Congratulations to the Rhodesian Study Circle, an APS affiliate since 1980, which celebrates its 75th anniversary this year. As part of it celebration, members will participate with the Philatelic Group of Greater Southern Africa at the May 26-28 Rocky Mountain Stamp Show with exhibits and lectures.
The society currently has more than 400 members from around the world with North American members making up the second-largest percentage of membership after the United Kingdom. RSC has produced nearly 40 publications in addition to its journal, which reaches issue No. 300 this year.
Prized items for members of the Rhodesia Study Circle include special philatelic covers, such as this one sent in 1912 to President Woodrow Wilson.
In 2022, The Rhodesian Study Circle Journal and its website were awarded gold medals at the London International Exhibition. Since its founding, the study circle’s scope has expanded beyond Rhodesia and Zimbabwe to include British South Africa, British Central Africa, Nyasaland, Southern Rhodesia, Northern Rhodesia, Malawi, and Zambia. Bechuanaland and Botswana may also be added in the future.
The Allentown (Pennsylvania) Stamp Club, www.aps-lv-stamps.org, became an APS chapter 99 years ago and reaches its 100th anniversary this year. To celebrate, it is sponsoring, in partnership with the Allentown School District Foundation and the Allentown Art Museum, a citywide art contest and exhibition open to all students in the school district.
Students must create a postage stamp design depicting animals of their choice. The subjects can be extinct, currently existing or fictitious creations. Why animals? Worldwide, they are the most often portrayed subjects on postage stamps. More than $1,000 in cash awards and individual mementoes will be awarded. The winning entries will be exhibited at the stamp club’s biannual Eastern Pennsylvania Stamp Show, being held on July 8 at the Schnecksville Fire Company, 4550 Packhouse Road.
Congratulations also to the Outer Banks Stamp Club, founded in 1996. Over the past two years, members have worked to design and build exhibits for public locations, which serve to promote the club and introduce the public to the philatelic world.
The club’s biggest undertaking to date is the installation of a four-panel exhibit at the Wright Brothers National Memorial, the location of man’s first powered flight in December 1903 in Kill Devil Hills, N.C. Each panel is focused on a specific aspect of the history of manned flight, including the Wright brothers, first flight, man’s dreams of powered flight, the world’s aviation pioneers and the future and space events on stamps.
Individual members are also working hard to promote the hobby. Dr. Sulekha Chaudhuri inherited her husband’s collection when he passed away. She used a portion of it to write a book on the stamps of India for parents, children and history lovers. Visit https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0BBLF4MZR for information on the digital ebook.
Dr. Sulekha Chaudhuri used her husband’s collection to create an ebook about stamps of India.
Shows are another powerful way to share our hobby and it is not too early to plan for the Great American Stamp Show scheduled for August 10-13 in Cleveland, Ohio. It’s six months away and more than 700 room nights are already filled at the show hotel. The deadlines for reserving a dealer booth, entering the philatelic and literature competition, or obtaining space for an affiliate meeting are all nearing. Visit stamps.org/GASS for additional information.
The Sarasota (Florida) Philatelic Club January 20 to 22 hosted the Sarasota National Exhibition. The club reaches age 71 this year and it celebrated the 70th anniversary of the event. The show hosted the Civil War Philatelic Society and included meetings of the American Association of Philatelic Exhibitors, American Topical Association, British Caribbean Philatelic Study Group, Cuban Philatelic Society of America, Florida Postal History Society, Germany Philatelic Society, Philatelic Society of Puerto Rico, United States Philatelic Classics Society, and the United States Possessions Philatelic Society.
The show multiframe grand award was won by Les Lanphear for his “U.S. Departmentals, 1873 to 1884.” Alfredo Frohlich won the multiframe reserve grand for “Classic Colombia: 1862-1863: The Fifth and Sixth Issues.” Peter Jeannopoulos received the single frame grand for “Haiti’s Leconte Issue of 1912.”
The Sarasota show also has a literature competition for philatelic articles. Louis Fiset and James Robinson received the literature grand for their article, “Gum Breakers” in the book, The United States Fourth Bureau Issue published by the United States Stamp Society. The literature reserve grand went to Jean Walton for “What are Star Routes & Why Were They Created?” as printed in NJPH, the journal of the New Jersey Postal History Society.
The following weekend, January 27-29, the Southeast Federation of Stamp Clubs, presented its 25th Southeastern Stamp Show outside of Atlanta.
Longtime APS member and supporter Lamar Stout was on hand at the Southeastern Stamp Show.
This event included the annual meeting of the United Postal Stationery Society and its annual Champion of Champions competition for postal stationery exhibits. Other participating societies included the American Association of Philatelic Exhibitors, American First Day Cover Society, American Topical Association, the Ebony Society of Philatelic Events and Reflections (ESPER), the Georgia Postal History Society and of course the Southeast Federation of Stamp Clubs, which includes 23 clubs covering the states of Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina and Tennessee.
The show multiframe grand award was taken home by Ross Towle for “Chile Postal Stationery Archival Items: 1872-1924.” The David L.K. Hill multiframe reserve grand went to Steve McGill’s “Britain’s Marvelous Machins.” Richard Taschenberg won the Athens Philatelic Society single frame grand.
Towle’s grand award winning exhibit also won the UPSS multiframe Champion of Champions. “The First Six Cents U.S. Postal Stationery Envelope,” by Daniel Undersander, received the UPSS single frame Champion of Champions.
The Southeastern Stamp Expo also gives an award for service to the hobby in the Southeastern United States. This year’s show chair William “Scott” Mark was the distinguished recipient of the Rowland Hill Award.
Scott Mark was the Rowland Hill Award recipient at the Southeastern Stamp Show.
A few usual faces were missing from this year’s event. Unfortunately, Nancy and Doug Clark, who had significant roles in the establishment of the show were unable to be present, although Nancy did present the Rowland Hill award by phone.
Also missing was Ed Jackson, a founding member of the Georgia Federation of Stamp Clubs, who served on its board of directors from its creation until his passing January 10, a few weeks before the show. Ed was also the official photographer and archivist for the Southeastern Stamp Expo, a longtime member of the Athens Philatelic Society, and a pioneer of online philately having created an online newsgroup for stamp collectors in 1995. Ed was the 2008 recipient of the Federation’s Rowland Hill award.
Two other philatelists of note who recently passed away are Peter Powell and George Watkins.
Peter, from Richmond, Virginia, was an APS member since 1971 and had careers in the Marine Corps, in the self-adhesive label business and as a stockbroker. He was also one of the world’s foremost experts in Confederate stamps and postal history, authoring three books, numerous articles and serving on three authentication committees. In addition to being a life member of the APS, he was an honorary life member of the Richmond Stamp Club, life member and honorary Life President of the Confederate Stamp Alliance (now known as the Civil War Philatelic Society) and founding member and former president of the Virginia Postal History Society.
George, of Iola, Texas, was an Army officer whose service included three tours in Vietnam, for whic.h he was awarded a Silver Star, two Bronze Stars, an Army Commendation medal, and a Meritorious Service medal. George was an APS member since 1984 and a dealer-member since 2009 who loved to read, especially his favorite genre, Westerns.