Story #115: Arnold Hiatt, Long-Time Stride Rite Sponsor and PBHA Supporter

Arnold Hiatt ‘48 received the PBHA's 2010 "Outstanding Supporter" award for his long-time sponsorship of the Stride Rite Community Service Program, established in 1983 to allow lower-income students at Harvard to pursue their passion for community service work. Arnold Hiatt established Stride Rite programs when he served as CEO of the Stride Rite shoe company. As an alumnus, Hiatt said he feels community service should be an important part of a Harvard education. PBHA is eternally grateful for Hiatt’s philanthropy and dedication to the organization, as Stride Rite programming has resulted in countless low income undergraduates affording the opportunity to serve and dozens of post graduates serving unique areas all across the country.

"I began this program because I felt Harvard wasn't paying enough attention to community service.” - Arnold Hiatt

In Hiatt’s Turning Business Into a Force For Good, he follows his journey in buying a struggling shoe company at the age of 24. He transforms it into a thriving business, so successful that Stride Rite offers him a deal he cannot refuse. Hiatt briefly leaves Stride Rite to serve as treasurer for Senator Eugene McCarthy's presidential campaign, a key anti-Vietnam War movement, which marks the beginning of his lifelong commitment to progressive political causes.

Over the course of more than three decades, Hiatt has become a significant figure in advocating for campaign finance reform and championing social change. PBHA is so grateful for Hiatt’s commitment to the ever-growing Stride Rite program, which has fortified the public service experiences of hundreds of students.

Read more about Hiatt’s book here.