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The newly issued Ronald Reagan "Forever" stamp commemorating the late President's centennial year. Image courtesy of The United States Postal Service.

U.S. postage stamp honors Reagan’s 100th birthday

Catherine Saunders-Watson
Catherine Saunders-Watson
The newly issued Ronald Reagan "Forever" stamp commemorating the late President's centennial year. Image courtesy of The United States Postal Service.
The newly issued Ronald Reagan "Forever" stamp commemorating the late President’s centennial year. Image courtesy of The United States Postal Service.

SIMI VALLEY, CA — Considered one of the most influential presidents of the 20th century, Ronald Reagan, America’s 40th president, has been honored with the issuance of a commemorative Forever Stamp in celebration of the centennial year of his birth.

“Ronald Wilson Reagan was one of a kind,” said James C. Miller, III, member, Board of Governors, U.S. Postal Service. “And it is right that we celebrate his life and legacy with constant reminders attached to millions of letters arriving at homes all across America.”

The Feb. 10, 2011 stamp-launch ceremony, which was held at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library, is one of many Reagan centennial events planned to take place across the nation in 2011.

The stamp art by Bart Forbes of Plano, Texas, was created in oil wash on board. It is based on a photograph of Reagan taken in 1985, during his second term as president, at his beloved Rancho del Cielo (Ranch in the Sky), near Santa Barbara, California.

Distinguished by his charisma and oratorical skills, Reagan was an accomplished Hollywood actor who appeared in more than 50 films before becoming a prominent political leader. He often is credited with bolstering the conservative movement in America, moving it from the margins to the mainstream of politics and government.

When Reagan left office in January 1989, he and former First Lady Nancy Reagan returned to California. Later that year, Communist East Germany opened its borders — including the Berlin Wall — to the West. This momentous event occurred less than two and a half years after Reagan’s famous speech at the Brandenburg Gate, in which he boldly challenged his counterpart in the Soviet Union, Mikhail Gorbachev, to “tear down this wall!”

Joining Miller to dedicate the Ronald Reagan commemorative Forever Stamp were Mickey D. Barnett, member, Board of Governors, U.S. Postal Service; Robert Tuttle, former ambassador to the Court of St. James’s and member, Board of Trustees, Ronald Reagan Presidential Foundation; and Joanne Drake, chief administrative officer, Ronald Reagan Presidential Foundation.

How to Order the First-Day-of-Issue Postmark:

Customers may obtain the first-day-of-issue postmark by mail. They should purchase new stamps at a local Post Office, at The Postal Store website at usps.com/shop, or by calling 800-STAMP-24; then affix the stamps to envelopes of their choice, address the envelopes (to themselves or others), and place them in larger envelopes addressed to:


Ronald Reagan Stamp

Postmaster

2551 N. Galena Ave.

Simi Valley, CA 93065-9998


After applying the first-day-of-issue postmark, the Postal Service will return the envelopes through the mail. There is no charge for the postmark. All orders must be postmarked by April 11, 2011.


How to Order First-Day Covers:

The Postal Service also offers first-day covers for new stamp issues and Postal Service stationery items postmarked with the official first-day-of-issue cancellation. Each item has an individual catalog number and is offered in the quarterly USA Philatelic catalog. Customers may request a free catalog by calling 800-STAMP-24 or writing to:


Information Fulfillment

Dept. 6270

U.S. Postal Service

P.O. Box 219014

Kansas City, MO 64121-9014


Visit the US Postal Service website at www.usps.gov.

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ADDITIONAL IMAGE OF NOTE

The newly issued Ronald Reagan "Forever" stamp commemorating the late President's centennial year. Image courtesy of The United States Postal Service.
The newly issued Ronald Reagan "Forever" stamp commemorating the late President’s centennial year. Image courtesy of The United States Postal Service.