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ATA Celebrates its
60th Anniversary
The
American Topical
Association, the world’s largest group of topical stamp collectors,
marked the 60th anniversary of its founding at a celebratory meeting on
Nov. 3 at a meeting of the Milwaukee Philatelic Society. A special
cacheted cover commemorated the event.
The
ATA was founded in 1949 by Jerome D. (Jerry) Husak, at the age of 17 in
his home town of Milwaukee. In the 1940s, topical or thematic
collecting was largely unrecognized in the field of philately. As a
young philatelist, Jerry recognized and publicized the creativity
inherent in topical collecting. With the founding of ATA and the
guidance of Jerry and other pioneers in the field, topical collecting
has assumed its place as a significant area of philately.
The
ATA Articles of Incorporation were signed on Nov. 3, 1949. Since that
time the ATA has been continuously incorporated as a nonprofit
educational 501(c)(3) organization.
The
60th anniversary celebration was spearheaded by Robert J. (Bob) Mather,
former ATA President and current Board member. Members of ATA Chapter
#5, Milwaukee, gave short presentations highlighting their topical
interests. Presenters were Ann Selzer, Roland Essig, Richard Risch, and
Patricia Loehr. Chapter #5 member and former professional
singer
Mel Graffenius sang versions of “Thanks for the Memories” written by
stamp collectors for a recent MILCOPEX contest. Current ATA executive
director Vera Felts spoke and a celebratory cake was served.
ATA’s
60th anniversary cachet is handmade from acid-free 32# ivory parchment.
The background design presents the exact wording of the 1949 ATA
Articles of Incorporation, and the 60th anniversary ATA pin designed by
Ray Cartier is printed at the lower left. A U.S. “Celebrate” stamp and
a special postmark depicting the first and current ATA logos complete
the cover. A colorful parchment “stuffer” is included. Covers
autographed by Jerry Husak are available.
ATA
records show that more than 55,800 individuals have been members during
the 60 years of the organization’s existence. Jerry Husak was the ATA’s
first Executive Director; he continued in that role until 1984. Donald
W. Smith, Douglas A. Kelsey, Paul E. Tyler, and Ray E. Cartier have
also served in the post. The current Executive Director is Vera R.
Felts. All former ATA executive directors are still living; they
contribute fine “institutional knowledge” to the organization. Jack
André Denys is President of the ATA Board of Directors.
ATA
members enjoy outstanding connectivity with collectors of like
interests. Approximately 25% of ATA members reside internationally, in
60 different countries. The bi-monthly ATA journal, Topical Time, has a
distinctly international flair. The organization offers checklists on
540 different philatelic topics in a member-to-member service
coordinated by Karen Cartier. Some 60 handbooks and 25 DVDs are
available to any collector.
WE INVITE YOU TO JOIN US!
Our Mission Statement
ATA Bylaws
Code of Ethics
***** ATA
Announcements *****
November 3, 2009
- Youngblood and
Sazama Assume Positions with Topical Time
The American
Topical Association (ATA) has announced that
well-known philatelic journalist Wayne Youngblood is the new
editor of its
journal Topical Time. He
succeeds George Griffenhagen who has retired after 17 years as journal
editor.
Vera
Felts, executive director of the ATA, read the
announcement at the ATA’s 60th anniversary
celebration in Milwaukee
on November 3. She read a message written by Jack André Denys,
president of the
Board of Directors, and introduced Mr. Youngblood as the new editor.
Mr. Youngblood’s initial three-year term began that day. He
will produce the January/February issue, and will begin the conversion
of the
magazine to full-color. Mr. Youngblood’s experience in philatelic
journalism
includes positions with Linn’s
Stamp News, Scott
Stamp Monthly
and Krause
Publications. Since 2006 he has been a partner of Youngblood Ink, a
privately
owned family business that specializes in writing, editing and
designing.
Currently the editor of Airpost
Journal of the American
Airmail Society and Posthorn of the
Scandinavian Collectors Club, he is also Vice President for Consignor
Relations
at Regency-Superior Auctions.
Topical interests of Mr. Youngblood are playing cards on
stamps, mummies, American Indians and peppers.
A new position of Advertising Manager has been created for Topical
Time. Robert (Bob) Sazama, Ph.D., recently assumed
the position. He is
a stamp dealer with myriad connections in national and international
philately.
Dr. Sazama has promoted topical philately and has consistently
recruited ATA
members from his customers and within the stamp dealer community.
Beginning their
positions at a transitional time for the
ATA, Mr. Youngblood and Dr. Sazama join Ms. Felts as newcomers to ATA’s
leadership. (She became executive director in March.) The organization
is in
the process of having its website professionally redesigned and has
begun a
plan called “Buck the Trend,” intended to counter the decline of most
philatelic
organizations. One of the key components of the plan is to make Topical Time
more and more a must-read
journal for an ever-increasing number of English-speaking thematic
philatelists. Below is a picture of Executive Director Vera Felts and
Mr. Youngblood taken at the 60th anniversary celebration party,
ATA Central Office contact info is:
P.O. Box 8 – Carterville, IL 62918-0008.
Phone: 618-985-5100.
Fax: 618-985-5131.
Email address:
americantopical@msn.com
(no change).
Website address:
www.americantopicalassn.org (no change).
Keep
up with ATA News ...
To see all our press releases Please Click Here
Keep up with ATA Radio Interviews ...
Occasionally ATA members take
part in the APS Stamp Talk internet radio program.
The show is conducted by Nancy Clark. ATA members who have participated
inclue Ray and Karen Cartier, Bob Mather, and (in the near future) new
Executive Director Vera Felts.
New
Translation
Service to be Available to ATA - UPDATE
Beginning
January 16, 2009, members of the American Topical Association (ATA),
may submit requests for translation directly to the APS Translation
Service. Please include your ATA membership number in your request. ATA
members may request up to six items (short translations of less than
250 words each) per calendar year, after which, a US $5.00 fee will be
assessed per additional item, in addition to any required fee by the
translator and postage forwarding. The US $5.00 fee will be donated to
the American Philatelic Society. The APS Translation Service can handle
translations of practically all major languages.
Bobby Liao, chairperson for the APS Translation Service advises that
information for translation requests for ATA members is now available
from the APS
Website. Additional details on the types of philatelic items,
languages, fees and request details are available from the website.
Mr. Liao's mailing address is: Mr. Bobby Liao, APS Translation Service.
APS HQ, 100 Match Factory Place, Belfonte, PA 16823. .
Handbook News New
Marc Chagall on Stamps, by Mark
Shleifer: Press
Release, Handbook page.
Watercraft on Stamps II, by Katherine
A. Kirk: Press
Release, SOLD OUT!
Civil War Handbook, by Larry Dodson:
Press
Release, Handbook page.
Presidents of the 20th Century
Handbook, by Melvin Morris:
Handbook
page.
Computers on Stamps II Handbook, by
Larry Dodson: Handbook page.
More
ATA Show Covers (1956/2006) Have Been Added
Order Now
More
ATA Slide Shows Now Available as DVDs
Order Now
From 1996-2001, Topical
Time ran a column by ATA past-President Don Beuthel which
answered reader questions about topical stamp collecting and
exhibiting. Now you can get a selected compilation of these
columns in the newly published Topical Helpline,
available through the ATA.
Download the order form
as a WORD
document, or as a PDF
file.
SPECIAL MONEY
SAVING OFFER FROM THE ATA
20% to 80% off all handbooks written before Jan.
01, 2004
Click Here to see ATA Special Handbook
Discount Offers
Ever wonder where
you can go to find more information on Topical
Stamp Collecting ?
Click
here for the answer.
ATA PREFERRED ADVERTISERS
LIST NOW AVAILABLE
The American Topical Association
Website now features advertising from existing or new Topical Time
advertisers. Our new Preferred Advertisers
page provides links to Topical Stamp advertisers who support the ATA by
advertising in Topical Time.
ATA
COURSE - LEARN ABOUT TOPICAL STAMP COLLECTING
Learn
about Topical Stamp Collecting through our new interactive course
Topical
Stamp Collecting - The Basics ,
supplied by Mr. Dick Sine.
The
links to the right (or on the bottom) of each page can acquaint you
with many facets of the American Topical Association. We suggest you
start with About the ATA
to learn the history of the organization. After that, Benefits
will be a second informative stop for you. Next, take a look at the Topical Time
to get an idea of what our bi-monthly journal has to offer, while the Articles
button takes you to a summary of article topics that have previously
appeared in Topical Time and the
T. T. Indexes
button takes you to a listing of the Table of Contents for some of our
more recent issues. The News button
will give you an idea of the more recent press releases which have gone
out to the philatelic media.
Handbooks,
Checklists
and Audio/Visual
will each show some of the aids we offer to increase your collecting
enjoyment. Specials
will, from time to time, let you know of price breaks available on some
items - check back often to see what new offers are
available! The Study Units
will acquaint you with over 50 specialized groups of collectors who
have their own journals and/or newsletters. Also, the Chapters
lists 33 stamp clubs around the world in which topical collectors are
members. Navigating to the Stamp Shows
page will tell you about our annual National Topical Stamp Show (NTSS),
including dates and locations over the next 2-3 years. On the Membership
page, you will see how easy it is to join the ATA, while the Officers
page lists all the information on who you can contact to learn more
about our various services. We also have a special section which shows
many tips on collecting called Collecting for Seniors
(who make up a large majority of our organization). This section can
actually be used by anyone to start a new topical collection. Finally,
the Member Links
and the Links
buttons can take you to further sources of information. We expect to
add more links as the website continues to grow.
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