Postal Service Previews 2009 Hawaii Statehood Stamp

Herb Kane Design Features Surfer and Canoe Paddlers

Honolulu — The Postmaster General of the United States provided a preview today of the postage stamp that will be issued next year to commemorate Hawaii’s 50th anniversary of statehood. Postmaster General John Potter revealed the stamp image—featuring a Herb Kane painting of a surfer and canoe paddlers—to U.S. Sen. Daniel K. Akaka and Congressman Neil Abercrombie at a meeting on Monday morning in Washington D.C.

The stamp is scheduled to be issued and officially dedicated at a special First Day of Issue event in summer 2009 in Honolulu. Postal Service Honolulu District Manager Daryl Ishizaki will preside over the event. Hawaii Governor Linda Lingle and Hawaii’s Congressional representatives will be invited to participate in the First Day of Issue program that will be capped by the unveiling of an oversized image of the stamp. More details of the event will be announced at a later date.

Hawaii became a U.S. territory in 1898 and the 50th state on Aug. 21, 1959, when President Dwight D. Eisenhower signed a proclamation that officially welcomed Hawaii into the United States.

“We look forward with great excitement to the issuance of this Hawaii stamp next year,” said Ishizaki. “It’s an honor for the state to be commemorated in this fashion and an honor for the Postal Service to play a part in such a historic occasion. We anticipate tremendous interest in the stamp from collectors in Hawaii and throughout the world.”

About the stamp image: Artist and historian Herb Kawainui Kane, who has dedicated much of his life to studying Hawaiian culture and history, created the painting on the stamp. In the art, a surfer rides a wave on a longboard, a popular choice among surfers for centuries. Next to him, two people paddle an outrigger canoe to shore. Kane has extensive knowledge and experience in surfing, a favorite pastime, and canoe construction, a skill he developed from building a traditional sailing canoe himself.

Note to media: A high-resolution JPEG image of the Hawaii Statehood stamp is available upon request. Please submit your request to duke.gonzales@usps.gov

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