Forever Stamp Commemorating JFK’s Birth Centennial
BOSTON _ Postmaster General Megan J. Brennan has dedicated a Forever stamp commemorating the centennial of the birth of our nation’s 35th President, John F. Kennedy. The Presidents Day first-day-of-issue…
BOSTON _ Postmaster General Megan J. Brennan has dedicated a Forever stamp commemorating the centennial of the birth of our nation’s 35th President, John F. Kennedy. The Presidents Day first-day-of-issue dedication ceremony took place at the John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum in Boston to kick off the 6th Annual Presidents Day Family Festival. Kennedy was born May 29, 1917.
The stamp features a 1960 photograph by Ted Spiegel of Kennedy campaigning for president in Seattle. The artwork accompanying the stamp, showing Kennedy in a reflective pose, is a 1970 oil painting by Aaron Shikler. The stamps are available now nationwide in Post Offices. Customers may order the stamps now at usps.com/shop.
Followers of the U.S. Postal Service’s Facebook page can view streaming video of the event at facebook.com/USPS. The public is asked to share the news on Twitter and Instagram using the hashtag #JFKStamps
Joining Brennan in the dedication were Sen. Ed Markey (D-MA);Rep. Joe Kennedy III (D-MA); John F. Kennedy Library Foundation Executive Director Steven Rothstein; and stamp image photographer Ted Spiegel. John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum Acting Director James Roth served as Master of Ceremonies. John F. Kennedy Library Foundation Board member Matthew Kennedy also attended the ceremony.
“In the American people he served, President Kennedy discovered a fearless optimism and extraordinary empathy. Despite divisions and differences, he believed every citizen shared an unbreakable, common bond to push an imperfect country towards justice and progress. This stamp will not only commemorate the centennial of his birth, but the values that make this country strong, fair and kind,” said Congressman Kennedy.
The Iconic Photograph
“The photograph was taken Sept. 6, 1960, in Victory Square, Seattle, adjacent to downtown’s Olympic Hotel,” recalled Spiegel, describing his iconic photograph captured nearly 57 years ago. “Senator Kennedy was in the first week of his campaign for the presidency: his itinerary was nation spanning — Maine to Alaska. Seated by the podium from which he would deliver his first speech in Seattle, he was looking up at office building windows crammed with cheering supporters. It was a highly energetic moment and one could sense Kennedy subsuming the place and people surrounding him. Soon he would address thousands at Seattle’s Civic Auditorium."
