William S. Dunn  1927-2004

Past-President of the Bureau Issues Association (United States Stamp Society) William Stewart Dunn passed away on February 22, 2004 at age 76.  He was born March 17, 1927 in Falls City, Nebraska.  Bill, as he was universally known, was a member of our Society for several decades and served as President from 1986 to 1992.

Bill joined the U.S. Coast Guard after graduating high school and served in the Pacific in World War II on an LST.  He attended Nebraska Wesleyan University, graduated with a degree in chemistry, and worked as a chemist with the Nebraska Department of Health.  In 1952 he moved to Denver to become Chief Chemist with the Division of Industrial Medicine at the University of Colorado Health Sciences Center.  In 1954 he joined the Colorado School of Mines Research Institute and later became Director of Analytical Laboratories.  He became Chief Chemist for the Colorado Department of Health in 1960 and held that position for nearly 30 years.

Bill served as president of four local stamp clubs at various times and belonged to two others and was a founder and director of the Rocky Mountain Philatelic Library, also serving as vice president.  He held memberships in 23 local and national stamp organizations.

Bill received the "Distinguished Philatelist Award" of the United States Philatelic Classics Society in 1998.  He was an accredited national judge for the American Philatelic Society (Emeritus) and expertised coil waste issues of the Fourth Bureau and Washington-Franklin Issues for the APS.  His collecting interests included the 2¢ carmine Washington stamps of 1922-1938, the Liberty Series of 1954-73, Colorado, Nebraska and the city of Denver postal history, machine cancellations, "funny looking things" (odd postal markings and frankings), Latvia, World War II issues of Croatia and wet and dry printings of the U.S. Bureau of Engraving and Printing.

Bill is survived by his wife, Sue, a daughter, a son and daughter-in-law, two grandchildren and a brother.

Many in philately remember Bill as a fine story-teller and a helpful advisor.  Immediate BIA/USSS Past-President Jay Stotts remembers his first encounter with Bill when he was beginning his Fourth Bureau exhibit: "Bill spent that entire afternoon with me, talking the Fourth Bureau and pointing out his favorite items.  With his reputation as the Vice President of the BIA and as an APS accredited judge, it could easily have been a one-way conversation, him talking and me listening, but that wasnât Bill.  He asked me dozens of questions about my collection, my interests and where I wanted to go as I built my exhibit·.We are very fortunate that Billâs philatelic loves were focused on U.S. subjects such as the Liberty Series and the Fourth Bureau Issue and that his tendencies were to share that passion with BIA/USSS members and to choose to serve the Society."