No red carpets or glittering stars, but at Great American Stamp Show, the major stamp societies honored members who helped both the organizations and the hobby.

The American Philatelic Society honored Darryl Ertzberger, Ron Lesher and Alberto Frohlich with the Luff Award, possibly the highest in philately. In a first, all three of the people named to the APS Hall of Fame were women, and a number of other individuals were also recognized for their service.

The American First Day Cover Society gave its Distinguished Service Award to a key figure in its first years, recognized other volunteers, and gave its writing award to a first-time winner. And The American Topical Association recognized a past president whose accomplishments included putting the ATA on a sound financial footing as its Distinguished Topical Philatelist.

2020 was a challenging year, for first day cover collectors as well as the rest of us, but the year’s award-winning FDC cachets brought beauty and brightness in our lives. History was also made during the American First Day Cover Society’s annual contest. The story is here.