter and wildflower worshippers, picnickers and hikers in summer. Though much of its land is privately owned, it is very much a public playground.

That's important for several reasons.

For one, the Albion Basin at the top of Little Cottonwood Canyon is a small place. When a new house or lodge is built, that subtracts from the natural resource.

For another, it is a critical source of Salt Lake City's drinking water. The big city's water officials, who have worked aggressively for generations to limit development at Alta to protect the water quality, credited Levitt with helping them do that job.

Of course, people who own private real estate and have been prevented from building houses on it resent Levitt. They argue that Levitt had his lodge and his home and didn't want business competition or to share his town. His policies spawned lawsuits from frustrated property owners.

But we throw in with the folks who credit Levitt with helping to keep Alta from being spoiled.

His influence ranged far beyond the Albion Basin because of his long service on councils of government that brought local leaders together from elsewhere in Salt Lake County and beyond. Because of his experience and insight, his voice carried weight far beyond the few hundred voters he represented.

Bill Levitt came to Alta from New York in 1955 to ski. He bought the lodge and brought his family here a few years later. His love for his adopted home made it a better place. That's about as American a story as there is.