President Ken Grant presides at the APRL’s 50th anniversary celebration.
This is my final President’s Message as I am about to complete my term on the American Philatelic Research Library (APRL) Board in August. I thought I might reflect a bit on my experience on both the APRL and American Philatelic Society (APS) boards.
I ran for an open position on the APRL Board of Trustees in 1999, new to service in organized philately. At that time, Bob Lamb was the executive director of the APS, and he didn’t think that I had much of a chance to get a seat on the APRL board, as the other candidates had far more name recognition through prior service and a presence at the national level of philately. I remember his call to inform me that I had been selected. He was surprised by my election and I was delighted.
Three people comprised the APRL class of 1999: Hubert Skinner, a distinguished researcher; Bill Bauer, a former APS president; and me, the new guy from Wisconsin. I was fortunate enough to be taken under the wing of Charlie Peterson, a philatelic literature judge and longtime member of the APRL board. At our election of officers, I found myself volunteering to serve as secretary, a position that as an English professor I was well suited. I loved my four years as APRL secretary as it required me to keep my mouth shut and my ears open. What better way to learn about our library and the relationship between the APRL and the APS than taking what I hoped would be careful minutes.
In those early days, I traveled to State College, where I saw our cramped library and headquarters. Books and papers spilled into the hallway, and it was clear that a larger headquarters was a necessity. Both boards were invited to visit Bellefonte’s 19th century Match Factory, which APS stalwart Ken Lawrence and Bob Lamb felt might be a suitable new location for the society. Some months later, in my role as secretary, I signed the society’s offer to purchase the Match Factory.
In the years that followed, I had the privilege of being selected APRL board president. Over the years, I was a witness to the progress converting that Match Factory into the American Philatelic Center. Progress was not always smooth, but as you all know, we have a stunningly beautiful library and society headquarters (Figure 1). Together with the APS president, we worked to build strong relationships between the two boards and overcome some of the past friction. After my first term on the board ended, I was appointed for another six-year term as a representative of the Founders and Patrons.
Figure 1. From the 2016 ribbon-cutting of the new American Philatelic Research Library.
After 12 years on the APRL board, I spent five years as APS secretary and then took on my third and final term on the APRL board. After the president was obliged to resign, I agreed to serve another term as board president. For me, the most significant event in this final term in office was the retirement of our mortgage on the APC. During my time on the boards, I witnessed the selection, acquisition, construction, completion and mortgage retirement of our headquarters (cover image).
Serving on the boards has been one of the most fulfilling experiences of my life. I urge you to consider volunteering your time to the APS and APRL, either informally or through elective positions on either board. It is rewarding to watch our organization develop and find new ways to meet its members’ needs.
Of all the people to whom I owe thanks, the most important person is my wife, Mary. She is the most patient of non-collectors. August 14 is our wedding anniversary, and as you know, first StampShow and now The Great American Stamp Show, take place usually in mid-August. She has been wonderfully flexible in supporting me in meeting my APRL commitments for over two decades and so insightful in offering her advice. I could not have fulfilled my responsibilities without her.
Thank you for reading this reflection of my time on the APRL and APS boards. And thanks, too, to the APRL and APS staff and leadership for the care they take in supporting organized philately and their innumerable kindnesses to me.