May 5,2000
Middlebury College to be Honored as Part of Postal Service’s
Historic Preservation Series on May 19
MIDDLEBURY, Vt.-The U.S. Postal Service will commemorate the 200th anniversary
of Middlebury College by issuing a 20-cent stamped card this month.
The dedication will take place May 19 at 2 p.m. at Old Stone Row in front
of Old Chapel. Old Chapel is on Old Chapel Road off Route 30 (South Main
Street).
Middlebury College President John M. McCardell, Jr. said, “We are honored
on the occasion of our Bicentennial to have official recognition of the
College’s history as one of our nation’s enduring institutions of higher
learning. We also are pleased that the illustration on the postal card
is an image of Old Stone Row-the three historic buildings which served as
the foundation of the College.”
“This is a special moment for Vermont and all those who believe in
the academic excellence of America’s colleges,” said Philip Dennis,
postal service district manager for the Springfield District, who will dedicate
the stamp. “This stamped card is a fitting tribute to the pioneers
and visionaries who have helped to make Middlebury College the success that
it is today.”
Honored guests will include Randall Waters, postmaster of Middlebury; James
H. Douglas, treasurer, State of Vermont and an alumnus of the school; Robert
T. Stafford, former governor and senator of Vermont and also an alumnus
of Middlebury; John M. McCardell, Jr., president of Middlebury College;
Nicholas R. Clifford, trustee of the College and co-chair of the College
Bicentennial Commission; John Tenny, chairman, board of selectmen of Middlebury;
and Betty Wheeler, town manager.
As part of the dedication ceremony, François Clemmons, Middlebury
College Twilight Artist-in-Residence, will sing the national anthem.
The charter for the college was officially granted on Nov. 1, 1800, and
classes began five days later.
Middlebury College is the oldest operating institution of higher education
in Vermont and the second oldest in terms of charter. It is a private liberal
arts college that enrolls some 2,000 students in a rigorous academic program.
The Middlebury College stamped card features a painting by Arnold Holeywell
of the east side of Old Stone Row. In the 1950s, Holeywell produced cover
and story illustrations for
“Field and Stream.” In 1963, Holeywell joined the Life Science
Library, a new publishing venture at Time, Inc. His design concepts changed
the look of scientific illustration and garnered awards throughout the graphic
arts world. In 1967, Holeywell became assistant art director of Time-Life
Books. Two of his watercolors were purchased by the National Geographic
Society for their 1991 Christmas card market. Holeywell’s watercolor for
the Middlebury College stamped card is his first project for the U.S. Postal
Service.
This group of three buildings represents a significant period of development
for Middlebury College. The construction of Painter Hall (right side of
the stamp art, 1812-1816), Old Chapel (center, 1834-1836), and Starr Hall
(left, 1861, rebuilt in 1865 after a fire) expanded the early college from
a one-building institution to an impressive new campus.
Old Stone Row was placed on the National Register of Historic Places on
Sept. 18, 1997. The buildings of Old Stone Row are significant primarily
because they embody the architectural characteristics of the early 19th-century
stone mill building type, as adapted to educational purposes. Old Stone
Row is also one of the best surviving examples of the linear row of architecturally
unified college buildings that was originated at Yale University during
the 18th century. In addition, Painter Hall is the oldest existing college
building in Vermont.
The Historic Preservation Series of postal cards began in 1977 with a nine-cent
card honoring the Federal Court House in Galveston, Texas. Others cards
have featured Cincinnati Music Hall, Ohio; Salt Lake Temple, Utah; Iolani
Palace, Hawaii; Hearst Castle, Calif.; Isaac Royal House, Mass.; Beecher
Hall, Illinois College; Wren Building, The College of William & Mary,
Va.; and the University of Utah.
To see an image of the Middlebury College stamped card, or to order many
U.S. stamps and philatelic items, visit www.stampsonline.com. Stamps can
also be ordered toll-free by calling 1 800 STAMP-24.
# # #
TECHNICAL DETAILS
Issue: Middlebury College Stamped Card
Item Number: 226800
Denomination & Type of Issue: 20-cent Stamped Card
Format: Stamped Card
Series: Historic Preservation
Issue Date & City: May 19, 2000, Middlebury, VT 05753
Illustrator: Arnold Holeywell, Warrenton, VA
Designer: Howard Paine, Delaplane, VA
Engraver: N/A
Art Director: Howard Paine, Delaplane, VA
Typographer: Tom Mann, Vancouver, WA
Modeler: N/A
Manufacturing Process: Offset
Printer: Government Printing Office (GPO)
Printed at: GPO, Washington, DC
Press Type: Offset
Stamps per Coil/Pane: N/A
Print Quantity: 4 million stamped cards
Paper Type: 22-lb. bright white
Gum Type: N/A
Processed at: GPO, Washington, DC
Colors: Magenta, yellow, cyan, black
Card Orientation: Horizontal
Image Area (w x h): 2.25 x 1.25 in. / 57.11 x 31.78 mm
Overall Size (w x h): 5.5 x 3.5 in. / 139.59 x 88.83 mm
Full Pane Size (w x h): N/A
Plate Size: N/A
Plate Numbers: N/A
Marginal Markings: “Ó USPS 1999” · Recycled logo
followed by “recycled”
Catalog Item Number(s): 226840 Stamped Card - $0.21
226861 First Day Cancellation - $0.31
HOW TO ORDER THE FIRST DAY OF ISSUE POSTMARK
Customers have 30 days to obtain the first day of issue postmark by mail.
They may purchase the new stamped card at their local post office, address
the card (to themselves or others), and place the stamped card in a larger
envelope addressed to:
MIDDLEBURY STAMPED CARD
POSTMASTER
10 MAIN STREET
MIDDLEBURY, VT 05753-9991
After applying the first day of issue postmark, the Postal Service returns
the envelope through the mail. There is no charge for the postmark. Requests
for first day of issue cancellations must be postmarked by June 19, 2000.
Stamp Fulfillment Services also offers first day covers for new stamp
issues and postal stationery items postmarked with the official first day
of issue cancellation. Each item has an individual catalog number and is
offered in the quarterly USA Philatelic catalog. Customers may request
a free catalog by writing to: INFORMATION FULFILLMENT, DEPT 6270, US POSTAL
SERVICE, PO BOX 219014, KANSAS CITY MO 64121-9014, or by calling 1 800 STAMP-24.
First day covers remain on sale for at least one year after the stamped
card’s issuance.