Gomez Mill House

Jacques Levine enjoying a day at the Gomez Mill House

In Memoriam
Jacques Levine

Jacques Levine was a remarkable and accomplished man. A gentleman with strong convictions, broad interests, a love of history, and an abiding love of his Jewish heritage, he added immeasurably to the stewardship of the Gomez Mill House as a Trustee and friend. On behalf of the Trustees and staff of the Gomez Foundation for Mill House, I extend our sincere sympathies to Alan, David, Minna, the extended family, and his many friends and colleagues. He will be missed, and long remembered.

Ruth Abrahams
Executive Director, Gomez Foundation for Mill House

JACQUES LEVINE

The son of the late Falk and Esther Levine, Jacques was born on September 4, 1922 in New York, NY. He came to Middletown in 1936, when his family moved there to open Middletown Footwear. Jacques graduated from Middletown High School in 1940 and the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania in 1943. He enlisted in the U.S. Army, proudly serving his country during World War II. Following his time in the Army, he returned to Middletown to help manage and operate Middletown Footwear with his father, Falk Levine. "The brand, best known for its sexy Kraze high-heel slide with marabou feathers, produced a string of memorable footnotes at its upstate New York factory. Among them were glittery evening looks, vinyl upper pumps as well as Schiaparelli footwear in the 1950s. Levine, passionate about the industry, expanded the business in the 1960s with imports, introducing ankle-tie espadrilles and wedge slippers from Spain. Like the brand's slippers, these footnotes became synonymous with the label. (Barbara Schneider-Levy, Footwear News, November 14, 2014)." In 1998, he was named to the Footwear News Hall of Fame in 1998.

Jacques and his wife Florence, also a major advocate for the Gomez Mill house, remained in Middletown where they raised their four children: Harold (now deceased), Alan, Minna, and David. Jacques was a member of Temple Sinai, Middletown, where he served as a Trustee, Scoutmaster of Troop 60, Boy Scouts of America for more than 30 years, on the board of the Orange County Land Trust, and The Jewish Federation of Orange County. He served on the board of Gomez Mill House Foundation from 1996 until his death, offering wise counsel and historic research on Jewish history related to the Gomez family interests.

Donation in Memory of Jacque Levine