Kent State University at East Liverpool recently established the Elsa and Herschel Rubin Art Acquisition Fund for the purchase and donation of art works to be displayed on the campus, thanks to the generosity of Dr. Herschel Rubin of East Liverpool.
The fund will be used to purchase works of art, including paintings, prints, photographs, sculptures, murals, fabrics, digital and electronic works. The Elsa and Herschel Rubin Art Acquisition Fund will be directed by Dr. Steve Nameth, dean of the East Liverpool Campus, and an art acquisition committee.
In creating the fund, Dr. Rubin said he wished to recognize the “profound joy” his late wife, Elsa, found painting and creating other works of art. “She absolutely loved getting together with fellow artists at the Kent campus to paint and join in fellowship,” Dr. Rubin said. “Elsa wasn’t a solitary painter. She so loved to work in the company of others. Our family is pleased to have Elsa honored in such a way.”
The art committee is comprised of Dr. Susan Rossi, assistant dean; Leonard S. Koshinski, director of development; Matthew Stewart, associate lecturer; Susan Weaver, head librarian; and Karen Vincent, custodial department.
Members of the art committee recently selected the first piece of art to be displayed on campus, a painting from Elsa’s personal works titled Fall Festival.
“Artistic expression is another opportunity for the university to celebrate and elevate our thinking,” Nameth said. “Kent State University expresses its sincere appreciation to Dr. Herschel Rubin for his generosity in establishing the fund in memory of his wife Elsa. The gift will add yet another facet to the gem that is Kent State University East Liverpool.”
Following graduation in 1937 from what was then the School of Optometry, Dr. Rubin returned to his hometown of East Liverpool and opened his practice in the rear of a jewelry store owned by his father, Leon Rubin. The next year, he married Elsa Alexander whom he met at Ohio State University and from where she graduated in 1938.
Dr. Rubin served in the Army Air Corps in California during World War II and then returned to East Liverpool, where he practiced until retiring in 1985.
He was active in the community as a member of the East Liverpool Jaycees and Rotary Club, and served several terms as a member of the city’s Board of Health. He also spent many years as a Boy Scout leader.
He and his son, Lee, were recent commencement speakers for East Liverpool High School graduation.
Following retirement, he kept his office at home for his model trains, which now fill the space once occupied by his optometric equipment and fitting room. Dr. Rubin is a fixture in the community, where he frequently encounters former patients who happily tell him: "You made my first pair of glasses!"