HAMPTON ROADS, VA - On Tuesday, Feb. 13, an event highlighting the new stamp of renowned singer Ella Fitzgerald will be co-hosted by the Newport News Post Office, the (postal) Coastal Mini-Cluster Diversity Committee, and Heritage High School at the high school auditorium, beginning at 12:45 p.m. Heritage High School is at 5800 Marshall Ave.

Ella, known as the "First Lady of Song," was born in Newport News in April 1917. She was the most popular female jazz singer in the United States for more than half a century, and in her lifetime won 13 Grammy awards and sold over 40 million albums. Her stamp, the 30th honoree in the popular Black Heritage series, is a portrait based on a photograph taken around 1956 that captures the joy and excitement that Fitzgerald brought to music. The stamps will be available for purchase at the event.

Event participants include the Heritage High School Jazz Ensemble and Kevin "The Moose" Anderson, assistant station manager and jazz director of Hampton University's WHOV 88.1 FM. There will also be a special appearance featuring the spirit of Ella Fitzgerald. The event is free and open to the public.

An independent federal agency, the U.S. Postal Service is the only delivery service that visits 146 million homes and businesses, six days a week. It has 37,000 retail locations and relies on the sale of postage, products, and services to cover its operating expenses. The Postal Service has annual revenues of $73 billion and delivers nearly half the world’s mail.