A nother great StampShow has come and gone, this time in Richmond, Virginia. Thank you to the 100 dealers and 40 societies that helped us welcome collectors and visitors from all over the world. We are also grateful to the local chapters that supported the show with volunteers, particularly the Greater Richmond Stamp Club. Finally, thank you to the volunteers who worked tirelessly to make sure that every visitor could enjoy the show.

     For those of you who were able to attend, you probably saw the large U.S. Postal Service booth that included games for visitors young and old, a commemorative postcard station, and a virtual tour through the world of stamps. We really appreciate all the creative work that went into giving families a great experience to remember the show. We were also able to introduce the Protect Pollinators stamps to a standing room only audience on the show floor. When the national anthem was sung, even the most dedicated stamp collector stopped and stood at attention toward the flag. Image

     Congratulations to Jim Mazepa for winning the Champion of Champions Award this year with his exhibit, “Colonial Central America.” Jack Nixon from Toronto, Canada won the Youth Grand Champion of Champions for his exhibit, “Canada 1952–57 Wildlife Series.” What makes his win more impressive is that Jack is just 8 years old! Hopefully, Jack will be competing for many years to come.

     At Richmond, the 2017 Class of the Young Philatelic Leaders Fellowship graduated.
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     Sommer DeRudder, USPS Federal Credit Union Fellow, has just graduated from high school and is now studying economics at Stanford University. Sommer received a $500 deposit from the USPS Federal Credit Union. Will Yarborough, CEO of the USPS FCU, joined us in Richmond to congratulate Sommer and to present the APS with a check for $5,000 to sponsor another Fellow for the 2018–2019 Class. Last year, we entered into a partnership with the USPS FCU and any member of the APS is able to join the credit union. You can find more information on our website at stamps.org/uspsfcu.

     Ian Hunter, the Central Atlantic Stamp Dealers Association Fellow, will be heading off to college soon as well. He has developed a website, stampcollectingspot.com, to offer stamp collectors an online community to share their passion and learn from fellow collectors. Please join if you are active online.

     Jessica Rodriguex, Lauson H. Stone Fellow, recently graduated from San Jose State University and is currently going to graduate school at Santa Clara University. Jessica also is the chair of Filatelic Fiesta, a World Series of Philately show sponsored by the San Jose Stamp Club. You can see Jessica in action at the show to be held on November 11 and 12 in San Jose, California. For more information, please go to filatelicfiesta.com.
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     We also welcomed four new Fellows for the Class of 2018: Anastasios “Tasos” Kalfas, Donald and Bonnie Lee Fellow; Victoria “Grace” Rogansky, Michael M. Oetken Fellow; Darren Corapcioglu, Lauson H. Stone Fellow; and Dani Leviss, Kathleen Meagher Fellow. Dani is a third generation APS member, following in the shoes of her father, Gerald, and grandfather, Louis, and she is the first Fellow to take the Designer Track. She will be mentored by Chris Calle, a second-generation stamp artist and regular volunteer at APS show. Speaking of Chris, the work of his father, Paul Calle, was honored by the Marshall Islands this year on a new set of stamps that was issued at a first-day ceremony at StampShow.

     One last note from the show is about the fundraising dinner we held on Thursday night. Many APS supporters recall that we held the annual Tiffany Dinner at our annual StampShow to raise funds for the Tiffany Fund. This year, through the Campaign for Philately, our fundraising Committee, we held the first ever Richmond Stamp Soirée. Thanks to five very generous sponsors: Michael Bloom, APS director-at-large; Wade Saadi, APS past president; Alfredo Frohlich, past chair, Campaign for Philately; Alex Haimann, chair, Campaign for Philately; and Scott Trepel, president, Robert A. Siegel Auction Galleries, along with support from members of the APS and APRL boards, we held a great social evening and tour at the Virginia Historical Society in Richmond.

     Our cause this year was the Technology Initiative that I wrote about in the June issue of The American Philatelist. As of this writing, we have received more than $50,000 in contributions from the dinner and donations are still coming. With the success of this dinner, we are already planning another dinner for our StampShow 2018 in Columbus, Ohio. Following the dinner in Richmond, we have already received more sponsorship commitments and will be working to make the event an even more successful fundraising event. Details will be coming soon.

Thank You, Jay!
     We recently announced that our editor, Jay Bigalke, would be leaving to become editor-in-chief at Linn’s Stamp News. Jay left Linn’s in December 2014 to become our editor, so he will be rejoining a team he knows well. In his time at the APS, Jay made some impressive changes to our journal, taking it from good to great. Since my arrival at the APS, Jay has been a reliable partner in growing our outreach to a younger audience while maintaining our worthy traditions in the monthly magazine.

     One of his most impressive accomplishments was producing the May 2016 issue of The American Philatelist, a record-setting 200-page issue which not only served as our handout at World Stamp Show-NY 2016, but also covered all the candidates running for the APS and APRL board elections. He also was instrumental in initiating our blog,

     https://blog.stamps.org, which produces regular, almost daily, content on news about the APS, new stamp issues, and other philatelic stories. The blog has helped us grow our social media presence and will continue to become an essential tool for members and collectors in the years to come.

     The late, great Alan Freed, the radio personality that pioneered Rock and Roll in the 1950s would sign off his show by saying, “This is not goodbye, it’s just good night, and we’ll see you soon.” I think that quote is perfectly appropriate here. Although Jay is no longer working for the APS, he is and always will be a member of the APS family.

     The Linn’s editorial team has a proud tradition of being active within the APS. At StampShow just this year, we recognized managing editor Chad Snee with his 25-year member pin. Donna Houseman, editorial director, was inducted into the APS Writers Unit 30 Hall of Fame. This on the heels of Amos Media Co. hiring Young Philatelic Leaders Fellow alum Tim Hodge, American Association of Philatelic Exhibitors Fellow, 2012, to be a senior editor at the Scott catalog.

     By the time this column goes into circulation, we will have announced the next editor. We look forward to the vision and energy that he or she will bring to the APS and our flagship publication. They will have a great starting point to build from and we can thank Jay for his work in making that happen. All the best, Jay, and we’ll see you soon!