The APS Hall of Fame was established at the 1940 APS Convention following the suggestion that outstanding deceased philatelists be honored just as the then-newly created APS Luff Award honors outstanding living philatelists. To be elected, APS Hall of Fame nominees must have made outstanding contributions to the advancement of national or international philately.
Randy Laning Neil (1941-2024)
Randy Neil’s passing in 2024 left a hole in our hobby. Randy served the APS as a director-at-large, secretary, and president; he also was a co-founder of the American Association of Philatelic Exhibitors, and founded the Collectors Club of Kansas City and the MIDAPHIL show.
Randy’s published legacy is extensive – he authored books and articles on exhibiting; served as editor of journals such as The Confederate Philatelist, U.S. Stamps & Postal History Magazine and American Stamp Dealer & Collector; and authored columns in The American Philatelist, First Days, Weekly Philatelic Gossip, Linn’s Stamp News, Stamp Collector and the American Philatelic Congress Book.
Finally, Randy received many prestigious awards, including the Luff Award for Outstanding Service to the APS (2000), the Elizabeth Pope medal, the Lichtenstein Award (Collectors Club), the Writers Unit #30 Hall of Fame, the USPCS Distinguished Philatelist Award, the Charles J. Peterson Philatelic Literature Life Achievement Award, the AAPE Herdenberg Award and many more. He also served the hobby as an emeritus philatelic judge.
Michael D. Dixon (1937-2024)
Michael Dixon’s nomination and acceptance to the APS Hall of Fame is more than justified. For the APS, Michael traveled around the country as chief judge for philatelic and literature exhibits; he also served as a director-at-large and on multiple APS committees for fundraising, expertizing, long-term planning and technology. He was also influential on the national and international philatelic stage, serving in the following roles: FIP judge and member of the FIP Literature Commission; president and board chairman of Washington 2006; show chairman and director of NAPEX; council member of the Royal Philatelic Society London and consultant to its expert committee; president of Mainsheet (Latin American Collectors Club); and council member of the American Philatelic Congress. He received the Luff Award for Exceptional Contributions to Philately in 2012.
Harlan Fiske Stone II (1935-2024)
Harlan Stone was missed by many collectors after his passing in 2024. A prolific author, Harlan published articles in nearly a dozen U.S., Swiss, and British journals, and served as editor of the Postal History Journal among other publications. He was the general commissioner of PhiLITex 92, the largest international philatelic literature exhibition at that time. He received the Luff Award for Distinguished Philatelic Research in 2006, and was elected to the APS Writers Unit #30 Hall of Fame. He was awarded the Collectors Club Lichtenstein award in 2009.
Harlan was also a highly respected national and international exhibitor, and in fact was the first to win both the APS Champion of Champions for the multiframe and single frame categories.
Finally, Harlan spent many years in service to organized philately: a member of the board of trustees of the Philatelic Foundation; a board member of the Postal History Society; a member of the Smithsonian’s National Postal Museum Council of Philatelists; and past president of the American Helvetia Philatelic Society.
William Stewart Dunn (1927-2004)
William Stewart Dunn is this year’s legacy addition to the APS Hall of Fame. William was a founder of the Rocky Mountain Philatelic Library and served as its director, secretary, and vice president. He served the APS as an accredited philatelic judge and expertizing committee member. He also served as past president of the United States Stamp Society, and as president of the Rocky Mountain Stamp Show.
William was an editorial consultant to Roland Rustad’s The Prexies, and U.S. Stamp Booklets by Don Littlefield. He was the recipient of USPCS’ Distinguished Philatelist award in 1998.