Four new Regional Vice President’s have stepped up to fill positions across the U.S.

Region 1 – Southern California: Angelo Ismirnioglou

Angelo Ismirnioglou got his first stamp album at a Long Beach stamp and coin shop when he was just five. Living in California, he loves studying Western Express Postal History, which has led to his dedicated research in carriers, locals, and independent mails. He is retired from the United States Navy, where he flew the P-3 Orion. He then went on to fly the L-1011 Tristar commercially, carrying U.S. mail on postal contracts and routes with FedEx, UPS, and other private carriers through their systems worldwide. He brings to philately the same complex research and data analysis skills that he honed during his aviation career.

Angelo has partnered with his daughter, Alexa Valdez, to found Americana Stamps, a philatelic auction house focusing on next-generation advanced research and imagery. They are developing the Philatelic Heritage and Legacy Project. Alexa is a space systems engineer and a graduate faculty member at Johns Hopkins. She brings her passion for United States postal history and the latest technology to the field. Angelo is the Auction Manager of the Carriers and Locals Society annual auction and a member of the US Philatelic Classics Society, Western Cover Society, Collectors Club of New York, and APS.

Region 10 – (Delaware & Pennsylvania): Daniel Telep

Daniel Telep started collecting stamps to mount in his Scott’s Beginner Album when he was 9 years old in Detroit. Today, his philatelic interests have matured to the study of Postal History. As a collector, exhibitor, and author, Danny has specialized in Confederates, Pittsburgh, Sewickley (where he now lives), North Vietnam Military war mail, and, currently, “The Re-Federalization of Southern Post Offices after the Civil War”.

Daniel has competed in the Champion of Champions competition and published over 50 philatelic articles across the Collectors’ Club Philatelist, the Civil War Philatelist, the Pennsylvania Postal Historian, Journal of the Military Postal History Society, and the American Philatelist. He has served as President of the Pennsylvania Postal History Society and Treasurer of the Civil War Philatelic Society. He is presently a trustee of the Civil War Philatelic Society.

Region 12 – (Alabama, Georgia, Mississippi, Tennessee, North Carolina, and South Carolina): Jerry Palazolo

Jerry Palazolo is a lifelong philatelist and postal historian whose current interests include Tennessee, Mississippi, Louisiana, and Arkansas with a special emphasis on the Civil War period. He is an award-winning author, researcher, and exhibitor. Jerry is a Life Member of the APS, a Life Member of the Civil War Philatelic Society, as well as a member of the American Stamp Dealers Association, the Collectors Club of New York and the U. S. Philatelics Classics Society.

Jerry is the section editor for The Chronicle’s The Cover Corner. He is a former editor of The Tennessee Posts, former associate editor of the Confederate Philatelist, and a regular contributor to various postal history journals.

Region 13 – (Florida): Tom Lera

Thomas Lera was the Winton M. Blount Research Chair at the Smithsonian National Postal Museum (NPM). He has published over 150 articles, edited Proceedings of Symposiums, and written several books and monographs. His articles have been featured in philatelic journals like The London Philatelist, The Collectors Club Philatelist, The American Philatelist, The Congress Book, Kelleher’s Stamp Collector’s Quarterly, the American Stamp Dealer and Collector, and the Florida Postal History Journal.

Thomas is a past president of NAPEX, a member of the organizing committee for Washington 2006, a National WSP judge, and a Director of the Florida Postal History Society. In 1998, he received a Multi-frame Grand Award for his “Bats Masters of the Night” exhibit. In 2009, he received a Single-frame Grand at FLOREX for his “Nitre and Mining Bureau of the Confederacy” exhibit.

Thomas received the 2019 Luff Award for Distinguished Philatelic Research; is a Fellow of the Royal Philatelic Society London; received the Secretary of the Smithsonian Research Prize in 2014; was inducted in the APS’ Write Unit Hall of Fame in 2015; received the Distinguished Philatelic Texan Award in 2015; and the Florida Postal History Award in 2019.

Please welcome Angelo, Daniel, Jerry, and Tom in their new roles.

Regional Vice Presidents support Society outreach and act as a “local” point of a contact within their respective region. The by-laws describe RVP responsibilities and duties as:

1. Coordinate Society activities by providing “point-of-contact” support to members.
2. Assist the Membership Chairman with recruiting activities in their region.
3. Act as Society representative at philatelic shows in their region, arranging for periodic gatherings of society members and seminars on classic U.S. philatelic subjects.
4. Act as local representative to support arrangements for the Society Annual Meeting when held in their region.

To find “your” RVP, please see the society map. Each RVP can be contacted via their e-mail address which is available by clicking their underlined name.

OKPEX was held June 28-29, 2024 at the Student Union of Rose State College in Midwest City, Oklahoma. This was a new location for the show.

Les Lanpher won the Multi-frame Grand along with Multi-frame Large Gold, the USPCS Medal, the USSS Freedom Medal and the APS Pre-1900 Award of Excellence for his exhibit “U. S. Departmentals 1873-1884”.

Tony Dewey won the Multi-frame Reserve Grand along with Multi-frame Large Gold and the APS Research Award for “The U.S. Alphabet-Denominated Rate-Change Series: 1978-1998”.

Tony also won the Single-frame Grand, Single-frame Large Gold and the USPSS Single-Frame Award for “The Postal Stationery of the United Nations Temporary Executive Authority (UNTEA) for Netherlands New Guinea”.

Multi-frame Large Gold was won by

• William Johnson for “James William Denver – The Man & His Times ” (also the ATA First Award)
• Mike Farrell for “So Much to DUE, The Large Numeral Postage Due Stamp” (also the AAPE Treatment Award).
 

James Cate won Multi-frame Large Vermeil for “Hansom Cab 110.9 Cent Bulk Rate Coil Samp First Day” (also the AAPE Award of Honor Pin)

 

Mike Farrell won Single-frame Gold for “Pioneer Airmail of Indiana”.

 

Pat Walters won Single-frame Large Gold for “New Jersey Pioneer Air Mail.” Pat also won Single-frame Vermeil for “Air Post Milestones”.

The Minnesota Stamp Expo was held July 19th through the 21st in Crystal, Minnesota. The show venue was the Crystal Community Center, which is located about a 30 minute drive from the Minneapolis – St. Paul airport.

Timothy Wait won the Single-frame Grand for “2¢ Blue Liberty Tax Stamp 1875-1883” (also Single-frame Large Gold).

Multi-frame Large Gold was won by

• Rob Faux for “Postal History of the 1861 United States 24-cent Adhesive” (also the American Philatelic and Postal History Congress – Postal History Medal).
• Robert Hohertz for “Revenue Imprinted Paper of the Spanish American War Tax Era” (also the Collectors Club of Chicago – Gold Medallion).
• Timothy Wait for “U.S. Civil War Documentary Stamp Taxes 1862-1872” (also the American Association of Philatelic Exhibitors – Creativity in Philatelic Exhibiting).

The USPCS Society Medal was awarded to Scott Zimmer for “Design & Archival Material for the 1¢ Franklins of 1861-1867“.

The popularity of NAPEX 2024 was reflected in the large number of exhibits. 21 different Society member exhibits won awards at the show with members winning the top three awards.

Pat Stilwell-Walker took the Multi-frame Grand Award for “Baltimore Postal History: from Colonial Times Until June 30, 1851”. She also won Multi-frame Large Gold; the Collector’s Club of NY Multi-frame US Classic Pre-2nd Series award; and the USPCS Medal.

Mark Schwartz’s “The New York Postmaster Provisional” took the Multi-frame Reserve Grand along with a Multi-frame Large Gold.
Peter Schwartz – no relationship to Mark! – won the Single-frame Grand Award and a Single-frame Large Gold for “The Earliest Black Portrayals on US Stamps 1864–1872”.

Multi-frame Large Golds were won by

• Roger Brody for “America’s Embossed Revenue Stamps” (also the APS Research Medal).
• Marvin and Judith Platt for “The Columbian Envelopes of 1893” (also USSS Statue of Freedom Award).
• William Fort for “Pan American Airlines’ FAM-5 Air Mail Routes 1929 – 1945” (also the Collector’s Club of NY Multi-frame US Classic Post 2nd Series).

Multi-frame Golds were won by

• Randy Smith for “Coping with Adversity: How Southerners Adapted to Wartime Paper and Stamp Shortages” (also the AAPE Creativity Award; and the NSDA Award for the Most Popular Exhibit)
• John Hotchner for “United States Postal Counterfeits – The Classic Period to Modern Times, 1895-2004” (also the APS Medal of Excellence 1940-1980 Material; and the NAPEX Harris Leonard Award). There was no faking this exhibit!
• Alfredo Frohlich for “1914-1919 – German Soldiers Captured in China; Japan Internment: Their Mail Use”.

Multi-frame Large Vermeils were won by

• James Anderson for “Switzerland World War I Soldier Stamps”.
• Donald Getzin for “Varieties of the U.S. 3-cent Washington Stamp, Issue of 1851-57”.
• Robert Toal for “Mail Souvenir Cards by Wirths 1897-1904”.

Terry Hursh won Multi-frame Vermeil for “Art Deco Influence on European Philately” (also the ATA First Award; and the NAPEX Stephen Luster Award).

Single-frame Large Gold was won by

• Mark Schwartz for “The Use of Boston’s PAID in Grid Cancels. 1851-1859”.
• Larry Lyons for “Valentines Delivered by US Local Post”.

Mark Banchik won Single-frame Gold for “Mexico: ’75 $4.30 Strawberry ‘Exporta’ Stamp”.