Philately’s Ear in Washington Dies
Washington Post and Linn’s Reporter Bill McAllister Was 81
by Lloyd A. de Vries
Bill McAllister, a Washington Post national reporter and correspondent for Linn’s Stamp News, died May 1, in Fairfax County, Va., from pneumonia and complications from COVID-19.
He joined the Post in 1975 covering Virginia before moving to the paper’s national staff. He soon carved out a niche covering the U.S. Postal Service, Veteran’s Affairs and labor issues, and had a column about stamps and coins in the “Weekend” section. He became the Washington correspondent for Linn’s in 1996, often breaking stories of interest and importance to stamp collectors. He retired from the Post in 1999. He never retired from Linn’s, submitting his last story in late January, the “Washington Postal Scene” column which ran in the February 13 issue.
William H. “Buddy” McAllister’s death was first announced in a posting on his Facebook page by his four sons. He was born November 6, 1941, in Durham, N.C., and raised in Pittsboro, N.C. According to the post by his sons, “It was in Pittsboro where he discovered his lifelong fascination with the Postal Service, often visiting the local Post Office to observe the sorting of the daily mail.” He received bachelor’s and master’s degrees from the University of North Carolina.
He also served in the US Naval Reserves as a Public Affairs Officer for 26 years, rising to the rank of captain.
“He was a mentor to young writers in the craft of reporting and writing,” his sons wrote, to which I can attest. Bill would often email me to pay special attention to a story of his in Linn’s or the Post, so that I could cite it on The Virtual Stamp Club. Examples are here and here; you can find others by searching on the VSC website or Facebook group for “McAllister.”
He was introduced to both stamp collecting and journalism by his aunt Margaret, who gave him a Mekeel’s beginner album and (separately) a toy printing press, on which he published a neighborhood newspaper at a penny a copy.
According to Linn’s, he began specializing in first-day ceremony programs after covering the 1987 event for the Girl Scouts stamp. He was a member of the American Philatelic Society and a former member of the American First Day Cover Society.
He is survived by Polly, his wife of 57 years, four sons — William H. IV, Christopher, Jonathan and Benjamin — and 7 grandchildren.
