BOSTON – The U.S. Postal Service honored our 12 Presidential Libraries with a commemorative postage stamp to coincide with the 50th anniversary of the Presidential Libraries Act of 1955. The dedication ceremonies took place today at the John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum in Boston and at all of the nation’s Presidential Libraries and Museums under the direction of the National Archives.
The Presidential Libraries stamp is available only in cities housing Presidential Libraries and Museums on Thursday, August 4th. The stamps will be available nationwide at Post Offices and Philatelic Centers on Friday, August 5.
The new stamp was dedicated by John F. Walsh, member of the U.S. Postal Service Board of Governors. Joining in the unveiling of the stamp were Tom Putnam, deputy director of the John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum and Marsha Cannon, postmaster of Boston.
Of the dedication Senator Edward M. Kennedy said, "All of us in the Kennedy family are proud of my brother's library and grateful to all the members of its dedicated professional staff who have done an outstanding job over the years to make it such a vivid reminder of Jack's years in the White House and the history of the New Frontier. The twelve presidential libraries are a major contribution to the nation, and I hope the stamp issued today will encourage many more people to visit these extraordinary national treasures and learn more about our history."
This stamp honors Presidential Libraries as unique centers for the study of the American Presidency and Democracy. Presidential Libraries offer the chance to see, hear, and participate in the events that changed our lives and made us who we are as a nation. As repositories for the papers, records, and historical materials of the Presidents, Presidential Libraries work to ensure that these irreplaceable items are preserved and made available for the widest possible use by researchers. Presidential Libraries also provide exciting museum programs and exhibits and a myriad of educational and public programs. You can learn more about the Presidential Libraries on-line at www.archives.gov/presidential_libraries.
In a message read at the Kennedy Presidential Library ceremony President Bush commended the issuance of the new stamp. "By remembering our past, we honor our ancestors and help advance the principles that make our country strong. Our Presidential Libraries house important cultural materials and historical documents that reflect America’s rich heritage, and are important resources for preserving the records of the leaders who have helped shape our country. These institutions give people of all ages the opportunity to explore the lives and legacies of our National Presidents" said Bush.
The John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum was dedicated on October 20, 1979 by President Jimmy Carter. Situated on a 9.5-acre park overlooking Boston Harbor, the institution is administered by the National Archives and Records Administration. It hosts annually approximately 200,000 visitors, 1600 research visits and 40,000 participants in community events and educational programs. The Kennedy Library’s purpose is to advance the study and understanding of President Kennedy’s life and career and the time in which he lived; and to promote a greater appreciation of America’s political and cultural heritage, the process of governing and the importance of public service.
"This new stamp is a wonderful recognition of the value of presidential libraries to communities, scholars, students, and people around the world," said Deborah Leff, director of the John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum. "Presidential Libraries offer a rich look at the presidency through original documents, extraordinary artifacts, and educational programs, and we hope this stamp will encourage people to come visit and witness American history first hand."
Other First Day of Issue ceremony sites are at the George Bush Presidential Library and Museum, College Station, TX; Jimmy Carter Library and Museum, Atlanta, GA; William J. Clinton Presidential Center, Little Rock, AR; Dwight D. Eisenhower Presidential Library and Museum, Abilene, KS; Gerald R. Ford Library, Ann Arbor, MI; Gerald R. Ford Museum, Grand Rapids, MI; Herbert Hoover Presidential Library and Museum, West Brach, IA; Lyndon Baines Johnson Library and Museum, Austin, TX; Ronald Reagan Presidential Library and Museum, Simi Valley, CA; Franklin D. Roosevelt Presidential Library and Museum, Independence, MO; Richard Nixon Library and Birthplace, Yorba Linda, CA. The American Philatelic Society Stamp Show in Grand Rapids also hosted a First-Day-of-issuance ceremony at STAMPSHOW2005, www.stamps.org.
The stamp, designed by Howard E. Paine, bears an image of the Presidential seal reproduced in blue against a crème colored background. The type, produced in hand calligraphy by Julian Waters, reads: "Presidential Libraries Fifty Years 37 USA."
From California to Massachusetts, Texas to Michigan, Presidential Libraries span the lower 48 states and offer great destinations for family vacations. In addition to finding out about the responsibilities of the nation’s chief executive office, children and adults can identify with our nation’s presidents as they learn about their childhoods and their lives before the White House years. Rich photographic archives show the Presidents with family members in the context of their times, helping visitors to understand the era in which each President lived.
Each library is a working archive of presidential papers, enhanced by a museum, which offers public programs on topics ranging from Caroline Kennedy’s doll collection to World War II.
Articulating the need for a safe, accessible archive for the materials of each administration, President Franklin D. Roosevelt said that a repository was needed to "bring together the records of the past and to house them in buildings where they will be preserved for the use of men and women in the future…" In 1939, Roosevelt pledged part of his Hyde Park, NY, estate for the construction of a library and museum for his own Presidential papers. Roosevelt observed that the lessons of the past would allow the citizenry to, "…gain in judgment in creating [the] future."
Since then, Presidential libraries have been established in the home state of each President. Funds to build the libraries come from private sources, while the National Archives and Records Administration—as part of the federal government—provides for their maintenance and operation.
Inspired by Roosevelt’s example, the Presidential Libraries Act of 1955 enabled Presidents to donate their materials to the federal government for preservation and public access. Presidents, however, were still considered the sole owners of the materials generated during their Presidencies and were not required to turn over their records.
The Presidential Records Act of 1978 went further and defined as the property of the United States Government all statutory, constitutional, and ceremonial papers generated during a President’s completed term in office and placed the records under the custody of the Archivist of the United States. The 1978 act further established that the Presidential Library System should continue as the repository for subsequent Presidential records.
There are four philatelic products available for this stamp issue:
First Day Cover (Random Single) $0.75 (Item 458261)
First Day Cover (Set of 13 Covers) $9.75, (Item 458263)
Uncut Press Sheet $66.60, (Item 458284)
Cancellation Keepsake (Full Pane with First-Day Random Single) $8.15, (Item 458293)
These products will be available while supplies last at postal stores, online at www.usps.com, and by telephone at 800 STAMP-24. To see the Presidential Libraries stamp and other images from the 2005 Commemorative Stamp Program, visit the Postal Store at www.usps.com/shop and click on "Release Schedule" in the Collector’s Corner.
A wide selection of stamps and other philatelic items is also available at the Postal Store at www.usps.com/shop. Beautifully framed prints of original stamp art for delivery straight to the home or office are available at www.postalartgallery.com.