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.
Elizabeth Pope (-2007)
There are times when some of the more experienced philatelists and dealers gather for a social event and reminisce about some of the greats of our hobby who are no longer with us. Even to the uninitiated, some of the names that are generally mentioned are ones that clearly rank within the pantheon of world philately. Among these would be Robert A. Siegel, Henry M. Goodkind, Harry L. Lindquist, Mortimer Neinken, Creighton Hart, Alfred Lichtenstein, Thomas J. Alexander, Van Dyk MacBride, Eugene Klein, and Stanley B. Ashbrook, to name only a handful. It might surprise some of those philatelists and dealers at such a social gathering that there is one philatelist and dealer who knew, quite personally, all of these people and a whole lot more of them than those mentioned above. And even further: that each of those famous luminaries of philately not only knew this person but respected her most profoundly. That person, of course, was Elizabeth C. Pope of St. Louis, Missouri.
Liz Pope’s achievements were of the highest level. In the 1980s she assembled, wrote and published the six-volume series of OPINIONS: Philatelic Expertising: An Inside View for The Philatelic Foundation. In 1992, she was co-founder of the annual St. Louis Stamp Expo, a World Series of Philately national exhibition. For over 50 years, she served as officer, board member, program director and other roles for the renowned Webster Groves Stamp Club, one of the APS’ largest and oldest chapters. In the 1990s, she commuted weekly between her home in Webster Grove to her apartment in New York City where she was in charge of the Christie’s auction firm’s philatelic division. While there, she handled some of the greatest philatelic holdings when Christie’s brought them to auction, including the fabulous Honolulu Advertiser collection of Hawaiian classic stamps and postal history. While there, she tutored the very young Scott Trepel who, shortly before the death of Robert Siegel, left Christie’s to become the latter’s right hand assistant; Trepel later rose to be head of the Siegel firm. In early 2000s, David Straight wrote a large series of articles for The American Stamp Dealer & Collector magazine recounting the philatelic life of Elizabeth Pope. When this happened, Liz began “unloading” her vast collection of philatelic history and memorabilia to fellow Missourian and longtime friend Randy Neil. Week after week Liz's “souvenirs of a philatelic life” are now in his library.
The late Hans Stoltz, Liz’s dear lifelong friend, was employed as an executive of Robert A. Siegel Auctions Galleries when, in the 1980s, she learned from Hans that he had a dream to one day own and operate his own business. Liz was always looking to help people in the world of professional philately. She “engineered” Hans’ move to her hometown of Webster Groves where he opened a stamp shop, with Liz as co-owner, in a commercial office building Liz owned just down the street from where she lived. It quickly became a formidable “hangout” for locals as well as visiting philatelists from around the country.
Liz Pope evolved from a serious stamp collector in her teens to one of the truly great figures in American philately into the latter part of the 20th century. Not only do the great auction houses like that of Robert A. Siegel and Christie’s owe her a debt of gratitude, but she mentored some of the authentic greats of modern day stamp dealing and collecting like Scott Trepel and Charles Shreve.
Her knowledge of world philately, and in particular 19th century U.S. and Confederate States issues, was legendary—but more than that, her circle of friends includes the owners of most of the important stamp collections assembled in this country over the past 60 years. In her youth, she married John D. Pope III, a St. Louis lawyer and lifelong serious specialist in U.S. classic stamps and covers. For decades before his death, she and John traveled extensively to attend scores of major stamp shows and to give expert presentations at large and small stamp clubs. This vigorous activity helped Liz become an astute philatelic expert in her own right. And when John passed away in 1983, Liz hardly paused in her national-level activities. Not only did she oversee the auction of his vast U.S. collections at Siegel’s in 1984, she became determined to learn the stamp auction business.
Perhaps the most amazing thing about Liz Pope was that, even at the point of her passing in 2007 when she was in her mid-eighties, she was still 100% involved in the hobby of philately and with her wonderful family.
Dr. Elizabeth Nettles (1933-2014)
Dr. Elizabeth Jane Nettles, known to everyone as “Betty,” was a prominent St. Louis psychologist and psychotherapist and internationally known philatelist. Betty began to collect stamps at age eight while recovering from polio. She attended the College of William & Mary and earned a B.S. in psychology there in 1955. She moved to St. Louis in 1956 and resided in the area ever since. She attended Washington University from 1956 to 1962 under a fellowship sponsor by the National Institute of Mental Health and earned her PhD in clinical psychology in 1978 after completion of her dissertation “Ego Development and Sex Role Expectation in Marriage.” She began her private practice as a clinical psychologist in 1960 and quickly became recognized as a specialist in psychological testing of children and adolescents to diagnose difficult cases. Betty served as a consultant in Family and Children's Services in St. Louis for over 30 years. She also worked as a psychological consultant for the Girls' Home, St. Louis Hospital for Children, Clayton Public Schools, The Miriam School, Mary Institute, Lutheran Family Service and St. Joseph Institute for the Deaf. She worked as a research consultant for Family Services of Memphis, Washington University Medical School, Jewish Hospital, and Illinois Children and Family Service. She was the Chief Clinical Psychologist for the Ellen Steinberg Division of Child Psychiatry at Jewish Hospital in the early 1960s. She was a long-term member of the Missouri and American Psychological Association and served as a chair of the Missouri Association Legislative Committee for many years. In recent years, she served as a supervisor in those seeking licensure as clinical psychologists. She was a skilled therapist for all age groups. In recent years, she developed expertise in forensic evaluations for criminal cases. Betty's primary focus as an adult was her family and her clients/patients.
In her middle age, she developed a passion for her philately and became known widely in the community as a serious stamp collector and as an accomplished exhibitor. She built award-winning exhibits of St. Louis postal history and the 1904 Louisiana Purchase. She was a member of numerous national societies including the American Philatelic Society, the Women Exhibitors and Hawaiian Stamp Study Group. Some of her prized Hawaiian material is on long-term loan in an exhibit at the Smithsonian Institute. In St. Louis, Betty was an active member of the Mound City Stamp Club, 1904 World's Fair Club and especially the Webster Groves Stamps Club, in which she was the long-term program chair, inviting outstanding speakers who collectively comprised one of the strongest club program schedules in the nation. She was founder and leader of a St. Louis area exhibitors study group, the St. Louis Bears, and for many years was in the Exhibits Choir for the St. Louis Stamp Expo, which grew to become one of the most competitive exhibitions in the country. Many of the visiting speakers and other guests were welcomed into her home, which she proudly called “The Nettles Philatelic Hotel.” Her gracious hospitality was legendary as were her Virginia style crab cakes.
In 2010, Betty received the Elizabeth C. Pope Award from the St. Louis Stamp Expo for her great contributions to philately. It was fitting that Betty should be honored with the award named for and first bestowed upon her longtime friend Elizabeth C. Pope.
Dr. Esper Hayes (1934-2019)
Dr. Esper Hayes lived a life of service and beyond her love for philately, she also served the community by working with various youth organizations, helping young people to gain the skills they needed to be successful. Dr. Hayes obtained advanced degrees in social work and later taught Human Growth and Development and Social Policy at Seton Hall University. She ultimately became a social worker to assist children find stability in their lives. It is not surprising with this background that she devoted her interests in philately with the dream that African Americans, especially young people, would develop pride in themselves by understanding their heritage through philatelic material.
Dr. Esper Hayes founded the Ebony Society of Philatelic Events and Reflections (ESPER) in 1988. The non-profit organization is “dedicated to promoting the collecting of stamps and philatelic material depicting people and events related to the African Diaspora and to encouraging and supporting the interest and participation of Black people in all aspects of philately.” ESPER is a study unit of the American Topical Association and an affiliate of the APS.
When she was eight or nine years old, Hayes was encouraged by her father to collect stamps and was attracted to the topic of birds on stamps. The hobby remained an important part of her life. In the 1970s she attended a first day ceremony in New York where she stood in a long line to meet the Olympian and fellow stamp collector Jesse Owens and obtain his autograph. When they met, Owens pointed out that the two of them were the only African Americans in attendance, and he urged Esper to get more involved.
She promised him that she would. Later she joined with 35 other collectors interested in Black Americans depicted on stamps and formed the Black Stamp Collectors. With the help of the APS the group expanded its activities and evolved into Ebony Society of Philatelic Events and Reflections (ESPER). She urged collectors, especially youngsters, to appreciate and take pride in their heritage. She promoted the hobby tirelessly with exhibits at schools and libraries and helped form stamp clubs for youngsters.
As an example, at ESPER’s 30th anniversary in 2018, Dr. Hayes interacted with children and their parents at the Smithsonian Anacostia Community Museum. ESPER had various stamp displays and hands-on activities to assist the community in learning about Black history and African Americans on stamps. During the museum event, children were able to use props to dress up to look like Bessie Coleman, Jackie Robinson, Thurgood Marshall, or A. Phillip Randolph.
Clarence McKnight, ESPER webmaster and former Editor-in-Chief of ESPER newsletter Reflections, shared Dr. Hayes’ words, which she personally shared with him: “We need to collect more to know more about our history. Teach your children that they have the right to be proud of who they are and they are part of a history that no one can change.”
She firmly believed in the power of sharing our story with young people. “Start with the young,” Hayes advised. “You don’t realize you can plant the seed because the seed of stamp collecting remains with you – you can go back to it at any point in your life.”
Félix Luis Pérez-Folch Jr., a member of the American Topical Association Board of Directors, met Dr. Hayes at Charpex 2016 and she became his mentor. In his words, “When I joined the military in 1989, I came across a quote by Isaac Newton that read, ‘If I have seen further than others, it is by standing upon the shoulders of giants.’ To me, Esper Hayes was one of those giants.” With a strong passion and dedication for expanding the hobby to diverse communities, Dr. Esper Gold Hayes was a stalwart of hope, encouragement, pride, commitment, and celebration for the members of the society that bears her first name and for the philatelic community in general.