Breaking News, Feature Articles, etc.

turtles News Flash Polish train


Two Members Assume Society Posts
02/17/01

We have a new VP for Caritable Services, Mike Crump, and a new Circuit editor, Jennifer Arnold. Read about them below!

Breaking News- New ISWSC "Circuit" Editor Named

Current "Circuit" editor Marian MacLeod is entering the care-free life of retirement with her husband and ISWSC member Jon. After a short search, President Tony Zollo with the ISWSC Board's approval selected Jennifer Arnold as our new editor. She brings a wealth of expertise in editing and producing stamp publications to the ISWSC, as her message below can attest! Welcome!

My name is Jennifer Arnold and I am thrilled to be working with you as editor for The Circuit. I was first introduced to the wonderful world of stamp collecting when I started working for Van Dahl Publications over a decade ago, which at the time published both the Stamp Collector and Stamp Wholesaler newspapers. I was instantly intrigued with the broad range of collecting interests the hobby has to offer philatelists of all ages.

Inspired to help younger collectors learn more about stamp collecting, I started publishing The Stamp Zone on my own in October 1994. Although I received a lot of positive feedback from the children, teachers and club leaders that received it, I was unable to get the financial backing I needed. The publication ended with the June 1996 issue. During that time I was offered the position of editor for the Junior Philatelists of America, which I gladly accepted starting with the Jan/Feb 1995 issue. As of last spring, I am also serving as their executive secretary.

When Van Dahl was sold to Krause Publications in December 1995, I was pregnant with my second child and decided to work at home. I now have three beautiful children (ages 2, 4 and 7) which keep me very busy when I am not working on newsletters.

I look forward to getting to know the ISWSC more as I begin working as your editor. Please feel free to contact me with any feedback or suggestions. Bye for now!

Jennifer Arnold, 310 NW Juniper Lane, Albany OR 97321 USA
Phone: 541-967-7043 Fax: 541-967-9515
Email: [email protected]

Breaking News- New ISWSC VP- Charitable Services Appointed

Jeff Hayward, ISWSC Vice President of Charitable Services, tendered his resignation due to time restraints. Appointed by the President and ISWSC Board to complete his term in office is Michael Crump (#2126), who writes the following:

How did an unknown 53 year old government functionary end up as the Vice-President for Charitable Services? "I guess you should be careful what you wish for, because you might get it," according to my stamp pal, "The Jake".

I started collecting U.S. as a high-schooler, dutifully purchasing plate blocks from the Gimbel's Department Store in downtown Milwaukee. On to further schooling, the Navy, Viet Nam and finally the workforce, I was "too busy" for a hobby.

I rediscovered stamps through the whimsical purchase of a subscription to Linn's Stamp News to help support the junior high school band. Thoroughly hooked on worldwide collecting, membership in the APS (1996), Orange County Philatelic Society (1997) and ISWSC followed. Funny thing is I've never thought of myself as a "joiner".

I am enthusiastic about stamp collecting. I tell my tolerant family that I will be done when I have "just one" of everything. Finally, when the call came seeking a volunteer for the VP position I thought that there might be a chance to work with people and something I love, the stamp hobby.

I am learning more and more about the job every day and will give my best effort to help the ISWSC promote worldwide stamp collecting with youth and adult groups. Thank you for giving me this opportunity.

Michael Crump, P.O. Box 57, Yorba Linda, CA 92885-0057 USA
Phone (714) 993-9822
Email: [email protected]


5th Associate Member
11/03/00

ISWSC is pleased to announce that the Junior Philatelists of America has become our group's fifth associate club. Founded in 1963, it was formed for the sole purpose of aiding young collectors in all of their needs. More importantly, it was to be run by kids as well!

More than 7,500 youngsters from age 7-18 have been members of the group in its past 37 years of service. Among them are adult leaders of philately today, including Ken Trettin (editor of The American Revenuer), John Apfelbaum (noted dealer), and Ken Martin (APS Director of Shows).

We encourage all ISWSC members and philatleists around the world to support this noteworthy group. For more information, see their web page at http://www.jpastamps.org.


ISWSC Meetings Planned for the Summer
03/28/00

The ISWSC plans to hold at least two meetings for members and interested collectors at major stamp shows this coming July and August.

The first will be during World Stamp Expo, at the Anaheim Convention Center July 7-16, minutes from Disneyland. That show is being sponsored by the US Postal Service, and will feature a space theme with several first day ceremonies planned.

An east coast meeting will be held during the American Philatelic Society's STAMPSHOW, scheduled for August 24-27 in Providence, Rhode Island. It is annually the largest stamp show in US, with 125 dealers in attendance and the "Champion of Champions" exhibit competition, highlighting the grand award winners from APS "World Series of Philately" shows.

Tom Fortunato, former ISWSC president, will be hosting these meetings. No definite dates and times are confirmed as of yet, but it is hoped they will take place on a Saturday afternoon.

It is also possible for informal meetings to take place at three other prominent stamp shows. The Stamp Show will be running in London, England from May 22-28 at Earl's Court. The American Topical Association's annual convention is a few weeks later in Buffalo, NY on June 16-18 at the Buffalo Convention Center. Lastly, it's possible to meet at SCOPEX 2000, to be held the next weekend, June 23-25 at State College, PA, home of the APS.

Anyone planning to attend the formal meetings or wishing to get together at the other shows is encouraged to contact Tom Fortunato at [email protected] at your earliest convenience.


New ISWSC Austral-Asian Representative Named
03/22/00

Andrew McEachern, our new representative for Australia and New Zealand, describes himself as a willing victim of volunteerism and a persistent whole-of-world philatelist.

After many years as chief of a group of 8 Victorian fire brigades near Melbourne, career advancement took his family 1300 miles north to settle in Queensland. Looking for a new outlet for his spare time energies, he found himself made public relations officer and eventually President of the society. Later he was named Secretary of the Queensland Stamp Promotion Council, the President of the Australian Stamp Promotion Council (Australian Philatelic Federation forerunner).

In the latter position, he supported 330 school stamps clubs with six-weekly kits and newsletters, gained membership of FIP for Australia, and founded the "Card from Santa" project.

He has won awards at STAMPEX (UK) and ANPEX (Australia), but is not now actively exhibiting. He was awarded the Australian Philatelist of the Year Award for services to national philately.

After taking an early retirement in 1998 as CEO of Credit Union Australia for many years, he later become Chairman and CEO of a multi-national company. McEachern is also a qualified disaster controller, reached A1 Editor rating as a journalist, and runs the local Neighbourhood Watch.

Andrew now has a small stamp business with a big name- Stamps International (Asia) Pty.Ltd. He runs monthly fairs in the state capital, Brisbane, and conducts the world's only inter-active correspondence course for want-to-be stamp dealers. With his wife, he travels to at least three international and national stamp exhibitions around the world yearly.

He has great optimism for the future of stamp collecting. McEachern has noted a new breed of collector at fairs and stamp shows who don't want to belong to clubs, exhibit, or concern themselves with FIP type rules and regulations. Everyone is just doing their own "thing".


New Officers Elected
12/31/99

Congratulations to the new ISWSC officers elected to a two year term beginning Januaty 1, 2000. They are:

President- Anthony Zollo

VP Charitable Services- Jeff Hayward

VP Public Relations- Dave Nelson

Secretary- Dalene Thomas

They join current Directors and Board members Joan Roderick and William Silvester, whose terms expire next year. Congratulations to all!


BALPEX'99 Exhibits of Worldwide Appeal
07/30/99

Recognizing that many who visit philatelic exhibitions are general collectors, and just about all stamp collectors still have their worldwide collections, the organizers of BALPEX approached the ISWSC about their participation. BALPEX is a three-day event sponsored by the Baltimore Philatelic Society. It's held on the Friday, Saturday and Sunday of Labor Day Weekend, September 3-5, 1999 at the Marriott Hunt Valley Inn just north of Baltimore.

As a result, all 10 frames allocated to the society have now been filled. They include:

  • Donald B. Brent- Reality Check!
  • Steve Kennedy- Worldwide Stamps pre-1940
  • Pierce K. Bullen- Adapting an Album for Your Collection
  • Dalene Thomas- World Wide Stamps Portraying Lighthouses
  • Thomas M. Fortunato- Collecting by Color
  • Joseph E. Foley- The World to 1949
  • William H. Bauer- Worldwide Ramblings
  • Joseph E. Foley- The Sun Never Sets
  • Roy C. Ware- Selected Pages from a Worldwide Collection
  • Joseph E. Foley- The Glass Slipper

    These displays will demonstrate the individual ISWSC member's approach to worldwide collecting and convey the enjoyment that collecting the stamps of the world can bring. Given the nature of the organization, no more than two pages in any one display should be from the same country. The first page in each exhibit should describe the exhibit and the collectors approach to worldwide collecting.

    A ballot will be used asking that individuals select the top three exhibits that best illustrate the effectiveness of the display in demonstrating an approach to worldwide stamp collecting with emphasis on the collector's creativity and personal treatment, the success of the exhibit in conveying the enjoyment of worldwide stamp collecting to the viewer, and the presentation, including the stamps selected, of the display. Considering the very special nature of the ISWSC section, all entries will be awarded a special prize and certificate commemorating the event.

    Coordinating ISWSC participation in BALPEX is our past president, Tom Fortunato. Tom will also be chairing a special panel presentation "Everything You Wanted to Know about Worldwide Stamp Collecting & Were Afraid to Ask" that will be given on Sunday at 10:30 AM.


    Who's That? A rural mail carrier in Mississippi, 1916

    01/13/99

    Here'a a great photo from days gone by courtesy of our former VP of Youth Services, Ken Costilow. That's his dad!

    Around the beginning of a 33 year career in the USPS, this picture was taken in 1916 in front of a home in Carroll County, MS. Rural Free Delivery (RFD) 3 originated in Grenada, MS and covered farmland portions of Grenada County, Carroll County, and Montgomery County. In those days, the outlying roads were mostly just graded dirt, with gravel being added later. On a rainy day, the ruts could become quite deep. Later, the mode of transportation became motorized which really made the driving more challenging because of the heavier load and smaller diameter wheels. Now, some portions of the route are hard surfaced. The rural mail carrier often provided assistance to families in the more remote areas when called on.