[press release] [click on any of the pictures for larger versions]
Former ATA President Jack Denys Dies

Jack André Denys, president of the American Topical Association (ATA) 2008-2016, and accomplished thematic exhibitor, died on June 26, 2022. He was 79.

Jack joined the ATA in 1976. During his tenure as president, Jack oversaw the hiring of key staff and led the association in advancing technology and member services. For the ATA journal, Topical Time, he wrote a regular column and many other articles. He was a charter member of the 1949 Society, ATA members who have included the association in their wills. In 2014 Jack received the ATA’s Distinguished Topical Philatelist award, its highest honor. The letter nominating Jack called him “the most influential and positive voice for topical philately in the world today.”

A member of the American Association of Philatelic Exhibitors (AAPE), Jack wrote for its journal The Philatelic Exhibitor, receiving the Randy L. Neil Award for the best article in 2011. In 2018 he co-edited the ATA handbook What’s First? and contributed to the ATA’s handbook Topical Adventures.

The Bayeux Tapestry, his primary philatelic topic, depicts William the Conqueror’s invasion of England and victory at the Battle of Hastings in 1066. His exhibit earned 10 consecutive gold awards, which qualified him for the AAPE Diamond Award. The exhibit won the Reserve Grand (2007) and the Grand (2008) at the National Topical Stamp Show.

Co-founder of the Albrecht Dürer Study Unit of the ATA, Jack served as president and editor of its Dürer Journal for 20 years. He recently re-activated that organization, again serving as president and editor. He also belonged to the American Philatelic Society (APS) and the Westfield (NJ) Stamp Club.

A retired Lutheran minister, Jack lived in Somerville, NJ, with his wife, Mary Anne.