The Philatelic Foundation has announced that John Hotchner will receive the Neinken Medal for Distinguished Service to Philately. The award will be presented in a ceremony at the Collectors Club in New York Saturday 26 October 2024.

The press release for the award gives the following summary of John’s philatelic efforts.

“A collector since the age of five, John has been a devoted leader, writer and active participant in the advancement of organized philately at the international, national and local levels. Mr. Hotchner served on the Board of the American Philatelic Society for sixteen years including a term as its President, as a member of the National Postal Museum’s Council of Philatelists for twenty years, as well as a dozen years as a member of the Postmaster General’s Citizen’s Stamp Advisory Committee. A co-founder of the American Association of Philatelic Exhibitors, he served as a Board member for 32 years including two terms as its President. Accredited as a national chief judge and international judge in both stamps and literature, Mr. Hotchner has served for many years on the APS’ Committee on Judging Accreditation including a term as its Chairman. In 2017, he was invited to sign the Roll of Distinguished Philatelists. On the local level, he has served as president of the Virginia Philatelic Federation. He was a founder of national specialty societies for Auxiliary Markings, AMG Philately, Errors, Freaks and Oddities (EFO) collecting and for Mourning Stamps and Covers.

A prolific writer, Mr. Hotchner currently serves as a contributing editor of Linn’s Stamp News, responsible for its popular “U.S. Stamp Notes,” a weekly column, and as a monthly columnist for The American Stamp Collector & Dealer, as well as a quarterly columnist for a number of philatelic publications. As an exhibitor, his exhibits have garnered both national grand and reserve grand awards. He has served as an expertizer of 20th century United States stamps as well as a consultant to the Philatelic Foundation.”
Source: Robert G. Rose

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“.