Washington 2006

Put it in the book!  Washington 2006 is now part of our philatelic history and will surely be remembered as one of the greatest, if not the greatest, show the country has ever seen.  I'm certain that anyone who was able to attend will attest to this.  And the United States Stamp Society was a major participant.

Our activities were centered around our super booth, which we shared with the Philatelic Foundation, the Collectors Club of New York, the Philatelic Classics Society and New York 2016.  The size of the booth together with the chairs and couches made it the perfect place to meet friends, relax, and catch up on the latest Society news.  I would like to thank all those members who helped man our portion of the booth throughout the entire run of the show, especially Larry Ballantyne, Joann and Kurt Lenz, Dave Sugar, Mike Lampson, Rod Juell, Steve Rod and Frank Braithwaite who anchored the effort.  Sales of our publications were brisk and we attracted more than 40 new members along with a number of lost sheep who were reinstated.  During the course of the show more than 200 members stopped by to say hello and sign in.

We kicked off our activities on the opening day of the show with the release ceremony for the Encyclopedia of United States Stamps and Stamp Collecting.  The event was a standing room only affair.  Mystic Stamp Company President Don Sundman gave the keynote address and APS President Janet Klug was in the audience.  The book signing that followed was a great treat for those attending.

On Sunday evening 35 members gathered at Clyde's Restaurant for our traditional Fellowship Dinner.  The private room, tasty food and good company made for an enjoyable evening.

Monday was a busy day devoted to taking care of the Society business that is always conducted at our Annual Meeting.  Chairman Roger Brody presided over the Board of Governors meeting that began at 8:00 AM and concluded as the show was opening for the day.  A summary of the meeting appears in another article in this issue.  President Nick Lombardi conducted the General Membership Meeting at 1:00 PM, which was very well attended.  Richard Hall was presented with a special plaque of appreciation for his 15 years of service as the Society Indexer and Nicholas Lombardi received the 2006 Hopkinson Literature Award.

Tuesday began and ended with exciting events.  In the morning, Chairman Roger Brody, President Nick Lombardi, Encyclopedia Editors Rod Juell and Steve Rod together with Society Indexer Lynn Batdorf traveled to the Old Executive Office Building where they had arranged to meet with Special Assistant to the President Tim Goeglein and presented him with a copy of the Encyclopedia for President Bush.  The copy had been signed by the editors and inscribed "The story of United States Postage Stamps is the story of our Nation."  Goeglein accepted the book on behalf of the President and assured the group that he would personally deliver it to him.

In the evening, the Society held its 80th Anniversary Dinner inside the National Postal Museum.  Prior to the dinner, Curators Wilson Hulme and Cheryl Gantz led those attending on a tour of the Miller Collection, Part I.  All agreed that both the collection and the commentary offered by these great philatelists were wonderful.  NPM Director Allen Kane gave an entertaining and informative keynote speech after dinner concerning the road that the museum has traveled and its goals for the future.  The dinner also served as the perfect time and place to bestow the two highest Society honors.  President Nicholas Lombardi had the privilege of presenting Wallace Cleland with the George W. Brett Century of Service Award and Chairman Roger Brody inducted Barbara Muller into the United States Stamp Society Hall of Fame.  The full text of the citations by the Board of Governors approving both honors appeared in the July issue of The Specialist.

Speaking of awards, as you read last month in the Awards Committee Report, the Society had provided a beautiful bronze Remington sculpture, Trooper of the Plains, to be awarded as a Special Prize at the discretion of the Jury.  It was one of 77 such items donated by various groups and individuals.  We were delighted to learn that the show committee had been so impressed with our sculpture that it was awarded as a Special Prize to Steven Walske's exhibit, "Special Postal Routes During the American Civil War," the runner-up for the Grand Prix National.  Our compliments to Awards Committee Chairperson Denise Stotts for making an outstanding selection.

On Wednesday morning a dedicated group of early risers assembled at the Bureau of Engraving & Printing, where Cecilia Wertheimer, Curator of the Historical Resource Center, and her staff had prepared an outstanding presentation of the various types of documents and ephemera that are kept in the Center and available for research by philatelists.  The words "wow," "good God," and "amazing" were often heard during the two hour visit.  A second group of members had a similar experience during the afternoon session.  All agreed that Cecilia and her dedicated staff had gone above and beyond in accommodating our Society and that the visit was truly one of the highpoints of the week.

Our Society was well represented among the field of exhibitors at the show.  One thing in particular that stood out was the level of achievement attained by exhibits of material from the latter half of the 20th century.  Two of which come to mind are "The Three Cent Stamps of the 1954 Liberty Series" by David Eeles and "The 20 Cent U.S. Flag of 1981" by Tim Lindemuth.  Both of these five frame exhibits won Gold Medals with Felicitations of the Jury.  Congratulations to David, Tim, and all our other members who exhibited at the show.  I'd also like to express my appreciation to those Committee Chairpersons who submitted an exhibit page related to their particular specialty for inclusion in the USSS single frame exhibit that was displayed in the Society Section on the exhibit floor.  It was a job well done.

Another group of members who deserve a warm round of applause are those who volunteered to give presentations about various U.S. stamp topics during the entire run of the show.  Steven Belasco, Wallace Cleland, David Eeles, Paul Bourke, Roger Brody, Harvey Mirsky and Rod Juell all gave of their time to represent the Society.  However, the "Iron Man Award" for presentations goes to Jeff Shapiro, who gave four lectures, each covering a different aspect of U.S. philately.

In closing, I'd like once again to thank all those who helped to make this show such a successful venture for the Society.  Our next Annual Meeting will be held April 14, 2007 at TEXPEX in Dallas.  Hope to see you there.

- Nick Lombardi
President