PrintFOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact:
USPS Community Relations 202-268-4924 www.usps.com
Ronald Reagan Presidential Library Foundation: Melissa Giller 805-522-2977 www.reaganlibrary.com
Stamp News Release No. 04-077
November 9, 2004
POSTMASTER GENERAL, NANCY REAGAN UNVEIL RONALD REAGAN STAMP IMAGE, STAMP AVAILABLE NEXT YEAR
SIMI VALLEY, CA - During a special ceremony today, former First Lady Nancy Reagan joined Postmaster General John E. Potter to unveil the image of the President Ronald Reagan commemorative postage stamp.
The Reagan stamp, honoring the nation's 40th President, will be issued next year. The event was held at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library and Museum in Simi Valley.
Former First Lady Nancy Reagan joins Postmaster General John E. Potter (left) and Frederick J. Ryan, Jr., president, chief operating officer and vice chairman of Allbritton Communications Company, at the unveiling of the President Ronald Reagan commemorative postage stamp today at the Reagan Presidential Library and Museum in Simi Valley, Calif. Ryan served as Chief of Staff to President Reagan from 1989 until 1995. Photo: Gerald Merna, U.S. Postal Service.
"The United States Postal Service is honoring the man who was known by his fellow Americans as the great communicator," said Potter in delivering his remarks on the Library's White House South Lawn replica, overlooking the Santa Susanna Mountains and the Pacific Ocean. "As a communicator, he understood the value of the written word-the handwritten word. Perhaps that's why he wrote-and mailed-more than 10,000 letters during his incredible lifetime."
"The famous Reagan smile reflected in the stamp's image radiated confidence," Potter said. "It signaled that he believed-in himself-and in us, his fellow countrymen. Through that confidence and shared belief, we knew that we could achieve great things."
"My husband considered it the honor of a lifetime to serve as President," said Nancy Reagan," and I know he would be very touched by the special tribute bestowed upon him today by the U.S. Postal Service. The stamp really captures Ronnie's humor and optimism and I hope the American people will like it as much as I do."
The first-day-of-issue stamp dedication ceremony will also take place at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library and Museum, Wed., Feb. 9, 2005.
Since 1775, the U.S. Postal Service has connected friends, families, neighbors and businesses by mail. An independent federal agency, the Postal Service makes deliveries to more than 141 million addresses every day and is the only service provider to deliver to every address in the nation. The Postal Service 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 more than $68 billion, it is the world's leading provider of mail and delivery services, offering some of the most affordable postage rates in the world. Moreover, today's postage rates will remain stable until at least 2006. The U.S. Postal Service delivers more than 46 percent of the world's mail volume - some 202 billion letters, advertisements, periodicals and packages a year - and serves seven million customers each day at its 38,000 retail locations nationwide.