Where the
Legend
Began
DISCOVER THE CREATORS BEHIND SUPERMAN AND THE SIEGEL & SHUSTER SOCIETY
Our Mission
The Siegel & Shuster Society is a non-profit all volunteer organization dedicated to commemorating and celebrating the creation of Superman in Cleveland, Ohio by Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster.
The Society will, in a manner consistent with the rights of DC Comics, create events and activities which celebrate the Creators of Superman and their hometown of Cleveland and the importance of Superman to our community today and in the future. The Society will also work with other organizations that are celebrating Superman in a manner consistent with the goals of the Society.
Jerry Siegel
Born in Cleveland in 1914, Jerry was a young, first-generation American writer who combined his love of science-fiction with his belief that there's a hidden power for good within everyone. The result was Superman, the comics industry's first superhero.
Joe Shuster
Joe was born in Canada, moved to Cleveland when he was 10 years old, and met Jerry at Glenville High School. As the original artist of Superman, Joe illustrated the Man of Steel's dynamic appearance that is recognized world-wide to this day.
Joanne Siegel
Cleveland-born Joanne had just turned 17 when Joe drew her image as reporter Lois Lane. Jerry, inspired by her charm and fearless personality, shaped Lois into a strong woman who pursues truth and justice every day. More than a decade after she modeled for Lois, Joanne married Jerry.
The Siegel & Shuster Society
The Siegel and Shuster Society was created in 2007 after Mike Sangiacomo, a frustrated Plain Dealer reporter and lifelong Superman fan, authored a scathing article demanding that the city of Cleveland do something to honor and celebrate the creation of Superman in Cleveland by Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster.
Soon after that article was published, a hugely attended meeting led to the formation of The Siegel & Shuster Society, an all-volunteer nonprofit organization whose mission is to commemorate and celebrate the creation of Superman in Cleveland.
Unveiling a semi-permanent exhibit on the 2nd floor of Cleveland Public Library's Main Library, which includes items from the library’s Mike Curtis Collection of Superman Memorabilia. Mike Curtis, Arkansas native, comic aficionado, and writer for the syndicated comic strip Dick Tracy, spent more than forty years amassing an extensive Superman memorabilia collection which was donated to the library in 2016. The rotating exhibit features selections from the thousands of comics, posters, toys, packaging, clothing, photographs, and more, some dating back to 1939. New items will be revealed every six months.man License Plate
Collaborating with other nonprofit organizations to create interactive ways to celebrate the creation of Superman in Cleveland, including the Great Lakes Science Center, NASA, The Cleveland Orchestra, The Maltz Museum, and The Cleveland Public Library.
Turning Vision Into Reality
Renovation Initiative
The Siegel & Shuster Society's first order of business was to restore Jerry Siegel's boyhood home. With the help of noted writer, Brad Meltzer, they raised the money needed for this important project in an online auction.
$111K
raised in an online auction to renovate the former home of Jerry Siegel in the Glenville area of Cleveland.
Meet the Board
(Click to expand)
Board Member, is a Distinguished Professor of Art History at Cleveland State University, and the author of 5 books and over 100 articles. She is also editor of "The Jewish Graphic Novel: Critical Approaches," the foundational volume in the field. An expert on comics and graphic novels, she speaks about those subjects in the United States and abroad.
Board Treasurer, is a librarian, archivist, and educator, and current Supervisor of the Learning Commons at Cuyahoga Community College. As the former Manager of the Literature Department and the Ohio Center for the Book at the Cleveland Public Library she was lead curator for the popular exhibit, Superman : From Cleveland to Krypton which showcased the collection of Mike Curtis and other rarely seen materials related to Superman, Jerry Siegel, and Joe Shuster.
Founding Board Secretary, is a cousin of Joe Shuster. Leigh joined the 2007 meeting after reading Mike Sangiacomo’s Plain Dealer article. She is the founder and Executive Director of Empowering Epilepsy, a nonprofit 501(c)3 public charity organization whose mission is to show people living with epilepsy and seizures what they can do. For the past 26 years, she has been a Sunday School Teacher at Park Synagogue Wolf Religious School, currently teaching 2nd grade.
Board President, is a cousin of Jerry Siegel, the writer who created Superman. He currently serves as the President of the Siegel & Shuster Society He is a retired high school music educator, and the former owner/manager of Broadway Garden Center.
Founding Board Member, served as the former Executive Director of the Glenville Development Corporation and is currently the Center Director for the Benjamin Rose Institute on Aging. She helped organize the renovation to Jerry Siegel’s home in Glenville, and the installation of the Action Comic’s #1 fence sitting in front of the former home of Joe Shuster at the corner of Amor and Parkwood Drive.
Owner of Orange Blossom Press, the original location of The Love Letter to Cleveland Mural by Gary and Laura Dumm. He previously served as the Art Director at NASA, and also worked for Eastman Kodak Company. He has served as a board member and officer of 7 nonprofit organizations.
Founding Board Member and Creator/Owner of Big Fun, an award winning toy and collectible store in Coventry Village for nearly 28 years. Steve has served as a community activist and volunteer/board member of numerous local non profits. His mother graduated from Glenville High School after Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster.
Founding Board Member & Current Board Vice President, Jamie is the keeper and curator of one of the world's largest Superman collections. He serves as a delegate on the Board of Southwest General Hospital, representing the community of Olmsted Falls, President of the Olmsted Falls Music Association. Advisory Board member of Superheroes to Kids in Ohio using Superheroes to fight adversity, Senior Wish Grantor for Make A Wish Ohio-IN-KY, and 22+ year business owner of superhero themed toy store.
Founding Board Member and lifelong Northeast Ohio resident, is the award-winning author of Super Boys, the first comprehensive biography of Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster. Winner of a Cleveland Arts Prize - 2014 Emerging Artist Prize in Literature, he has taught for 20 years as a lecturer in English at Case Western Reserve University.
Michael Sangiacomo, a founding board member and retired Plain Dealer reporter, worked there for 30 years, writing a weekly comic book column from 1993 to 2019. In 2006, his article urging Cleveland to honor Superman creators Siegel and Shuster led to the formation of the Siegel and Shuster Society. He also taught comic book history at CWRU and authored several series and graphic novels, including "Tales of the Starlight Drive-In" and "Phantom Jack."
Board Member, is the Dean of the School of Arts, Education, Humanities and Social Sciences at Lake Erie College in Painesville, Ohio, where she also serves as a Professor of English, Director of the Writing Center, and Co-Director of the Tower Honors Program. She has presented and published widely on feminism in comics and comic history and is a frequent guest on comics related podcasts.
Board Member, is Assistant Professor of English, Anisfield-Wolf Fellow, and co-director of the Rust Belt Humanities Lab at Ursuline College. He is American editor of the Journal of Graphic Novels and Comics and co-leads the Get Graphic program at Cleveland Public Library where he was the Ohio Center for the Book Scholar-in-Residence.
