Ted Williams: Jack of All Trades

Boston Red Sox slugger Ted Williams was known for his prowess at the plate. But his skill set extended well beyond baseball. The accomplished pilot missed much of the 1952 and 1953 seasons so he could fly combat missions during the Korean War. He was also fantastic with a rod and reel. Author Richard Ben Cramer, whose 1986 Esquire story “What Do You Think of Ted Williams Now?” remains one of the best pieces ever written about the Splendid Splinter, best captured Williams’s legendary persona:

Few men try for best ever, and Ted Williams is one of those. There’s a story about him I think of now. This is not about baseball but fishing. He meant to be the best there, too. One day he says to a Boston writer: “Ain’t no one in heaven or earth ever knew more about fishing.”

“Sure there is,” says the scribe.

“Oh, yeah? Who?”

“Well, God made the fish.”

“Yeah, awright,” Ted says. “But you have to go pretty far back.”

The Major League Baseball All-Stars stamps, featuring Williams, are available in Post Offices and online now.

Major League Baseball trademarks and copyrights are used with permission of Major League Baseball Properties, Inc.

The Fastest Man Alive: Jesse Owens’s Racing Legacy

On August 9, 1936, track star Jesse Owens won his fourth gold medal at the Summer Olympics in Berlin, Germany. Leading off the U.S. 4 x 100-meter relay team, which would set a new world record, Owens launched himself into history as one of the greatest Olympic heroes of all time.

In 1935, Owens prefaced his Olympic stardom when, on May 25, he set five world records and tied another in one afternoon as a member of Ohio State University’s track and field team. The “Buckeye Bullet” solidified his position as the fastest man alive after also winning the gold in the 100-meter dash, 200-meter dash, and long jump during the 1936 Games.

Despite his incredible achievements, Owens’s athletic career was surprisingly short. With the 1940 and 1944 Olympic Games canceled because of World War II, Owens’s focus shifted from running to raising a family. But his legacy as the Buckeye Bullet lived on for years.

In 1998, Owens appeared on a U.S. postage stamp as part of the Celebrate the Century series on the 1930s pane. He’s depicted in his Ohio State uniform clearing a hurdle.

Jesse Owens TM Estate of Jesse Owens c/o CMG Worldwide, Indpl, IN.

Evergreen State to Get New Forever Stamp

Don’t forget! The last set of Flags of Our Nation stamps will be issued August 16 at the APS StampShow in Sacramento, California. For the rest of this month, we’ll be taking a closer look at each of the stamps in the set. We started with Texas and Wyoming. Today: Washington.

The only state named for a President, Washington (also known as “The Evergreen State”) was proclaimed the 42nd state in the Union by President Benjamin Harrison on November 11, 1889. The state flag features President George Washington at the center of its dark green field. Snapshot art evokes the beauty of the state’s evergreen forests.

Check back next week for an exclusive interview with stamp artist Tom Engeman, who told us that the Washington stamp was one of his favorites in the Flags of Our Nation series.

Centennial Olympic Games Stamp Trivia Contest

The Summer Olympics are flying by. But there’s still plenty of time for a trivia contest…or two (hint!). Today’s quiz might look tough, but in our experience stamp fans are some of the smartest people around. Ready to get started?

First question: In 1996, we issued a stamp to mark the centennial of the modern Olympic Games. The stamp featured an image of a Roman marble copy of a 5th-century B.C. Greek bronze statue. What was the name of the Greek sculptor who created the original statue, and what was the name of his statue?

Second question: The stamp art above is similar to the actual stamp issued in July 1996, but it’s not exact. How does the stamp above differ from the Centennial Olympic Games stamp that was actually issued?

Submit your answers to uspsstamps [at] gmail [dot] com. Three winners will be selected at random from those who answer correctly to receive a tri-fold folio that includes a mounted pane of Atlanta 1996 stamps, a mounted pane of the 1996 Centennial Olympics Games stamps, and a 1996 Paralympic Games envelope. The deadline for entries is 5 p.m. EDT on Thursday, August 9. Good luck! And, as always, remember that spelling counts.

USPS to Take Part in Alcatraz’s 78th Anniversary Celebration

Later this week, USPS will once again participate in the commemoration of the opening of U.S. Penitentiary Alcatraz, which marks its 78th anniversary this year. A special commemorative postmark was created to honor the anniversary, and on Saturday, August 11, Postal Service employees will cancel letters and postcards in the Alcatraz gift shop from 9:30 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.

For those who cannot make it to Alcatraz Island for the event, but would still like a postcard or letter with the Alcatraz special pictorial postmark, stop by the Rincon Post Office, 180 Steuart St., San Francisco. The commemorative postmark will be available until September 14, 2012.

Every year in August, the National Park Service hosts activities to commemorate the anniversary of the penitentiary opening. Many of the former residents of Alcatraz are scheduled to be on Alcatraz Island in honor of this special 78th anniversary event. For more information about the anniversary event visit https://www.alcatrazcruises.com/.

According to author Jerry Lewis Champion Jr., the discovery of Alcatraz is related to the Postal Service. The San Carlos, a Spanish packet ship, discovered the Island of Alcatraz on August 5, 1775. The primary function of packet ships was the transport of mail. The Spanish explorer Juan Manuel de Ayala named the Island, La Isla de los Alcatraces, which translates to “island of the pelicans.”  Later the name was shortened and altered to the current name of Alcatraz.

The first U.S. Post Office opened on Alcatraz Island on March 6, 1874. At the time, Alcatraz was a U.S. Army reservation known as the “Post at Alcatraz,” which had been established in 1850. The Army post closed in 1933, and on January 1, 1934, Alcatraz became a U.S. federal penitentiary. The island Post Office developed a rubber stamp that featured a cartoon-like pelican with the Golden Gate Bridge in the background. That theme has been reproduced for the 78th anniversary cancellation. When the prison closed in 1963, the Alcatraz Post Office also closed.