Shaker Heights High School has had plenty of successful graduates, but only one has his face on a U.S. postage stamp. Paul Newman, ’43, actor, philanthropist, racing car driver and gourmet cook, was bestowed the honor September 18, 2015, by the United States Postal Service.
The honor was celebrated during a ceremony at Shaker Heights High School that featured a special guest: Newman’s 91-year-old brother Arthur Newman Jr., ’42. Shaker Heights Mayor Earl M. Leiken declared the date “Paul Newman Day,” and theater students spoke of the outstanding example the famous actor has established for generations of SHHS students.
“Mr. Newman’s work as a philanthropist gives every single student in our high school something to emulate,” said senior Jacek Staggs.
Mimi Dane, CEO of Flying Horse Farms, spoke on behalf of the many Newman family charities. Harry J. Myers, of the Northern Ohio District of the United States Postal Service, unveiled a poster-sized version of the stamp, which features a 1980 photograph of the actor, who died in 2008.
Board of Education members Annette Tucker Sutherland and Reuben Harris also attended the event, which was hosted by Principal James Reed.
Arthur Newman Jr.’s wife, Patty Newman, spoke of the important role Shaker played in the lives of her husband and later brother-in-law. The Newmans live in California.
“Both credited Shaker Heights High School with much of their later success,” she said. “Both learned important lessons in life from their family and community experiences and from their Shaker Heights schools experiences.”
Superintendent Gregory C. Hutchings Jr. said Newman truly embodied the Shaker Experience: excellence, hard work, and concern for others.
“What a tremendous example he has set for our students, our school district, and our community,” Hutchings said.