Date: Fri 16-Feb-1996

Publication: Bee

Author: ANDREA

Quick Words:

McIlrath-stamp-collector-FDC

Full Text:

Stamp Collector Takes Up The Study Of Famous Lives

B Y A NDREA Z IMMERMANN

Sixty-three years ago, William McIlrath of Newtown collected his first stamp.

But it wasn't until 1961, that he was inspired to acquire signatures of people

he felt might later be selected to appear on a stamp; the signed envelope

would then become a "first day cover."

"The sad thing is a guy has to be dead for ten years before he's considered

for a stamp," said Mr McIlrath. The only exception to this rule is for US

presidents - their lives are commemorated within the year after death, he

said.

When he first decided to pursue this unique idea, he created a list of people

who he thought had an excellent chance of getting on a stamp. "I go for those

leaders in their field," said the collector. So far, he has 130 envelopes each

bearing a signature of such people as Chief Justice Earl Warren, composer

Irving Berlin, basketball star Larry Bird, golf pro Jack Nicklaus, scientists

Jonas Salk and Albert Sabin, sculptress Anna Hyatt Huntington, actor Hume

Cronyn and actress Jessica Tandy, and Admiral Hiram Rickover.

Before requesting an autograph, Mr McIlrath reads up on a person. "I've

learned a lot about people I probably wouldn't have [otherwise] known about,"

he said. He then gathers all the clippings on a person and mails it to them as

a gift to be included in his or her scrapbook. Sometimes he'll include a

photograph of the subject or other gift, such as the decoupage of a postcard

by Norman Rockwell he sent the artist. The collector hopes his candidate for a

stamp will then sign and return (in a large self-addressed, stamped envelope)

a carefully designed envelope, which is decorated with notations and postage

stamps relating to the life of the person.

For instance, on an envelope he hoped would someday boast a stamp with the

image of labor leader George Meany, the collector placed other stamps

including one commemorating collective bargaining, as well as one each to

reflect that Mr Meany was an amateur painter, a plumber, president of AFL-CIO,

a NYC native, and a delegate to the UN General Assembly. Mr McIlrath sent it

to the labor leader with a letter of explanation.

Most of the people he approaches do sign the envelope and return it to him.

"Bob Hope even signed and returned the photographs I included for him," said

Mr McIlrath. Shirley Temple and Danny Kaye did the same.

After receiving the envelope back from his subjects, Mr McIlrath continues to

clip and read articles about them until a stamp is issued. He is as interested

in collecting knowledge as he is in garnering signature/stamp sets.

In reading about the 1936 Olympic games held in Berlin, Mr McIlrath said he

learned how furious Hitler was that Jesse Owens - a non-German and a black man

- won a gold medal in four different categories: 100-meter run, 200-meter run,

400-meter run, and broad jump. Hitler refused to present the medals to Mr

Owens, and did not invite him to join him in the stands, as he had the other

athletes.

After someone dies and a stamp is issued, Mr McIlrath then sends his envelope

to the town that is doing the first day cover (FDC), which is an envelope

cancelled on the first day the stamp is issued. The FDC usually comes out of

the town where the subject was born or where a library has been named after

him, according to Mr McIlrath.

So far he has nine completed FDCs with signatures including athlete Jesse

Owens, George Meany, presidents Lyndon Johnson and Richard Nixon, aviator

Eddie Rickenbacker, and illustrator Norman Rockwell.

A Challenging Task

His endeavor has been written up in five different stamp publications and, as

far as he knows, he is the only one pursuing this type of collection. It may

sound like a simple process, but Mr McIlrath admits it's "a lot of work, a

long wait, and it's a challenge."

For years he's been trying to get Joe DiMaggio's signature. Three times he has

sent an envelope with stamps reflecting the life of the ball player; three

times he has had no response. When he couldn't get past the secretary, he

wrote to DiMaggio's brother. He even went to see Joltin' Joe's barber during a

trip to the west coast, but struck out on all counts.

The first signature he obtained was that of President Johnson. "I was turned

down three times. Finally I got his secretary's name and wrote her," said Mr

McIlrath.

He also had a difficult time getting Henry Kissinger's signature, but finally

succeeded.

Some residents of Newtown may eventually be seen on postage stamps, said Mr

McIlrath. Included in his collection are the signatures of inventor Robert

Fulton, "father of robotics" George Engelberger, scientific metallurgist Oskar

Berendsohn, and poet and collector of poetry Louis Untermeyer.

The only problem with collecting signatures in the hope of being able to

attach a commemorative stamp, is that some people seem to live forever . For

instance, jazz musician Eubie Blake lived 100 years and ten days. "And George

Burns - I got his signature 20 years ago," said Mr McIlrath. "He's going to

outlive me!"

But not to worry. Although he has only nine completed signed FDCs so far, the

collector said his four children and eight grandchildren will be able to

complete the process someday.

What if a stamp is never issued to commemorate the person's life? That's okay,

said Mr McIlrath. "There's the value of the autograph if nothing else," he

smiled.