Congratulations to Collectors Club members who earned outstanding recognition at APS AmeriStamp Expo 2016 in Atlanta. Dr. Edwin J. Andrews won the show’s Multiframe Grand Award for Hitler Youth – The Generations of Lost Innocence. Kathryn Johnson won the show’s Single Frame Grand for Evolving Bishop Marks in Scotland: Postal History and both Single Frame Reserve Grand Awards also recognized Collectors Club members, Mark S. Schwartz for Boston’s Paid in Grid Cancels on the U.S. Imperforate Issues and Timothy Wait for 1862 Insurance Tax.

The Collectors Club’s single frame team did well with three Gold medals and two Vermeils but were beaten by a team with three other Club members. Congratulations to Kathryn Johnson, Seija-Ritta Laakso, and Timothy Wait and their winning “Good from Start to Finish” team. Special thanks to Harlan Stone for organizing the Collectors Club team on short notice this year. Looking ahead to next year I note that there is the opportunity for more than one Collectors Club team to be formed as one San Francisco club fielded three. Please consider joining the fun with a CCNY one-frame exhibit team next year.

I am happy to report that the Collectors Club and Philatelic Foundation Grand Opening and Awards Dinner honoring Dr. Cheryl Ganz (Lichtenstein Award) and Dr. Peter P. McCann (Neinken Medal) is fully subscribed and invoices have been sent to reservation holders. Don’t despair however as we have a waiting list to fill cancellations, so if you do not hold a reservation, please contact Irene Bromberg at info@collectorsclub.org or 212-683-0559 to add your name. Special thanks go to Daniel F. Kelleher Auctions and Schuyler Rumsey Philatelic Auctions whose premier sponsorships along with additional support from Robert A. Siegel Auction Galleries allow us to present the best value social event of the World Stamp Show-NY2016 week.

For non-profit organizations within our hobby, volunteerism is a key to being able to deliver on our missions’ common theme of promoting education through philately. The Collectors Club is a major sponsor of the upcoming World Stamp Show-NY2016 and I hope that all resident members and visiting non-resident and international members can devote some time before, during, or after the show to volunteer with set-up, show operations, or take down to help the show committee to produce a dynamite show experience for all attendees. Please visit the show website ny2016.org and click on the “Become a Volunteer” button in the “Show Info” drop down menu to learn more and register.

On the home front, three significant Committee chairs are open to volunteers in the areas of the Library, Information Technology, Publicity, and Development. While the Library and IT roles would be best filled by a resident member, the Development and publicity roles could be well served from any geography. Please contact me if you would like to explore one of these roles or if you can provide a nomination from among the membership.

Finally, I would like to thank member Alan Holyoake for his generous donation to the Club of his new book, The Mulready Postal Stationery, co-written with Alan Huggins. We will be featuring this book for sale at the Club’s megabooth at World Stamp Show-NY2016 or it can be ordered for delivery in the US for $60 postpaid. Overseas members not attending World Stamp Show-NY2016 may wish to order the book from the Postal Stationery Society, http://www.postalstationery.org.uk/mulready_book/ where the shipping costs are lower than ours.

I look forward to greeting all members attending World Stamp Show-NY2016, May 28-June 4. May your hotel reservations NOW at ny2016.org to take advantage of the Show’s discounted rates. They are selling out fast.