[Libs-Or] Need Help for William Stafford Commemorative Stamp

[Jim Scheppke]

Dear Oregon Library Community:
The Friends of William Stafford are requesting the US Postal Service to create a commemorative stamp as part of the Stafford Centennial celebration in 2014. We need lots of letters to go to the USPS to support this request. If you or someone you know would like to help, please read the following letter from the Chair of the Friends of William Stafford Board of Directors. The request letter from the Friends is attached to give you some inspiration (it’s a great letter!). You can send your letter endorsing this request to:

Citizens' Stamp Advisory Committee
c/o Stamp Development
U.S. Postal Service
475 L’Enfant Plaza SW, Room 3300
 Washington, D.C. 20260-3501

I hope you will read on...

Jim Scheppke, State Librarian
Oregon State Library

********

Dear Friend,

Recently, in my capacity as Board Chair of Friends of William Stafford,  I submitted a request to the U.S. Postal Service asking them to approve a commemorative stamp honoring William Stafford during the year of his 100th birthday (2014). Although this may seem like an easy decision for the U.S. Postal Service to honor one of America's greatest poets, the odds are quite high that my request may not be considered. Especially if no other voices are heard in support of the proposal.  So, I am asking for your help.

A 15-member Citizen's Stamp Advisory Committee meets four times a year for two days at a time to review each written request. In most years, this committee considers between 25 and 40 thousand requests. Out of such a vast field of submittals, only 20 are chosen for production and distribution.

Even so, William Stafford does meet most of the extensive eligibility criteria: he is dead, he is not a town or a hospital or a commercial product or a fraternal organization or even a natural disaster. Really, I am not making this criteria up!

The fact that 2014 is the centennial of Mr. Stafford's birth may give my request a slight advantage against the very long odds. But, most certainly, my singular request will need as much public support as possible if it is to gain advantage in such a large field of submissions. That is why I am writing to you.

After reviewing the attached PDF copy of my letter to the U.S. Postal Service, it would help if you could take a few moments to write a letter of your own to this committee. The more organizations and individuals of influence that speak up on behalf of a William Stafford commemorative stamp, the better the odds for success.

I have asked for support from opinion leaders and friends throughout Oregon and across the United States to help in this effort. Although 2014 seems like a long way off, time is of the essence. In reality, it can take every bit of three years for the committee to respond.

In addition to your own letter, I encourage you to pass this email on to friends and family who you believe would also be willing to write a letter. Every expression of support will help. And every bit of help will be greatly appreciated by the Friends of William Stafford.

Thanks for your help,

Dennis Schmidling
Friends of William Stafford, Board Chair

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