The centennial year of the Kent State University College of Podiatric Medicine (CPM) brought a unique, new tradition was gifted to CPM: the Shoe Museum. In the summer of 2016, just before our weekend Centennial Celebration, two large display cabinets were delivered to CPM, as a generous donation from Class of 1966 CPM alumnus, Dr. Steve Berlin and the OCPM Foundation. The Shoe Museum was quickly filled with the rare, lifelong collections of our generous alumni, including antique shoes, miscellaneous collectibles, tools and instruments related to the history of footwear, shoemaking, and the footwear industry.
Browsing the collection, visitors will find Lotus Shoes circa the late 1800s, used in the Chinese foot-binding ritual; Wedding shoes of handmade, fine leather circa 1830; various styles of men’s, women’s and children’s shoes from the late 1800’s and early 1900’s; antique ice skates, shoe advertisement postcards and other vintage ephemera related to the shoe industry.
Though it was donated during the celebration of CPM’s centennial year, the exhibit will remain a permanent fixture in the college. Thank you to all of our alumni who have generously donated their revered collections to CPM; we will cherish them for years to come! A special thank you to Dr. Steve Berlin and the OCPM Foundation for their generosity and ongoing
support.