Final Call for USSS Annual 2003 Meeting

The USSS will gather during the weekend of November 21-23, 2003, at the Sheraton Chicago Northwest, 3400 West Euclid Avenue, in Arlington Heights, a suburb of Chicago.

The show will include an American Philatelic Society World Series of Philately exhibit competition including more than 100 frames of U.S. and related material presented by USSS members.  Among the exhibit material to be presented by our members are several specialized collections.

Exhibit subjects include the first ten years of U.S. Bureau issues, the First Bureau Issue, plate markings on newspaper and beer stamps, 2¢ black Hardings, the 5¢ Lincoln stamp of 1902 and Lincoln portrait issues of 1866-69.

Usage exhibits include those of Circular Die postal stationery, the Canal Zone Second Airmail Series, the Series of 1902 and the 11¢ Hayes of the Fourth Bureau Issue.

Additional postal card exhibits will focus on the 1¢ card of 1898, the size "C" postal card of the Worldâs Columbian Exposition and the 1¢ green Jefferson cards with value added.

The United Postal Stationery Society and the British Caribbean Philatelic Society will also convene their annual meetings at CHICAGOPEX.  The UPSS and USSS also shared conventions last year in Philadelphia.  The presence of both societies undoubtedly attracted the showing of U.S. postal card exhibits.

Our annual General Membership Meeting is scheduled from 1:00-2:00 PM on Saturday, the 22nd.  The Board Meeting, for Governors, Officers, employees of the Society and Committee Chairmen will be held from 8:00-10:00 AM on Saturday.

The Presidential Issue Committee will hold an open meeting immediately after the General Membership Meeting on Saturday.  Jeffery Shapiro, Chairman of the Presidential Issue Committee, will present a program on Friday afternoon at 4:00 PM.  The talk will center around postal usages of the U.S. Clipper airmails, Scott C20-22.  The local Chicago-area Washington-Franklin USSS members are also planning a presentation.

A highlight of our annual meetings, the annual fellowship dinner, will be held Friday evening.  It is a Dutch treat dinner.  We traditionally gather the troops as the show closes and head for an enjoyable dinner and evening of fellowship.  Details of the dinner location are not yet firmed up.

Other gatherings will include meetings for the Illinois Postal History Society and the Space Topics Study Group.  The American Association of Philatelic Exhibitors will have a seminar at 3:00 PM on Saturday and the Judges Critique will follow at 4:00 PM.

The show is on-site at the host hotel.  The Saturday night awards banquet will also be held at the hotel.  Parking is free.  For rate information, room availability and reservations, contact the hotel at (847) 394-2000, or through Sheraton reservations at (800) 325-3535.  Mention CHICAGOPEX to get the special show rate.

The show hosts a web site, www.chicagopex.com, where they carry information on show functions, banquet details, scheduled meetings and times, participating postal administrations, etc.  The show will host a 65 dealer Bourse.

USSS Recruiting Chairman Rod Juell has volunteered to coordinate our show table activities.  We will have a booth for the purposes of selling our publications, promoting the Society, recruiting new members and socializing with fellow U.S. collectors.

Contact Rod at P.O. Box 3508, Joliet, IL 60434, if you are willing to staff the table as a volunteer.  We will also staff the table with our officers, Board members, committee chairs and authors.  It should make for a great time.

We look forward to seeing a large contingent of our fellow members at this excellent Midwestern show.

- Jay Stotts
President