Future Farmers of America - 25th Anniversary 1953

The stamp on this cover commemorates the 25th anniversary of the Future Farmers of America. The stamp pictures a future farmer, wearing a jacket with the organization’s emblem, standing before a farm with rolling hills in the distance.

And who are these Future Farmers of America? In 1928, 33 farm boys met in a Kansas City hotel to discuss the future of farming in America. Known as the Future Farmers of America, the organization they founded provided support for agricultural education and leadership training for high school students. 

After granting charters in 48 states across the U.S., the National FFA Foundation was established in 1944. Four years later, the FFA participated in an international exchange program with the Young Farmers Club of Great Britain. Today, the FFA sends more than 350 students to 25 countries annually to share knowledge and promote agricultural careers.

Thank you Merja.

Spirit of Giving - Volunteerism and Philanthropy

Volunteerism and Philanthropy have always been considered altruistic activities, intended to promote good or improve human quality of life, with the former done out of free will without motivation by financial or material gain. The latter being the act of donating money to support a socially beneficial cause, with a defined objective and with no financial or material reward to the donor.

Showcasing the art pieces of children on what and how they feel about the "Spirit of Giving", capturing the innocence, pure and true qualities of a child, an art competition was organized in 2010 by the National Volunteer & Philanthropy Centre, and the winning entries as well as the artworks of the winners are featured in this set of stamps.

In this competition, the children of age below 12 years old were challenged with how they feel about Volunteerism, and what makes Volunteerism the connector to the hearts of Singaporeans.

100th Anniversary of the Kentucky Derby 4.5.1974

This stamp was issued on 4.5.1974 at Louisville, KY to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the Kentucky Derby.

The 100th Anniversary of the Kentucky Derby - Kentucky has long been associated with champion race horses.  First run in 1875, the Kentucky Derby is the longest-running horse racing event in the United States.  The derby is run every year on the first Saturday in May at Churchill Downs in Louisville, Kentucky.  The contest is for 3-year-old horses, running one and a quarter miles.

The race is also known as the “run for the roses,” as its winner is presented with a blanket of roses.  Along with the Preakness and the Belmont stakes, the Kentucky Derby is part of U.S. horse racing’s coveted Triple Crown.

Thank you Dear Merja for this FDC with the lovely stamp on it.

Jefferson Memorial 14.12.1973

This impressive building is located on the south side of the Tidal Basin in Washington, D.C., the Jefferson Memorial is one of the three memorials to famous American Presidents. Built in the classical style that Jefferson preferred, the memorial overlooks the Potomac River and is surrounded by picturesque cherry trees. Inside stands an 18 foot statue of Thomas Jefferson. Quotations from his writings, including the Declaration of Independence, are etched on the four interior walls. The building was dedicated on April 13, 1943 - Jefferson's 200th birthday.

The blue 3cent stamp on this cover commemorates this famous Memorial. It was issued on 14.12.1973 at Washington, DC.

Thank you Merja.

100th anniversary of the establishment of the Washington Territory 2.3.1953

U.S. 3¢ Washington Territory commemorates the 100th anniversary of the establishment of the Washington Territory. The stamp pictures early pioneers, the state flower – the rhododendron – and several products Washington is known for. It was issued on 2.3.1953 at Olympia, WA.

The first American to reach Washington was Captain Robert Gray of the Boston Company. Gray headed a fur-trading expedition that sailed into the harbour that now bears his name. He reached the mouth of the Columbia River in 1792. Gray’s explorations became the source of American claims to the area. In 1805, the Lewis and Clark Expedition explored Washington by following the route of the Columbia River to the Pacific Ocean. The Lewis and Clark Expedition gave America another claim to the land of the northwest.

By the early 1800s, fur traders from U.S. and Britain had settled in the region. In 1810, the Canadian North West Company established Spokane House near today’s Spokane. Fur trader John Jacob Astor established the first permanent American settlement with the founding of Fort Okanogan.

The fur trade was interrupted by the War of 1812. After the war, Britain and the U.S. could not agree on how to separate the land west of the Rocky Mountains. In a compromise, it was decided citizens of both nations could settle this vast area, then known as Oregon Country. However, by the 1840s, a large number of Americans had settled the Oregon Country, and boundary dispute became a bitter issue. During the presidential campaign of 1844, James K. Polk based a great deal of his campaign on the idea that any land south of latitude 54º 40' belonged to the U.S. His supporters used the slogan, “Fifty-four forty or fight!”. President Polk signed a treaty with Great Britain that set the boundary at the 49th parallel, Washington’s current border, in 1846.

In 1848, the Oregon Territory was created. Washington was part of this vast piece of land. Then, in 1853, President Millard Fillmore created the Washington Territory. The Washington Territory included all of today’s Washington and parts of Idaho and Montana. The territory was expanded to include the southern parts of Idaho and Wyoming in 1859. When the Idaho Territory was established in 1863, Washington received its current boundaries.

Thank you Merja.

2011 The International Year of Forests 4.5.2011

The stamps on this Cyprus FDC were based on the EUROPA theme for 2011, namely, Forests. This Cyprus Post EUROPA Stamp entry was named the winner of PostEurop’s first ever EUROPA Jury Prize Competition which was held Saturday at the prestigious Brussels Town Hall, where an expert jury met and voted through closed ballot.

The International Year of Forests 2011 was established to raise awareness of how forests play an integral part in the livelihoods of 1.6 billion people worldwide, supply the habitat for millions of species, and play a critical role in mitigating the effects of climate change. 

Deforestation is the biggest threat to the world’s forests, destroying nearly 50,000 square miles per year. Replanting tropical forests will prove to be a critical tool in combating global warming, according to a report released December 9, 2010 by the U.S.-based Union of Concerned Scientists during the U.N. Climate Change Conference in Cancun, Mexico. Tree planting events in Ethiopia, Georgia, Jamaica, Lebanon, Poland and Korea are among events a number of member states and organizations have indicated their intention to promote to celebrate the International Year of Forests 2011.

Thank you Merja for this lovely FDC.

100th Birth Anniversary of Robert Frost 26.3.1974

This stamp was released in Derry, NH on 26.3.1974. It was issued to commemorate the 100^th Birth Anniversary of Robert Frost.

Born in 1874, Robert Frost won Pulitzer Prizes for his poetry on four separate occasions. This commemorative stamp was issued on the 100th anniversary of Frost's birth.  The First Day of Issue site was Derry, New Hampshire, where Frost wrote a number of his best-loved poems.

Robert Frost (1874-1963). Robert Frost was born in San Francisco.  After the death of his father in 1885, his family moved back to New England.  Frost settled in New Hampshire.  His poems were inspired by the region’s beauty, landscapes, folkways, and speech patterns.  His graceful, plain-language poems are most often set in New England, particularly Vermont and New Hampshire.  Frost won the Pulitzer Prize for poetry four times (1924, 1931, 1937, and 1943).  Congress awarded Frost a gold medal for his poetry in 1960.  In 1961, he read a poem at John F. Kennedy’s presidential inauguration.

India’s first Prime Miniister Mr Jawaharlal Nehru was an avid reader of Robert Frost’s poem’s and used to quote, “But I have promises to keep, and miles to go before I sleep, and miles to go before I sleep” from his poem "Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening" a poem written in 1922 by Robert Frost, and published in 1923 in his New Hampshire volume. Imagery and personification are prominent in the work. In a letter to Louis Untermeyer, Frost called it "my best bid for remembrance".

Thank you Merja for this nice FDC.