Olympic Swimming Champion Donna de Varona, Former Postmaster General Benjamin Franklin Bailar Appointed to Stamp Selection Committee

WASHINGTON, Dec. 6 /PRNewswire/ -- Postmaster General John E. Potter today announced the appointment of Olympic swimming champion Donna de Varona and former Postmaster General Benjamin Franklin Bailar to serve on the distinguished Citizens' Stamp Advisory Committee (CSAC), which recommends the subjects to appear on U.S. postage stamps.

"I am pleased to report that we have added two outstanding members to the Citizens' Stamp Advisory Committee," said Potter during today's Board of Governors' meeting. "The first is a familiar name to long time Postal observers, the 64th Postmaster General, Benjamin Franklin Bailar. In addition, Olympic swimming gold medalist and TV sports commentator, Donna de Varona is joining the committee. I'm certain the contributions both will make in the coming years will be significant." Bailar is the first former Postmaster General to serve on the committee.

"I collected my first stamp on Opening Day during the 1960 Rome Olympics," said de Varona. "Since then some of my dearest friends from the world of athletics have appeared on stamps, such as track legends Jesse Owens and Wilma Rudolph, whose athletic feats went well beyond the field of play and should never be forgotten," de Varona said. "I look forward to working with the members of the Citizens' Stamp Advisory Committee in helping choose the next group of distinguished individuals from all walks of life."

"I've had a fascination with stamps for as long as I can remember," said Bailar. "To most Americans, stamps represent their government at work. Stamps have the power to do so much more -- to educate, to entertain and to inspire. Serving as Postmaster General was a great honor," he continued. "Being asked to serve on the Citizens' Stamp Advisory Committee is a real privilege."

The Postal Service receives suggestions from about 50,000 people every year, but only 20 to 25 subjects can be commemorated on postage. To narrow down the selection, the Postmaster General's Citizens' Stamp Advisory Committee -- a cross section of individuals who reflect a wide range of educational, artistic, historical and professional expertise -- review the suggestions and make recommendations to the Postmaster General for final approval. The Committee recommends subjects with all postal customers in mind, not just stamp collectors. A good mix of subjects, both interesting and educational, is essential.

Donna de Varona

Donna de Varona, at 13, was the youngest competitor at the 1960 Rome Olympic Games. Within the next four years, she would win 37 national swimming championships, break 18 world swimming records and take home two Olympic gold medals from the 1964 Tokyo Olympic Games. At 17, she was voted the most outstanding female athlete in the world by both the Associated Press and United Press International.

Retiring from competitive sports shortly after the Tokyo Games, de Varona continued to break barriers. In 1965, she joined ABC Sports to become the first female network television sports broadcaster. In 1968, she was the first female commentator at the Olympics. In 1991, she received an Emmy for her work during the Special Olympics.

She has served in advisory positions to five U.S. Presidents since 1966, and has also worked with the Special Olympics since its inception. She was a consultant to the U.S. Senate from 1976 through 1978 and a strong proponent of the 1988 Amateur Sports Act and landmark "Title IX" legislation. The legislation guaranteed no one, based on gender, can be denied participation in any educational program -- including sports programs at educational institutions -- that receive direct Federal aid.

She was the first president of the Women's Sports Foundation, a charitable educational organization dedicated to ensuring equal access to participation and leadership opportunities for women in sports and fitness. De Varona serves on a Senate-appointed committee to restructure the U.S. Olympic Committee. Earlier this year de Varona was re-elected as a Select Director of the Board of the U.S. Soccer Foundation. On Oct. 4, 2004, de Varona was inducted into the Women's Hall of Fame in Seneca Falls, N.Y. She earned her Bachelor of Arts degree in political science from UCLA in 1986.

Benjamin Bailar

Bailar joined the Postal Service in 1972 as a Senior Assistant Postmaster General. He became Postmaster General in 1975 and left in 1978 to return to private business. Bailar's tenure as Postmaster General included the bicentennial celebrations where his unusual name was the source of considerable comment. He obtained his Bachelor of Science degree from the University of Colorado before serving as a Lieutenant in the U.S. Navy. He earned his M.B.A. from Harvard University in 1959.

In addition to his government service, Bailar held a number of senior management and board positions in private industry. He also served for 10 years as Dean of the Jesse H. Jones Graduate School of Administration at Rice University in Houston.

An avid postal history collector, Bailar maintains one of the most comprehensive collections of Benjamin Franklin postal history. It includes two Postmaster's Commissions signed by Franklin, envelopes signed in lieu of postage or "franked" by Franklin, a letter addressed and franked by George Washington to Franklin, and several examples of the first U.S. stamp, a 5-cent 1847 Franklin stamp. His collection was showcased during the Washington 2006 World Philatelic Exhibition. He is also a member of the American Philatelic Society, the Collectors Club of Chicago, the Collectors Club of New York and is a trustee of the Philatelic Foundation of New York City.

The Postal Service encourages individuals with stamp ideas to submit their suggestions in writing to:

  Citizens' Stamp Advisory Committee
  Stamp Development
  U.S. Postal Service
  1735 North Lynn St Rm 5013
  Arlington VA 22209-6432

For additional information on the Committee and the stamp selection process, visit this link: http://www.usps.com/communications/organization/csac.htm

Since 1775, the United States Postal Service and its predecessor, the Post Office Department, have connected friends, families, neighbors and businesses by mail. An independent federal agency that visits more than 144 million homes and businesses every day, the Postal Service is the only service provider delivering to every address in the nation. It receives no taxpayer dollars for routine operations, but derives its operating revenues solely from the sale of postage, products and services. With annual revenues of $70 billion, it is the world's leading provider of mailing and delivery services, offering some of the most affordable postage rates in the world. The U.S. Postal Service delivers more than 46 percent of the world's mail volume -- some 212 billion letters, advertisements, periodicals and packages a year -- and serves ten million customers each day at its 37,000 retail locations nationwide.