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.

[press release]
Topical Tidbits Tops 300 Pages

The latest issue of the American Topical Association’s website feature, Topical Tidbits, brings its total pages to more than 300—all available free online. The colorful pages of the new issue of Topical Tidbits take philatelists of all ages south of the border to Mexico, with facts, games, puzzles and lots of stamp images about our southern neighbor.

Aimée Devine, assistant coordinator of ATA youth services, has been creating the features since 2012 through her Perforated Press design service. Each issue includes a downloadable album page for the topic. Past topics, which are all still available on the ATA website at www.americantopicalassn.org, include: Canada, Magic of Disney, Laura Ingalls Wilder, Gingerbread, The Statue of Liberty, and many more.

Topical Tidbits are designed as an adjunct to the “Stamps Teach” program developed by APS. The pages are used extensively as teaching modules in classrooms, for stamp club activities, and as at-home fun for all ages. They have helped get young people interesting in topical collecting.

The Mexico issue includes a map of Mexican states, with stamps for each. There are sections on Day of the Dead and papel picado (pierced paper), which were shown on the 2016 Colorful Celebrations U.S. issue. Readers can try their hand at designing a traditional Mexican dress, and match the Mexican products stamps series to their description in Spanish.

All issues of Topical Tidbits can be viewed and printed at www.americantopicalassn.org/tidbits.shtml For more information, contact ATA at PO Box 8, Carterville, IL 62918-0008, americantopical@msn.com

Solar storms that cause bright auroras can also affect people and technology in space and on Earth. The development of the scientific understanding of that Sun-Earth relationship is examined in Space Weather—A Philatelic Journey, a new philatelic handbook published in DVD format by the American Topical Association.

Written by meteorologists Garry Toth and Don Hillger, it contains descriptive text, stamp and cover images, and an extensive and up-to-date checklist. More than 200 pages of detailed information are in .pdf format. The checklist appendices in Excel format are also included.

The handbook will be of interest to collectors of numerous space and weather-related topics.

Garry Toth, MSc, was an operational meteorologist with the Meteorological Service of Canada. His topical interests are weather, climate, space weather and planetary weather.

Don Hillger, PhD, is a satellite meteorologist with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and holds a cooperative position at Colorado State University. His topical interests include unmanned scientific satellites, weather and climate.

The DVD is $35, or $30 for ATA members, plus $1.50 postage in the U.S. and Canada, or $3 elsewhere. Order from American Topical Association, PO Box 8, Carterville, IL 62918-0008, americantopical@msn.com. Preorders will be taken for a printed book version until Mar. 31, 2018.

Tara Murray, the chief librarian at the American Philatelic Research Library for the past seven years, is leaving for another position outside philately, but it appears the nation’s largest philatelic library will be in good hands.

Murray announced on October 24 that she had “accepted a position at Penn State as Germanic and Slavic Languages and Linguistics Librarian.” The APRL is located, with the American Philatelic Society, in Bellefonte, Pa.; Pennsylvania State University’s main campus is in nearby State College, Pa.

Murray employment before the APRL was also at Penn State, at its Population Research Institute.

“One of the best parts of the [APRL] job has been all the people in the hobby I’ve met and worked with,” she wrote on Facebook.

APS executive director Scott English praised Murray on Facebook.

“Tara has been one of the finest people I’ve worked over the years,” he posted. “I think her most amazing accomplishment will be overseeing the construction of our new library and still delivering great member service in the middle of the chaos.”

She will be succeeded by Scott Tiffney, currently a volunteer research assistant at the APRL. He began there part-time in 2011, and then became full-time there. He has a Master of Library and Information Science degree. Before coming to the APRL, he worked for the National Park Service.

“I know I’m leaving the library in good hands,” Murray said of Tiffney.

[press release]
National Postal Museum to Open Art Exhibition Celebrating Beautiful Blooms on Stamps
Original Stamp Artwork from the Postmaster General’s Collection

“Beautiful Blooms: Flowering Plants on Stamps,” opening Oct. 20 at the Smithsonian’s National Postal Museum, celebrates the variety of flowering plants commemorated on U.S. postage stamps during the past 50 years. The exhibition, on view through July 14, 2019, explores the symbiotic relationship between flowering plants, bees, birds and butterflies.

The exhibition showcases 33 botanical artworks from the renowned Postmaster General’s Collection, on long-term loan to the National Postal Museum from the U.S. Postal Service. Created in partnership with Smithsonian Gardens, “Beautiful Blooms” invites visitors to observe and appreciate not only the compelling artwork, but also the creative process behind stamp design. By juxtaposing concept art and final art, and by linking larger-scale art with images on actual stamps, visitors will be able to see beyond the stamps to their meaning and messaging.

Featured botanical artwork, which includes 29 framed pieces and four pieces of digital art displayed interactively, are organized into seven themes: Flowering Trees; The Rose: Queen of Flowers; Birds in the Garden; Pollination; Botanical Congress; The Seasonal Garden and Beautification of America.

[Shown on the left: concept art for the 1998 Giving & Sharing stamp. “Mary GrandPre, the artist of this concept design, later became the award winning illustrator of the Harry Potter book series. Although the pollination symbolism of this design was reflected in the final design of the stamp, This art work was not accepted as the approved stamp design.”]

A garden-themed atrium display complements the exhibition gallery with garden furniture and live plants from Smithsonian Gardens as well as a large-scale mural triptych featuring lush garden imagery from the Smithsonian Institution’s collection of hand-painted glass lantern slides. The overall experience will transport visitors into a relaxed but vibrant garden setting.

“Our goal is for visitors to enjoy, appreciate and witness the beauty associated with this incredible collection of artwork,” said Elliot Gruber, director of the museum. “Every stamp tells a story, and this exhibition tells the story of the design process and creativity resulting from the beauty of flowering plants on stamps.”

The exhibition explores the diversity of artwork used in the U.S. stamp production process, including both developmental and final art designed by illustrators using a variety of media, such as oils, pastels and digital design software. The display of stamp art in various phases of development will enable visitors of all ages to understand the role developmental artwork plays in the production of postage stamps.

“Botanical stamp art, particularly flowering plant stamp art, represents some of the most attractive artwork in the Postmaster General’s Collection,” said Calvin Mitchell, exhibition curator. “This exhibition, displayed in a garden setting, offers the general public a rare view of the stunning art work that results in the beautiful stamps appreciated by people around the world.”

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 at www.postalmuseum.si.edu.

Latest updates at the bottom!

Mitchell “Mick” Zais is warning that he may have to resign as president of the American Philatelic Society: He has been nominated by President Trump to be Deputy Secretary of Education.

“If confirmed, I will have to resign from all boards and organizations with which I have a leadership position,” he said in an e-mail that included the White House press release announcing his nomination.

That press release, by the way, did not mention the APS.

Confirmation for such sub-cabinet positions usually happens.

According to the APS Bylaws, in the event of the resignation of the President, the Board of Directors will choose a replacement from among the current members of the Board.The Board must call a meeting within 10 days of the vacancy to fill the position.

Zais served as the elected State Superintendent of Education in South Carolina. “During his term in office, the department’s budget was reduced while on-time high school graduation rates increased every year to an all-time high,” the White House said. The West Point graduate also served 10 years as president of Newbury College in South Carolina.

The retired general was elected to the APS presidency for a three-year term in the spring of 2016, and took office in August 2016.

We will update this story as we learn of new developments.

The Virtual Stamp Club interviewed Zais about his first six months as president last January. The VSC radio feature is here (script and audio file).

Update: Zais’ nomination was approved December 13th by the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee and sent to the full Senate for action. No date for that vote has been set.

The Washington Post reports Zais had some trouble during the HELP Committee hearing on his nomination, which was attended only by the Republican chairman and Democratic members.

Update: Zais’ nomination was returned to President Trump January 3, 2018, without action, along with other nominations that were not acted upon, because the Senate recessed for more than 30 days over the Christmas and New Year’s holidays. It is expected that his nomination will be resubmitted for consideration.

Update April 27th: Zais’ nomination has been put on the Senate agenda, with up to 10 hours debate allocated. It should come up for consideration within the next two weeks.