[press release]
Cletus Delvaux Named Distinguished Topical Philatelist

The American Topical Association’s highest award, Distinguished Topical Philatelist, is being awarded this year to Cletus Delvaux. A 39-year ATA member, Delvaux is a prolific philatelic writer and editor.

A retired English teacher from Green Bay, Wis., Clete has written more than 100 articles for Topical Time, Linn’s Stamp News and other philatelic publications. His primary topics are journalists, authors and poets on stamps.

Delvaux has been president of the Journalists, Authors, and Poets on Stamps (JAPOS) Study Unit of ATA since 1993. In 2000, he also assumed the position as editor of the JAPOS Bulletin, and he also writes extensively for that publication. He is a past president of the Green Bay Philatelic Society and edited its newsletter for 25 years.

The Distinguished Topical Philatelist award will be presented at the Celebration Banquet of APS StampShow/National Topical Stamp Show on Aug. 11 in Columbus, Ohio. Click here for further information about the award. Click here for more information about the ATA.

[press release]
Royal provides exciting programme for young philatelists

The Royal Philatelic Society London is to organise a philatelic visit to London for young philatelists aged between 18 and 35. This follows a successful initiative arranged by the Club de Monte Carlo last year.

London is still regarded as the philatelic capital of the world and the programme aims at proving this claim. The visit will include the following philatelic highlights:

• September 12: Guided Tour of Autumn Stampex and in the evening attending the RPSL President’s Dinner
• September 13: Guided Tour of the Royal Philatelic Society London where a part of The Royal Philatelic Collection will be exhibited by gracious permission of Her Majesty The Queen.
• September 14: Guided Tour of the British Library Philatelic Collection and The Postal Museum London

The costs of travel, accommodation and attendance at the dinner will be sponsored in full. Other expenses (meals, etc) will have to be paid for by the delegates.

Unfortunately, the number of participants is limited to maximum 20. The selection of the participants will be based on their philatelic CV.

All participants must be members of the RPSL or should apply for membership. For those still full time students, there is ‘associate membership’ with an annual fee of only £10. All others should apply for full membership.

More information is available from John Davies FRPSL, Council Member of the RPSL, who has arranged the programme (davies1890@btinternet.com).

[press release from the Royal Philatelic Society of London]
NEW RDPs TO SIGN THE ROLL OF DISTINGUISHED PHILATELISTS IN NEWCASTLE UPON TYNE

The Roll of Distinguished Philatelists was established in 1921 by the Philatelic Congress of Great Britain with the approval of His Majesty King George V, who was the first Signatory. An invitation to sign the Roll is regarded as the world’s pre-eminent philatelic honour.

Not including the newly elected RDPs, 380 philatelists from 40 countries have achieved this distinction. There are at present 78 Signatories from 26 countries including sixteen from the United Kingdom, fourteen from the USA, seven from Germany, four each from France, and Belgium, and three each from Australia and Italy. Denmark, New Zealand, Norway, Singapore, and Thailand each have two, with other countries including Austria, Canada, Colombia, Finland, Greece, Israel, Japan, Korea, Luxembourg, The Netherlands, Portugal, The Russian Federation, and Switzerland, having one.

At a recent meeting of the Board of Election, comprising Jane Moubray (Chairman), Tomas Bjäringer, Christopher Harman, Alan Huggins, Rolf-Dieter Jaretzky, Robert Odenweller, Christopher King, and Raymond Todd, the members unanimously decided to ask Robert Abensur (France), Gustaf Douglas FRPSL (Sweden), Cheryl R. Ganz FRPSL (United States of America), and Geoffrey Lewis FRPSL (Australia) to sign the Roll.

The Signing Ceremony will take place on Friday 27th July at The Assembly Rooms in Newcastle upon Tyne, during the Philatelic Congress of Great Britain.

Robert Abensur b. 1957 France
Robert Abensur lives in Pont-à-Mousson in North East France. He has researched widely and fulfilled all the requirements needed for a signatory to the Roll of Distinguished Philatelists. His main collecting and researching areas are the postal rates and regulations of France and Alsace-Lorraine. His latest book published in 2017 is The Franco-Sardinian route in international relations (1818-1851) and his articles on various subjects number well over a hundred, in France and elsewhere.

He has been President of the Académie de philatélie since 2002 and was awarded the chevalier dans l’ordre des Art et des Lettres in 2009, gained a Large Gold medal at FEPA 2015 for Maritime Mail between France and foreign countries. Routes and Rates 1828-1849 and has organised many philatelic meetings and exhibitions in France.

Robert Abensur vit à Pont-à-Mousson dans le nord-est de la France. Il a fait de nombreuses recherches et remplit toutes les conditions requises pour devenir signataire du Roll of Distinguished Philatelists. Ses principaux domaines de collection et de recherche sont la réglementation et les tarifs postaux de France et d’Alsace-Lorraine. Son dernier ouvrage publié en 2017 traite de la voie franco-sarde dans les relations internationales (1818-1851) et il a publié plus de cent articles sur des sujets variés en France et ailleurs.

Il est président de l’Académie de philatélie depuis 2002, a été nommé chevalier de l’ordre des Arts et des Lettres en 2009, a obtenu une médaille de grand or en 2015 en exposition FEPA pour Correspondance maritime entre la France et les pays étrangers. Tarifs et voies d’acheminement 1828-1849 et a organisé de nombreuses rencontres et expositions philatéliques en France.

Gustaf Douglas b. 1938 Sweden
Gustaf Douglas is of Swedish nationality and has formed what are considered to be the most complete collections of both Sweden and Finland in existence.

His monographs are always of the highest standard and he has attained Gold and Large Gold medals in international exhibitions since 1971. He co-authored Sweden Number One, in 2005. He was awarded the Tilleard Medal of the Royal Philatelic Society London as well as the Strandell Medal, the highest philatelic recognition in Sweden, in 2014 and is presently working hard as Head Patron for Stockholmia 2019.

Always modest, charming and helpful to fellow collectors, he is a most worthy candidate to sign the Roll.

Dr. Cheryl R. Ganz b. 1950 United States of America
Cheryl Ganz of the United States of America is best known for her lifelong philatelic outreach at local, national, and international levels, engaging a vast spectrum of collectors from specialists to new audiences. Her collections, exhibits, research, and writing, and speaking focus primarily on her specialty of zeppelin posts.

Philatelic recognitions include the Smithsonian Philatelic Achievement Award, Luff Award for Exceptional Contributions to Philately, Alfred F. Lichtenstein Memorial Award for Distinguished Service to Philately, American Air Mail Society Research Award, and Single Frame Champion of Champions. She has written and edited books, articles, and online content, putting philately in a wider context to reach larger audiences without sacrificing philatelic scholarship. Her service to organized philately is multi-faceted in a variety of positions of influence and accomplishment.

Altogether hers is a very fine achievement, and she rightly deserves to be a signatory of the Roll.

Geoffrey Lewis b. 1948 Australia
Geoffrey is an Australian resident of Randwick, a suburb of eastern Sydney, New South Wales, Australia where he has lived for the whole of his life. His collections have included the postal history of Spanish Philippines, that of Cuba, of New Orleans and Stampless Mail entering Spain. He has won FIP Large Gold medals in Postal History with exhibits on the subject matter of each of the three continental areas: Asia, Europe and the Americas.
In 2013 he attained a Large Gold Medal for his well-written study entitled The 1836 Anglo-French Postal Convention – a difficult subject to cover in a readable form.

He was President of the Philatelic Society of New South Wales between 1998 and 2013, was Chairman of the Jury at Sydney 2015, and President of the Organising Committee of the National Philatelic Exhibitions held in Sydney in 2007 and 2011.

He has been appointed a Member of the Australian Philatelic Order and has received the Australian Philatelic Research Award.

Steve Zwillinger resigned March 2nd as president of the American Philatelic Research Library, according to Linn’s Stamp News. The APRL’s board of trustees will hold a telephone conference meeting on March 12th to elect a new president. The bylaws require that a replacement be chosen from among the current board members.

“I resigned due to pressing family issues that require my attention,” Zwillinger told The Virtual Stamp Club in e-mail. “The Library needs a President who can devote the time and attention that the position requires.”

Zwillinger, who works for the U.S. Department of Education, was elected to the board of trustees last spring, and then chosen as president by a unanimous vote of the board in August, just seven months ago. He previously served as secretary and director-at-large on the American Philatelic Society board of directors.

Update:

In a March 12th phone conference, the APRL board chose Ken Grant, a trustee and former APRL president, to replace Zwillinger, as reported by Foster Miller below. This photo of Grant, a retired college English professor, was taken in 2005.

Updated March 27th:

The April 2018 issue of American Philatelist reports that Zwillinger has been suspended because he has been “charged with a crime, pending outcome of a criminal trial.”

Updated May 29th:

The five felony charges against Zwillinger from February — one count of sexual abuse of a minor; two counts of rape in the second degree; and two counts of sexual offense in the third degree — have been dropped, but two more felony charges were filed on April 20th: assault in the second degree, and sexual assault in the fourth degree.

A local attorney talks about “fourth degree sexual offense” here. (Keep in mind this is unlikely to be an attorney involved in this case and with direct knowledge of the Zwillinger case.)

Updated August 12th:

Following his guilty plea to a reduced charge, a source tells The Virtual Stamp Club that Zwillinger was expelled from the American Philatelic Society.

According to Foster E. Miller III in The Stamp Collecting Forum on July 20, “as the result of [a] plea bargain, on July 18, defendant Zwillinger pled guilty to one count of ‘a sexual offense in the third degree.’ Sentencing is scheduled for October 9.” Click here for an explanation of what that is, as defined on USLegal.com, which says that someone convicted of a sexual offense in the third degree faces up to 10 years in prison.

The APS Bylaws, Section 3.11.5, give the Board of Vice Presidents the discretion to put on probation, suspend or expel any member convicted of a felony. Zwillinger has the right to appeal to the Appeals Tribunal, which consists of all members of the Board other than the three vice presidents, plus the executive director.

Zwillinger, 63, is married with 7 or 8 children. He works or worked for the U.S. Department of Education in Washington, and lives in Silver Spring, Md.

Updated October 21st:
According to reports in The Stamp Collecting FOrum, Zwillinger was sentenced to an 18-month suspended sentence, except for two days. Since he has already served two days in jail at the time of his arrest, there is no additional jail time.

[ATA press release]
Jerome D. Husak, visionary founder of the American Topical Association (ATA), the second largest philatelic organization in the U.S., died on February 22. He was 86.

He is shown at right at the World Columbian Stamp Expo in 1992.

Jerry was a teenager in Milwaukee in 1949 when he envisioned a society for topical collectors. He later wrote, “There must be others like myself. Why don’t we get together and share our information through a united body of topical collectors?” Thus, the ATA was born. “Who knows,” Jerry thought, “perhaps as many as 200 topical collectors might come together.” Within five months of its founding, the ATA had 408 members. In its 68 years, it has had close to 60,000 members from more than 100 countries. It is the largest topical/thematic association in the world.

In his history of the ATA, Jerry wrote “The early days were not easy. Many people had to be convinced that topicals deserve a place in philately.” When the ATA affiliated with the American Philatelic Society in 1987, it became its largest affiliate. The Thematic Award at APS StampShow is named for Jerry.

Jerry was ATA member #1 and the first recipient of the ATA’s Distinguished Topical Philatelist award.

He worked full time for the ATA, as editor of its journal, Topical Time, until 1977, and as executive secretary until 1984. When Jerry retired from the association’s Board of Directors in 2008, he was awarded the honorary title of director emeritus. In 2012 the ATA Board designated May 25 as an “annual National Topical Stamp Collecting Day, promoting topical stamp collecting as a vital dimension of the future of philately and honoring topical philately visionary and ATA founder Jerry Husak on his birthday.”

Jerry died in Sun City West, Arizona, where he lived since moving there from Milwaukee in 1984. He is survived by his wife of 60 years, Sally, who was a tremendous support in his ATA endeavors.

Contributions in memory of Jerry Husak may be made to the ATA [link to donations page].

Story updated February 26th, 8:00 pm EST

American Philatelic Society executive director Scott English says the APS must change.

“The hobby’s not dying, organized philately is,” he said in his report to the APS General Membership Meeting at AmeriStamp Expo 2018 in Birmingham, Alabama, Saturday, February 24th.

He said the organization is faced with “a choice between dying with dignity or fighting like hell. You didn’t bring me here [to be executive director] for dying with dignity.”

English is calling for the APS to invest in a three-step process:

• Marketing, using social media and the Internet;
• Producing a newsletter distributed to people who are not members; and
• Changing the website to provide more content.

“We have to change the way we access the hobby,” English said. He wants the APS to “invest in platforms to bring shows and events to you.”

“I don’t want to keep doing what we’ve been doing,” he said.

Later, in response to a question from a member that not only asked how the APS was going to do this, but expressed hope that the effort would not involve Facebook, English pointed out that Facebook’s demographic is 35 to 50 years old. “That’s the demographic we need.”

He sees Facebook and social media not as a platform, but “as a way to drive traffic to us.”

And he closed by promising, “By the end of the year, you won’t recognize the APS.”

“I think right now we have a fairly one-dimensional representation of the hobby and of the APS,” English told The Virtual Stamp Club in an interview. “What we’re working on aggressively right now is building out a much more comprehensive view of the hobby and the services that the APS can provide.

“We’re going to integrate more with the technology. We’re going to have a bigger web presence, we’re going to have a bigger social media presence,” he said. “We’re going to increase the amount of content that’s coming through the APS website, because we want to be able to market to a bigger and broader audience than we’ve ever been able to.”

Yes, there are going to be online courses and videos of courses presented at shows, beginning with the “On The Road” courses being offered at PIPEX this year.

“We’re actually going to send someone with a camera and we’re going to record the session,” giving members an opportunity to see the programs on their own schedules.

Next will be the programs at Summer Seminar. “If it just doesn’t work out on your schedule, [you] shouldn’t have to miss out on the education opportunities.”

“We’ve got great equipment now [so] that we can do this, so it’s going to look professional,” he added. “They’re going to hear the instructor speaking, they’re going to see the graphics from the PowerPoint presentations on the wall, and they’ll be able to engage.

“As we continue to build out [our capacity and our ability to do it], I want to be able to do it live,” English added.

“I want to harness the power of just incredibly brilliant people who belong to the APS, and from the comfort of their own home, be able to get online and engage with collectors on a specific topic for, say, a one-hour session, at a time that works for everybody,” he added.

The 150 people who attended OTR courses last year was much higher than ever before and was even higher than the target number, but it’s only a fraction of the 30,000 members of the APS.

And only four people attended the OTR course at AmeriStamp Expo 2018 (“The Black Heritage Series, Preserving Our History”), but English says he has had many inquiries about that subject, with members asking if it will be offered again.

Why didn’t I just do it once and then I can just get them to the website as a member of the APS and say, ‘Here you go. Watch it and enjoy it. Watch again if you like it,'” he said.

American Philatelic Society program coordinator Janet Houser is retiring at the end of August, after more than 30 years with the organization. Executive director Scott English says Janet made him promise to find a new youth coordinator (Houser’s main assignment) and not to make her go to Columbus for StampShow this summer.

In addition to youth activities, Janet has also been running the On The Road and other adult education programs. English says she doubled the number of students in the OTR program last year, to 150.

Janet also handles the free album pages for children (and, undoubtedly, adults) and Scott said she will continue to do that as a volunteer – to which Janet feigned surprise.

Later, she confirmed to The Virtual Stamp Club that she will be working on the album pages after retirement.

In a telephone meeting June 11, 2018, the APS board approved unanimously a resolution honoring Houser.  Executive director Scott English noted that she began at the APS in 1990, and worked in the accounting department before moving to education. He said he was “extremely grateful” for her help as he became the organization’s CEO and made changes. “Janet has been extremely supportive of the education initiatives” and “an ambassador of good will,” he said. “I’ve been grateful for having her.”

English joked that he is trying to convince her to volunteer five days a week, but that is still under negotiation.

Some notes from the American Philatelic Society General Membership Meeting, held February 24, 2018, at AmeriStamp Expo in Birmingham, Alabama:

Several times this weekend, APS executive director Scott English thanked “the hard work of the U.S. Senate” in allowing Mick Zais to preside at this show.

It’s a joke: Mick has been nominated to be Deputy Secretary of Education, and White House ethics rules do not allow an appointee to maintain outside employment or serve as office of an organization. However, the Senate has not acted on Mick’s appointment, made last fall, which has allowed him to remain in office as APS president.

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Zais said the Board of Directors is now discussing what to do with the Society’s excess cash – a good problem to have. One option is to invest in modernizing how the APS tries too acquire members. The other is to pay down the debt on the American Philatelic Center. “Just having the question is good news,” Zais said.

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Treasurer Bruce Marsden (above left, with Mick Zais) reported that the APS received $801,000 in contributions in 2017, up 20% from the year before. APS investments were up more than half a million dollars, largely due to the strong stock market. The APS is $118,000 ahead of its budget plan, and the fund balances were up $1 million. The “building debt” is now $4.8 million, the first time in ages it has been below $5 million.

Marsden pointed out that mortgage payments are made from the rents of tenants in the “Match Factory” and donations, not members’ dues. The APS’ debt-equity ratio is now .36, down from .44.

Society attorney Kathleen Yurchak said the only recent legal issue – a disagreement with a donor about the use of his contribution for a rarities gallery – has been settled, with the donor’s money refunded. She did not name the donor, but he is Don David Price.

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Popular APS staffer Janet Houser is retiring after StampShow. More details here.

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The United Nations Philatelists International donated $2,000 to the APS.

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The APS lost 987 members last year.

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In his executive director’s report, English promised big changes in the APS in 2018. That story is here.

from the Allentown Philatelic Society:

You and your club members are cordially invited to attend our Spring Social that will feature Scott English, the APS CEO, as our guest speaker. You may bring a guest as well.

Here are the details:

Time and location: Saturday, April 21, 6-9 pm (cocktails at 6, dinner at 7), Northampton Country Club, 5049 William Penn Highway, Easton, PA 18045.

Cost: $33 per person. Cocktails are on a cash basis (credit cards accepted).

Menu: buffet features rolls and butter, club salad, Chicken Francaise, Portabella Beef Tenderloin, Roasted Red Skin Potatoes, Green Bean Almandine, Mousse, iced tea, lemonade, coffee and hot tea. It’s a buffet so you can eat all you want!

Dress: it’s a country club, so no jeans (including “designer” jeans), no shorts, no t-shirts or cutoffs – coat and/or tie is not – I repeat not – required – collared shirts and slacks are the norm for men, women dress accordingly.

Payment: Please make your checks payable to me, William Harris, and mail them to me at 3238 Altonah Road, Bethlehem, PA 18017. I will confirm receipt of your check via email.

Last Day to Sign Up: I must receive payment by April 7. If you are planning to go, please keep this in mind.

If you have any questions, please email me or call me on my cell, 610-217-3511.

Bill Harris
President, Allentown Philatelic Society

[press release]
National Postal Museum Opens Exhibition Celebrating Women’s Duty and Service in World War I
Offers Glimpse Into Lives of Four Women Who Served

“In Her Words: Women’s Duty and Service in World War I” opened Feb. 2 at the Smithsonian’s National Postal Museum. The exhibition, open through May 8, offers a glimpse into the lives of four women serving in and alongside the American military during World War I. Through letters, uniforms, ID badges, notebooks and other authentic objects, the exhibition reveals the wartime experiences, personalities and aspirations of two U.S. Army Nurses, a U.S. Navy Yeoman and a YMCA worker.

Visitors will learn about and see evidence of the work these women performed and the circumstances in which they served. Despite limited opportunities and unequal treatment compared to men, women served in record numbers during WWI and for the first time were able to formally enlist in the Navy and Marine Corps. After the war, women continued to press for expanded employment opportunities and political rights, setting the stage for cultural changes to come.

With an emphasis on women’s WWI experiences, the exhibition complements another WWI-themed exhibition, “My Fellow Soldiers,” on display in an adjacent gallery. Taken together, the two exhibitions and related programming provide a rich and textured view of WWI through personal experiences and letters.

“This exhibition raises awareness of the extraordinary work of women during World War I,” said Elliot Gruber, director of the museum (left). “The letters on display offer a unique window into the experiences of four individuals and the motivations to serve their country.”
This exhibition was developed jointly by the National Postal Museum and the Women In Military Service For America Memorial Foundation.

“We are thrilled to collaborate with the Smithsonian’s National Postal Museum and share these treasured, rare letters from our collection to enlighten the public about the contributions of American women serving in World War I,” said retired U.S. Army Maj. Gen. Dee Ann McWilliams, president of the Women In Military Service For America Memorial Foundation. “This exhibition, through the individual stories of the four women highlighted, collectively honors a groundbreaking generation of women and speaks to their patriotism, professionalism and devotion to duty.”

From the outset of WWI in 1914, American women went abroad to volunteer with uniformed civilian organizations, like the Red Cross, providing war-relief services. After the U.S. declared war on Germany April 6, 1917, the Army and Navy assigned nurses to overseas duty in record numbers.

Despite these developments and the increasing visibility of women’s contributions, the military establishment did not treat women as it did men, offering them limited opportunities and unequal benefits. The work they performed and how they were treated during and after the war raised significant questions and helped set new precedents for women’s employment opportunities and political rights.

The museum will host a lunchtime lecture with Britta K. Granrud, curator of collections of the Women In Military Service For America Memorial Foundation Inc., March 21, from 12 to 12:45 p.m. She will speak about the history of the service of women in WWI and provide background on the Women In Military Service For America Memorial.

The exhibition will also be highlighted during the museum’s Women’s History Month Family Festival March 10 and 11. Visitors that weekend will have the opportunity to meet curators of the exhibition and participate in related educational programs.

A special website has been created to augment the exhibition, providing additional access to the rich content presented.

About the Smithsonian’s National Postal Museum
The National Postal Museum is devoted to presenting the colorful and engaging history of the nation’s mail service and showcasing one of the largest and most comprehensive collections of stamps and philatelic material in the world. It is located at 2 Massachusetts Avenue N.E., Washington, D.C., across from Union Station. The museum is open daily from 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. (closed Dec. 25). For more information about the Smithsonian, call (202) 633-1000 or visit the museum website.