FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

April 26, 2010...The U.S. Philatelic Classics Society (USPCS) is excited to announce its 2009 Tracy Simpson Cup, Susan M. McDonald and Distinguished Philatelist award winners. "Research, writing and of course volunteers remain the backbone of our Society", commented President Wade E. Saadi. The Tracy Simpson Cup is awarded to Joe H. Crosby for his outstanding service to the USPCS. The Susan M. McDonald award is given to David D'Alessandris for his article on Mail Between the United States and St. Pierre and Miquelon appearing in Chronicle 221. The Distinguished Philatelist award is given to Lester C. Lanphear III for his lifetime of achievement and service in the philatelic world.

Tracy Simpson Cup Winner: Joe H. Crosby
Joe H. Crosby was a member of the USPCS Board of Directors and is a co-chair of the Chase Fund Committee. For many years now, Joe has called many of the members of the Society who had not paid their annual dues, and managed successfully to keep many of them in the fold, with this personal touch. Volunteers such as Joe are an integral part of our Society's ability to function and deliver its membership the best possible services.

Susan M. McDonald Award Winner: David D'Alessandris
David D'Alessandris explores pre-UPU mail between the United States and one of the scarcest and most difficult of all foreign-mail destinations: the French Islands of Saint Pierre and Miquelon. D'Alessandris' article presents well- rounded and easy-to-understand description of the problems involving mail between the United States and St. Pierre, including letters from St. Pierre to the United States. The article presents never-before-published color images (including a useful map) and a detailed analysis of rates and routes and a census of known covers both ways. Crisp and well-explained illustrations support the story: altogether, a first-rate piece of postal history research.

Distinguished Philatelist Award Winner: Les Lanphear III
Lester C. Lanphear III was introduced to philately at the age of eight by his stamp collecting grandfather. After a career move to Los Angeles in 1966, he discovered stamp shops and started collecting used United States classic stamps. By 1970, Les had transferred to San Diego and had begun to participate in organized philately by attending stamp shows and joining the local stamp club, the Philatelic Society of Los Angeles. He became interested in United States booklet panes and, finally, in 1975, began his life-long collection and study of United States Officials.

Similar to other collecting areas, besides stamps, Officials include essays, proofs, special printings, covers, and even postal stationery. Unlike other collecting areas, Officials were issued for each executive government department, including Agriculture, Executive, Interior, Justice, Navy, Post Office, State, Treasury and War. Les has collected and studied all the departments and is best known for his departmental covers. He has exhibited virtually all areas of Officials both domestically and internationally, beginning with the The Interior Department in 1990. That was the first United States Official exhibit to ever receive an international gold award. In addition, his showing of U.S. Departmentals was the first United States Official exhibit to receive a national Grand Award and has since received two international large gold awards.

Les has been the assistant section editor for the Officials et al. section of The Chronicle of the U. S. Classic Postal Issues since 1995. He has written many articles, primarily concerning the postal history of United States Officials and United States Penalty Clause Mail. His articles have won both of the writers' awards for The Chronicle, the Mortimer L. Neinken Award in 1995 and the Susan M. McDonald Award in 1997.

Les has been and continues to be very active in organized philately. In 1984, while president of the San Diego stamp club known as The Philatelic 25, Les became the representative to the Federated Philatelic Clubs of Southern California, the sponsoring organization for SESCAL stamp show. He served the Federation as an officer from 1992 to 1997, including president from 1996 to 1997, and is still a representative. He was recognized for his contributions to philately in Southern California when he received the Federation's Distinguished Service Award in 1998. His association with the Sandical stamp committee began in 1997 and he is still active today. In 2003, he received the Sandical John Tracy Memorial Award for philatelic service to San Diego County.

It is for the above reasons and many more that the U.S. Philatelic Classics Society acknowledges the exceptional contributions to philately by Lester C. Lanphear III by honoring him as a Distinguished Philatelist.

About the U.S. Philatelic Classics Society

The U.S. Philatelic Classics Society is the only organization that studies in depth the stamps and postal history of the United States from the Colonial era to 1900. 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 Issues, 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. Copies of back issues of the Chronicle and previously published books are also available from the society's bookstore, accessible from the society's website, or directly at http://www.uspcs.org/store.html.

For media inquiries, please contact:

Wade E. Saadi
President, USPCS
wade@pencom.com

or

Alexander Haimann
Publicist, USPCS
alex@mysticrarestamps.com