USPS unveiled a new stamp honoring Nancy Reagan. The stamp is called “Nancy Reagan Forever.”
“She understood that the role of first lady came with inherent pitfalls and scrutiny, yet she found the humanity in it all,” stated Jill Biden
Nancy Reagan served as first lady from 1981 to 1989 and was known primarily for her loyalty to her husband, the 40th president of the United States. Her primary initiative during her White House years was the major drug prevention crusade, “Just Say No.”
She was praised for speaking openly about her breast cancer diagnosis in 1987 and her decision to undergo a mastectomy. She was steadfast in the care of her husband after his Alzheimer’s diagnosis and until his death in 2014.
Nancy Reagan died in 2016 at the age of 94.
(Photo by Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images)
How Does Someone Get On A Stamp?
According to USPS rules, no living person can appear on U.S. postage. Another rule stipulates that people can’t be honored by portrayal on a stamp until five years after their death.
USPS usually only issues stamps on significant anniversaries of a subject’s birth. For example, USPS sold over 124 million Elvis Presley stamps issued on what would have been his 68th birthday.
USPS rules state that no person can appear on a commemorative stamp if they have appeared on another stamp in the previous 50 years.
(Photo credit should read FILES/AFP via Getty Images)
The Postmaster General maintains the Citizens’ Stamp Advisory Committee consisting of 15 citizens who offer advice to USPS on a “breadth of judgment and depth of experience in various areas that influence subject matter, character and beauty of postage stamps.” The committee members are appointed by the Postmaster General and meet four times a year to discuss stamp proposals.
The USPS issued the first commemorative stamps in 1893.
In 2106, Indiana Governor Mike Pence helped dedicate the Indiana Statehood Forever Stamp for the states bicentennial. This stamp featured a photograph taken at sunset over cornfields in Milford, IN.
For a complete list of people who have appeared on postage stamps, click here.
How To Receive A Sagamore Of The Wabash Award?
According to Indiana’s history of the award, Native American tribes used the term “sagamore” to describe “a lesser chief or a great man among the tribe to whom the true chief would look for wisdom and advice.” The Wabash is the “State River” of Indiana and major tributary of the Ohio River.
The award states that the honoree is “distinguished by his (her) humanity in living, his loyalty in friendship, his wisdom in council, and his inspiration in leadership.”
The Sagamore of the Wabash is an honorary award created during the term of Gov. Ralph Gates, who served from 1945 to 1949. Each subsequent governor has issued the awards on their own terms.
(Photo by Joe Robbins/NASCAR via Getty Images)
Among those who have received Sagamores have been astronauts, presidents, ambassadors, artists, musicians, politicians and citizens who have contributed to Hoosier heritage, however, being a Hoosier is not a criteria. There is no official record of the total number presented, and each governor has kept his own roll. The Governors reserve the right to personally select the recipients.
Some individuals have received the award more than once; for example, current Indiana Governor Eric Holcomb has received the award twice.
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