FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

August 16, 2005 The U.S. Philatelic Classics Society (USPCS) announced that Patricia Stillwell Walker and Robert Lamb have been recognized as Distinguished Philatelists, the highest recognition offered by the society. The two become the 40^th and 41^st persons to be so recognized since the award was initiated in 1988. The announcement was made during the society's recent annual meeting in Denver. Ms. Walker placed her name on the roll during that meeting. Mr. Lamb signed the roll during the annual American Philatelic Society (APS) Stampshow in Grand Rapids in August.

The society awards the title of Distinguished Philatelist to individuals to recognize exceptionally meritorious service to U.S. philately through published research, award-winning collections, active participation in the organization and promotion of philatelic exhibitions, sustained administrative service to National or International organizations which further United States philately. "Both of this yearıs winners have had a major impact on the hobby of philately," said Wilson Hulme, President of the USPCS. "Pat Walker's service and contributions to the Classics Society, the annual BALPEX exhibition, the American Philatelic Society, as well as developing two major philatelic exhibits and serving as an accredited philatelic judge are more than worthy of this recognition. Bob Lamb's work as Executive Director of the American Philatelic Society and the American Philatelic Research Library (APRL) has probably touched more American philatelists over the past ten years than that of any other individual. I am pleased to be able to offer thanks on behalf of the philatelic community to these friends and colleagues," Hulme continued.

Photographs of the two inductees signing the Roll of Distinguished Philatelists can be downloaded from the USPCS website at http://www.uspcs.org/2005_07_AwardsPix.html

Most stamp collectors follow the pattern of starting early and either going straight on or making a break at the teens and coming back later. Pat Walker was exposed to stamp collecting as a youngster, but didn't get infected until she was in her mid-20s. She discovered postal history and philatelic exhibiting - two aspects of the hobby she hadn't known existed. From that point on, she attended stamp shows whenever possible, and made special plans to attend Interphil '76, the FIP world philatelic exhibition held in Philadelphia. At her father's suggestion, she chose a collecting subject, Irish postal history; she bought her first cover at Interphil for $35, and thought it was a lot of money!

Pat met her husband W. Danforth (Dan) Walker at a U.S. national show in Newark, NJ, in 1979 when they were both taking down their exhibits. Dan was exhibiting his traditional Grenada for the first time; Pat was a seasoned exhibitor, having shown Irish postal history for the third time; they both won silver medals. They were married in 1982; the wedding cake was decorated with postal markings representing items in their collections.

With Dan's encouragement, Pat began to participate in organized philately. She is a member of the Eire Philatelic Association, and served two terms as president in the late 1980s. She is a life member of the American Philatelic Society, where she served two terms on the Board of Vice-Presidents, and remains active at the national committee level. Pat has also held key offices in the American Association of Philatelic Exhibitors and the Maryland Postal History Society, is a Fellow of the Royal Philatelic Society London, and a member of the Collectors Club and several other societies. She has been notably active in the U.S. Philatelic Classics Society, and served as an officer from 1990-2004 - as Secretary, subsequently as Vice-President, and ultimately as its President.

Pat became accredited as a national philatelic judge in 1985, and as an international judge in 1990 - accredited initially for youth, and accredited in 1993 for postal history. She is actively involved as a member of the BALPEX show committee.

Pat has two primary exhibits: Her exhibit of Ireland Postal History was awarded the Grand Prix National at Stamp Show 2000, London, and a Large Gold with Special Prize at the Espana 2004 exhibition in Valencia; her showing of Baltimore Postal History has won several national Grand Awards, and achieved a Large Gold with Special Prize at Bangkok 2003.

Pat holds a Bachelor of Arts in Mathematics, Magna cum laude, from Vassar College. She recently retired from over 30 years with IBM as a computer software specialist.

For her exceptional service to U.S. philately, including her past contributions to the U.S. Philatelic Classics Society, to BALPEX and to the American Philatelic Society, we are pleased to honor Patricia Stilwell Walker as a Distinguished Philatelist.

It's probable that the person who has touched the lives of most American philatelists over the past 10 years is Ambassador Robert E. Lamb, Executive Director of the American Philatelic Society and of the American Philatelic Research Library since 1994.

Under his administration, the APS has modernized and streamlined its operations, including such new directions as: bringing full color to The American Philatelist; establishing a Society web site and creating an Internet Sales Division which grosses approximately $1.3 million in annual sales; starting two new youth programs - the All*Star Stamp Clubs, which helps existing stamp clubs, and the Young Stamp Collectors of America, new this year, an Internet-based club for collectors 18 and under; greatly expanding the Society's educational outreach, to include the highly popular Summer Stamp Seminar.

Bob has taken his responsibilities as administrator of the Library deeply to heart. He has actively sought ways to improve library services and to strengthen cooperation with other philatelic libraries. When investment income declined dramatically, Bob espoused and helped sell the idea of acquiring rental properties to help underwrite the costs of the Library. It was this concept which facilitated the early development of the American Philatelic Center, a major step forward for the Society, the Library and the hobby. In barely two years, the Center has become a tourist destination, important for promoting the hobby and for fostering philatelic research.

Bob will say that all this progress, in a period of fiscal constraint, is due to an outstanding staff, and there is certainly truth in that assessment. But it is even more due to his leadership, training and encouragement, and the exceptional skill he shows as an insightful planner, manager and representative.

A life-long collector, Bob has used his worldwide collection to develop a variety of talks and seminars, including the analytic study of what constitutes a stamp-issuing entity. He is currently working on a discussion of illegal stamps to be presented to the Collectors Club of Chicago next year. For fun he developed a small exhibit of those stamps which ever carried Scott catalog number 383. He has written widely on philatelic subjects and for several years was responsible for the section on Philately in the Encyclopedia Britannica. His articles on stamp entities have appeared in Stamp Collector and in The American Philatelist. He shared the Walter R. McCoy award for an article on Kionga he co-authored which appeared in the 2003 Congress Book.

Bob came to the APS after his retirement from the U.S. diplomatic service, where he served for 30 years. His service abroad included Brussels; Monrovia, Liberia; Katmandu, Nepal; Bangkok; and Bonn. His final overseas assignment was Nicosia, Cyprus where he served as the U.S. Ambassador. His Washington assignments included Director of Financial Services for the State Department and seven years as Assistant Secretary of State. His final assignment was as U.S. negotiator for Cyprus.

His wife, Lucille, is from New Mexico. The Lambs have three children and eight grandchildren.

In recognition of his exceptional contributions to American philately, the U.S. Philatelic Classics Society is most pleased to recognize Robert E. Lamb as a Distinguished Philatelist.

About the U.S. Philatelic Classic Society

The U.S. Philatelic Classics Society is the premier organization for the study of the postal issues and postal history from the Stampless Era up to the Bureau Issues. The society is the successor of "The Three Cent 1851-57 Unit" (Unit Number 11) of the American Philatelic Society. Our members include both collectors and students. Many have written articles that have been published in our award winning quarterly magazine, The Chronicle of the U.S. Classic Postal Issue, and in other publications. Information about the USPCS, membership, its publications, and articles of interest to collectors and students of the classic period of U.S. philately, can found at the society's website at www.uspcs.org.

For media inquiries, please contact:

Chip Gliedman
Publicist, USPCS
publicist@uspcs.org

or

Wilson Hume
President, USPCS
wilson.hulme@uspcs.org